Derek McInnes has now spent 100 days at the helm of Rangers, the club he supported as a boy, represented as a player, and once turned down the chance to manage under former chairman Dave King. What began as a rocky introduction has evolved into a run of form that has eased the pressure building around Ibrox.
McInnes was appointed on 17 June, taking over from Danny Rohl just weeks after guiding Heart of Midlothian to a narrow title near-miss behind Celtic. "It is no secret that I grew up a Rangers supporter and I am convinced this is the right time to take on this prestigious role," he said upon arrival, acknowledging "a lot of hard work ahead."
That hard work was evident almost immediately. His first match in charge, a 1-1 draw at Dundee United on 31 July, saw Rangers rescue a point after Thelo Aasgaard's equaliser. McInnes conceded his side "weren't good enough to win the game." Results deteriorated further in Europe, where Rangers lost 2-1 away to Jagellonia Bialystok in the Europa League third qualifying round, McInnes admitting his team "beat ourselves."
Domestic troubles followed. A 2-1 home defeat to Hibernian, sealed by a late Callum Wright strike, was compounded by an ACL injury to striker Youseff Chermitti that also derailed transfer interest from Galatasaray. "We're not as bad as people think," McInnes insisted, while acknowledging supporters' frustration.
Europe brought no relief. Rangers drew the second leg with Jagellonia but exited on aggregate, before a penalty shoot-out defeat to Czech side Jablonec ended their European campaign entirely — the first time in a decade Rangers will be without continental football. Missed penalties from Findlay Curtis and James Penrice proved costly, and McInnes did not hide his disappointment. "I'm embarrassed with the performance," he said, though he praised the travelling supporters and staff for their conduct.
The turning point arrived with a 5-1 Premier Sports Cup rout of holders St Mirren on 16 August, Rangers' first win of the McInnes era. From there, momentum built steadily. A league win at Pittodrie on 30 August, McInnes's former stomping ground, was followed by further victories over Falkirk and Motherwell, despite captain William Shankland suffering a hamstring tear that will keep him out for months. Ryan Naderi stepped up to score the winner against Motherwell.
A stoppage-time goal from substitute Bojan Miovski secured another win over St Mirren on 9 September, extending the run and lifting Rangers into second place in the Premiership, five points off leaders Celtic at the time.
The real statement came in the Old Firm fixtures. Rangers beat Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final push on 13 September, with two goals from Dan Neill and one from Kelsy sending them through to face Aberdeen at Hampden. "It's a good reference point for my players," McInnes said. "They're a young squad and they saw how much that result means to the supporters."
A week later, Rangers repeated the trick in the league, with a Naderi goal silencing a 60,000-strong Celtic Park crowd. "It's just three points and it gets us three points closer to Celtic," McInnes reflected, adding: "I like putting my name to this team at the minute and I think we've got a good thing going."
Former Rangers captain and interim boss Barry Ferguson has been impressed by the turnaround, noting the squad's growing cohesion. "Now I think you're starting to see a team that's got a real togetherness. That's the biggest thing for me," Ferguson said, pointing to the resilience shown even before the Celtic victories.
With six consecutive wins heading into the international break, McInnes appears to have navigated Rangers through a turbulent start into calmer, more promising waters.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.