Rangers held to a draw in McInnes’ return
Derek McInnes’s return to the club he supported as a boy got off to an underwhelming start on Friday evening, as Rangers were held to a 1-1 draw by Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership curtain-raiser at Tannadice, reports BritPanorama.
Australian forward Lachlan Rose gave the hosts a first-half advantage before Thelo Aasgaard’s second-half strike salvaged a point for the visitors.
The result means Rangers have now gone four consecutive seasons without a victory on the opening day of the league campaign, a run stretching back to 2022. It came just 76 days after Celtic edged Hearts to the title in dramatic fashion on the final day of last season, and did little to suggest McInnes’s rebuilding project will bear fruit quickly.
Rangers were architects of their own downfall for the opening goal, with poor defending allowing Randall to deliver a low cross from the right that went unchallenged. Rose reacted quickest, prodding the ball home from close range in the 38th minute — United’s first effort on target.
McInnes acted decisively at the interval, replacing the ineffective Ryan Naderi and Mohamed Diomande with Chermiti and Neil respectively. The double change injected pace and urgency into Rangers’ play. Aasgaard forced a fine save from United goalkeeper Jack Walton before finding the net on 56 minutes. Shankland’s physical challenge unsettled defender Michael Forbes, whose wayward header fell perfectly for Aasgaard, who composed himself before drilling a left-footed finish past Walton from twelve yards.
Randall nearly restored United’s lead late on but chipped tamely into Pandur’s arms. McInnes made no attempt to disguise his frustration afterwards. “I’m disappointed with a lot of aspects of it,” he told reporters. “I just think it was unnecessary, without pointing fingers.”
The manager was particularly critical of avoidable errors throughout the match. “It was just the little basic mistakes, the bitty mistakes and silly decision-making,” he said. “All that does is it gives them encouragement, it takes you further back, and it all of a sudden starts to look a bit more difficult than it was.”
What irked him most was his side’s failure to press on after drawing level. “I felt the desire to get the winning goal wasn’t quite the same as the desire to get the equaliser, and I’m disappointed that we never kept the shoulder to the wheel,” he added.
Despite having already recruited eight players this summer, McInnes insisted the Tannadice display highlighted the urgency of further reinforcements. “The new signings need to land pretty soon; I need to say that,” he stressed. “We’ve got important league games, important European games, and we need to try and get players in the building as quickly as possible.”
One clear positive was Aasgaard’s performance. The midfielder cut short his summer break after representing Norway at the World Cup, and McInnes praised his attitude. “I think he took a lot of confidence from the World Cup, being involved with such a great effort for his country and playing his part, the goal against France,” the manager said. “He could have taken a longer rest but it was great that he wanted to come back.”
McInnes succeeds Danny Rohl, who departed for Red Bull Salzburg after a second consecutive campaign without silverware at Ibrox. The 55-year-old former midfielder has been charged with delivering Rangers’ first championship since Steven Gerrard’s side claimed the trophy in 2021 — the solitary interruption to Celtic’s dominance over the past fifteen seasons.
McInnes arrives carrying the scars of last term’s agonising title near-miss with Hearts, who led Celtic on the final day before a late capitulation handed their rivals yet another crown. It was Hearts’ best chance of a first league title since 1960.
With a month of the transfer window remaining and European qualifiers on the horizon, the scale of the reconstruction job at Ibrox is becoming increasingly apparent. The challenge for McInnes will be whether he can weave together a team capable of challenging for honours, as it’s clear he will need time to establish his vision among the ranks at Ibrox.
