McInnes insists Rangers are not as bad as perceived after another defeat
Derek McInnes has come out fighting over his nightmare start at Rangers by insisting his struggling side “aren’t as bad as people think” after another damaging defeat. The 55-year-old remains without a victory since taking charge at Ibrox after Rangers suffered a 2-1 home defeat against Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership, reports BritPanorama.
McInnes has now failed to win any of his opening three matches, leaving Rangers five points behind rivals Celtic and St Mirren after just two league fixtures. The loss on Saturday was compounded by the injury to star striker Youssef Chermiti, who had to be carried off on a stretcher, just days after Rangers rejected a £22 million approach from Galatasaray.
Despite the increasingly difficult situation, McInnes launched a passionate defence of his players, urging unity among those at Ibrox. “We’re not as bad as some people will be saying at the minute,” he told Sky Sports. “And I think it’s important that we just batten down the hatches, stay strong, stay together. We try, as a club, to come out of this window strong and we will.”
Rangers fell behind early when VAR intervened following Vanja Dragojevic’s challenge on Jason Kerr inside the penalty area, leading to a penalty converted by Josh Campbell. McInnes voiced discontent over the awarded penalty, asserting, “I think it was a wrong decision that made us go behind in the first place.”
Though acknowledging his team had moments of sluggishness, he contended that Rangers were the better side. “We weren’t great but we were better than Hibs, and I think it was harsh on my players to be on the losing side,” he added.
Of even greater concern for McInnes was the sight of Chermiti leaving the pitch before half-time. The 22-year-old enjoyed a promising previous season, scoring 15 goals and providing five assists after his arrival in Glasgow for around £10 million. Galatasaray’s reported bid would have exceeded the club-record fee Rangers received when Calvin Bassey joined Ajax. However, McInnes emphasized Chermiti’s importance to the squad. “The fact that the club rejected such a big number would suggest how important he is to us,” he stated. “He’ll get a scan tomorrow. He’ll leave here today in a boot and a brace.”
McInnes lamented the knee injury, saying, “It’s a knee injury of some sort, but I think it would be silly to speculate anything until we get the scan results tomorrow. Hopefully, he’s been lucky because we could certainly do a bit of that.”
As the clock ticks on their rocky start, the pressure builds at Ibrox. Whether McInnes can galvanize his side amid mounting scrutiny remains an open question, reflecting both the fragility of confidence and the fierce demands of Scottish football.
