Derek McInnes has now made the worst start of any Rangers manager after four competitive games, barring caretaker appointments, following Thursday’s European exit.
Rangers were eliminated from the Europa League third qualifying round after a 1-1 draw on the night produced a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok.
The result drops Rangers into a Conference League play-off against Czech outfit Jablonec, a significant step down from where the club expects to be competing.
Many home supporters were walking away from Ibrox long before the final whistle, despite the slim possibility of a late goal forcing extra time.
McInnes has been candid about where he believes the squad currently stands, despite spending heavily on nine new additions already this summer.
“The club is built for the Champions League and Europa League, but I don’t think the team is ready for it and it pains me to say it,” the Rangers manager admitted after the defeat.
“We need to get more quality, we need to get more confidence into the team,” he added, acknowledging the scale of the rebuilding job still ahead of him.
“Jagiellonia are a decent team with some good players and I think they’re well coached, but Rangers at their best should be winning this,” McInnes said.
The manager conceded the booing from supporters at full time was deserved, saying “I think it was justified, to be honest” and that “what we served up in the second half was not good enough.”
McInnes also admitted his tactical decisions during the match contributed to the collapse, replacing Thelo Aasgaard with full-back Ross McCrorie at half time and switching from three defenders to four.
The manager argued Aasgaard was “not getting involved enough” and that the change would help his wingers become “more involved higher up the pitch.”
Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday challenged that reasoning on BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound, saying “it didn’t work, it’s as simple as that” and that Rangers “lost all control without that extra body in midfield.”
Halliday suggested the squad “shouldn’t be that imbalanced this late into the transfer window” and listed the need for three centre-backs, a left-back, and up to three wingers as priorities.
The situation has been worsened by a serious injury to Youssef Chermiti, ruled out for a significant period with a knee problem shortly after Rangers rejected a large bid for the 22-year-old.
PSV Eindhoven winger Couhaib Driouech is expected to become the latest summer arrival, with McInnes confirming the club are “working so hard to get the necessary type of players.”
Former Rangers striker Steven Thompson believes Lawrence Shankland is struggling with the pressure of captaining such a demanding club, explaining that “it’s the weight of playing for Rangers, the weight of not having the start that he wanted.”
“At previous clubs, if you take a bad touch and give it away, you might get a few pelters,” Thompson said, adding that Shankland’s adjustment is “not physical, it’s mental.”
Halliday made a striking call for Rangers to re-sign free agent James Tavernier, the 34-year-old former captain released this summer, insisting “he’s an upgrade straight away.”
“It’s not going to be popular, but the first thing Rangers should do in terms of recruitment is phone James Tavernier tomorrow,” Halliday said on Sportsound.
Fan opinion remains sharply divided, with some calling for McInnes to be dismissed immediately while others urge patience as the squad is still being assembled ahead of the transfer deadline.
