It’s looking increasingly likely that Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes will become the new Rangers boss.

Dons Chairman Stewart Milne has so far refused the Ibrox club permission to speak to his gaffer but with McInnes not taking first team training for the past few days and also not holding the club’s pre-match press conference today, it’s looking like his position at Pittodrie is fast becoming untenable.

With that in mind, I’ve decided to list a few pros and cons on why McInnes to Rangers makes sense or why it might not.

PROS

• Derek knows the Scottish game very well and has established his Dons side as the second best in the Scottish Premiership. A criticism of former Gers manager Pedro Caixinha was that the Portuguese boss thought Scottish football would adapt to his style, ultimately that ignorance and stubbornness cost him his job. The strong knowledge of our game will help McInnes set his team up properly, change them for certain games/occasions and gives him a chance to pick up bargains from the Scottish transfer market.
• His use of Scottish talent should be great news for those at Murray Park. More and more youngsters seem to be getting a chance in the Gers first team, that will hopefully continue if Derek is announced as the new Gers manager.
• The jobs that he has done at Aberdeen and at St Johnstone has left both clubs with very strong foundations.
• By leaving a cushy gig up in Aberdeen, McInnes would be proving that he wants to do more and believes he can do that at Ibrox. Rangers need someone with ambition and a determination to prove himself.
• He’s a ‘Rangers man’. That’s a big tick in a lot of people’s boxes in the Ibrox stands. The fans want someone that knows the club and Derek obviously played for the team as a player. His links to the nine in a row era and to Dick Advocaat’s years of dominating the top flight will stand him in good stead. There’s plenty of footage and images online of the midfielder celebrating success during his playing days in Govan.
• The manager has been consistent at Aberdeen. He has led them to a third place finish in the league and then three consecutive second place finishes . In 2016, he managed to run Celtic relatively close in the title race before the Hoops secured the title with a couple of games to spare. He won the League Cup as Dons boss in 2014 and last term he watched as Celtic beat his side in both domestic cup finals.
• The forty-six year old has worked with a tight(ish) budget up north. He won’t get a huge amount to spend at Rangers but it should still be a step up from what he’s used to. If he can continue to get value for money in the transfer market, then the Gers board will be extremely happy.

CONS

• While his knowledge of the Scottish scene is extensive and he has a fairly decent contact book down south, has he got the name and ability to find gems from abroad and persuade those gems to come to Glasgow? That was an issue Rangers had with former gaffer Mark Warburton. Hopefully the new scouting team can help him on that front.
•  His record against Celtic, especially since Brendan Rodgers took over at Parkhead, isn’t the best. Rangers need to keep improving on their results against the better teams in Scotland’s top tier. Some might believe Rodgers already has McInnes number, but can Derek change that with different personnel?
• For some of the supporters, the appointment of Derek McInnes will be viewed as not good enough. Many wanted a big name and one with plenty of winning pedigree, McInnes won’t represent that to many of them.
•  As a manager he has had mixed results in Europe. To be fair, most Scottish sides have been woeful in Europe but many were hoping for progression under McInnes at Aberdeen but he keeps coming up short.
• He was sacked at Bristol City. They were bottom of the Championship at the time. They seemed to be in decline and he did manage them to safety in the previous campaign but his stint down south will still raise a few eyebrows.
• His solo cup success was great at the time but it was meant to signify more and that simply hasn’t happened. Many might let him off, when you consider how dominant Celtic were last term.

At the end of the day, every managerial appointment in football comes with a risk. We will just need to wait and see if Derek McInnes gets the job (it looks very likely), then see what he does and judge him thereafter.

Posted on December 7th, 2017 by scott
Filed under: Article