Rangers Not Ready for Europa League Football, Says McInnes
Derek McInnes did not bother dressing it up. Rangers, he said, are “not ready” for Europa League football.
On a raw night at Ibrox, his new side drew 1-1 with Jagiellonia Bialystok in the second leg of their third qualifying round tie, but slipped out 3-2 on aggregate. The earliest European exit since 2017. The boos at full-time were loud, sustained and, in the manager’s own words, “justified”.
Boos, blunt truths and a brutal exit
This was supposed to be the first step towards the group stages, towards the kind of European stage the club believes is its natural habitat. Instead, it became another chapter in an increasingly uncomfortable start for McInnes, whose winless run as Rangers manager now stands at four games.
“It wasn’t good enough,” the former Rangers midfielder admitted. “What we served up, particularly second half, wasn’t good enough.”
The anger in the stands told its own story. Ibrox has seen early exits before, but the expectation remains that Rangers should handle this level, especially at home. McInnes didn’t try to shield his players from that reality.
“The club’s built for Europa League and Champions League and that’s the intention, to get there,” he said. “But I’m not sure the team is quite ready for it at the moment and it pains me to say that.”
Tactical gamble, fragile performance
Injuries forced his hand. With left-back Tuur Rommens and striker Youssef Chermiti both missing, McInnes ripped up Sunday’s plan from the defeat to Hibernian and made five changes, including a switch to a back three.
He pushed Gassama and Yakota into demanding wing-back roles, a bold move designed to open the game up and flood the penalty box.
“I felt we had to make the game open and it was a bit too open at times in the first half,” he said. “Gassama and Yakota playing as kind of effectively wing-backs, we were asking a lot of them at times.
“But I thought it paid dividends in terms of penalty box action, getting the goal. I thought we were good value for getting it one and a half-time, but I still thought that Jagiellonia had a couple of scares.”
That line summed the night up. Flashes of purpose, yet always a sense of vulnerability. Rangers carried a threat, but never total control.
And once again, as McInnes pointed out, they could not sustain a complete performance.
“Once again, it’s not another 90-minute performance. That’s been in the Rangers for a while now. It’s been a continuation of that this season already.
“In the four games we’ve played, we’ve had some good moments, but it’s not been good enough and certainly not a strong enough 90-minute performance.”
“Inexplicable” goal and loss of composure
The decisive moment left McInnes exasperated. Chasing the tie, Rangers switched off at the worst possible time. The manager did not hide his fury at the way his side conceded.
“For us to lose the goal. It’s inexplicable how we don’t make a foul, how we don’t stop the flow of the attack, how we don’t just sanitise that whole situation.
“It’s not lack of bodies, it’s lack of intelligence, it’s lack of doing the right thing, to be honest.
“We lost all our composure after that, if I’m going to be honest with you.”
The admission cut deep. This wasn’t about fitness or bad luck; it was about decision-making and game management on a night when Rangers needed clarity and calm.
Sixth man in, same old problems
McInnes is the sixth permanent manager since Steven Gerrard walked away in 2021. The churn in the dugout has not brought stability, and the early signs of this latest reign are harsh.
Yet he insisted he knew exactly why he had been hired – and what must change.
“What we served up last year wasn’t good enough. You get a job for a reason,” he said. “You get a job to try and make things better and obviously sometimes you get it because things aren’t quite right, and we have to try and get things moving the right way quickly.”
There was no attempt to lower the bar.
“There’s no two ways about it, we should be winning this game. Rangers, as strong as they can be, should be winning this tie.”
Work to do – fast
The transfer window is still open, and McInnes made it clear that reinforcements are not a luxury but a necessity.
“We need to get more quality, we need to try and get more confidence out of the team,” he said. “We have got work to do between now and the end of the window, but between now and Sunday to get ready to win a [League] Cup tie [against holders St Mirren].”
Europa League hopes are gone before the play-off round. The reaction now shifts from anger to expectation. The League Cup, the league campaign, the rest of the season – they all suddenly feel heavier.
Rangers have been told, by their own manager, they are not ready for the level the club demands. The real question is how quickly McInnes can change that, and how patient Ibrox will be while he tries.
