Derek McInnes sends clear message to Rangers squad after Jablonec victory

McInnes secured his first victory as Rangers manager at the fifth attempt on Sunday, when his side thrashed St Mirren 5-1. However, the mood at Ibrox was far less positive against the Czech opponents, with Rangers booed off at half-time following a disappointing first-half display.

Ryan Naderi eventually broke the deadlock in the 50th minute, finishing from close range to give Rangers the lead. Their advantage was threatened in the 78th minute when substitute Cammy Devlin was shown a red card just minutes after entering the game following a high challenge on Jiri Slama.

Rangers were forced to finish the match with 10 men, leaving the tie finely poised ahead of next week’s second leg.

McInnes, who has already brought in 11 new players and is expected to strengthen further, believes his team must develop an identity that makes them difficult opponents.

He wants Rangers to combine organisation and an aggressive pressing style with greater composure and maturity during matches.

The manager felt his side allowed unnecessary anxiety to creep into the game after scoring. He pointed to the immediate response from the opposition, who won a corner shortly after the restart, as an example of moments where Rangers need to show greater awareness.

McInnes also called on his players to take more responsibility on the pitch, communicate better and learn how to manage matches without constantly needing instructions from the sidelines.

Despite the areas that still need improvement, the Rangers boss was pleased to take another victory, another clean sheet and another goal for Naderi into the second leg.

He acknowledged that there remains plenty of work to do but stressed that building confidence and momentum through winning games must remain the priority.

On Devlin’s dismissal, McInnes admitted that the challenge deserved a red card after reviewing the incident.

However, he felt the tackle appeared worse in photographs than it was in reality, explaining that Devlin may have been attempting to draw a foul when his raised leg caught the opponent’s shin.

McInnes concluded that Rangers must become more consistent and have a clearer understanding of their responsibilities rather than producing performances in short bursts.