What was behind the double over the Dons?

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What was behind the double over the Dons?


Today’s victory over Aberdeen was as deserved as it was reassured. Another professional and energetic display from Murty’s troops saw all three points come back to Ibrox and Rangers hop into second place on goal difference for the first time since promotion.

However, the speculation over opposition manager Derek McInnes was the elephant in the room all afternoon, aided and abetted by his complete unawareness of his own team pre-match – as he spoke to Charles Paterson, he simply had no idea who ‘the other one coming in’ was, as the reporter reminded him it was Adam Rooney.

The latest is that McInness will be a done deal by midweek, with Rangers reportedly making a formal approach early into business on Monday, and one truly wonders how much of Rangers’ last two performances were displays for Murty, or displays trying to impress the opposition manager.

If Rangers players believe the opposition manager will be their new boss within a week, it seems only reasonable they will try that little harder in order to prove they are worth keeping.

It is akin to new manager syndrome, when a boss’s mere arrival gives the players a lift and sees some good early results – look at Everton under Allardyce – could not buy a win before, and they manage one on his debut.

This could well be a parallel form of that phenomenon – as Andy Walker himself put it, it was bizarre – today’s loss come Thursday could in fact be an excellent result for Derek McInnes!

And the players may well have had one eye on the away dugout, trying to ensure they will not be cast aside come his (almost) inevitable arrival.

Of course, there is still a chance he will not be the new manager, but it looks remote now.

It does seem the board has made its choice – and McInnes is the man. He knows Rangers, he knows the SPL, he knows pre-admin Rangers, he knows post-admin Rangers, and he knows the expectation.

He ticks a lot of the boxes. He is not the worst candidate ever, nor is he the prime choice of many, but we could and have done worse.

Whether we will progress under him only time will tell, and if he is to be the new man, he gets that free pass we alluded to till March.

But for now, if that was Murty’s last match, we say (more than King did) thank you to him and JJ personally for what they have given us recently. Only two non-wins in his entire second spell, and that is decent going for a youth coach.

This may now spell the McInnes era. Let us see what it brings us.

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1 COMMENT

  1. If it is to be McInnes then the conspiracy theorists will have a field day. The truth is however a lot simpler – Aberdeen are on a poor run and Rangers had hit rock bottom with losses to Hamilton and Dundee. early goal on Wed gave the players confidence and they took that into today's game. Talking of which Pena is still an enigma that can only last 45 mins. Jack is a marked man. McCrorie is now established as the holding midfielder we've been looking for. Hats off to Bates who came of age. One last word for the boo boys – Kenny Miller was superb today when we down to 10 men – putting himself all over the pitch right until the end. Now on to the McInnes years….

  2. Some shift from the lads today taking into account the sending off way 25mins or so to go gives everyone a real lift n belief that ther is a fight, grit n determination in there to come away from pitodrie with all 3 points. Well done n thanks to Murty.
    Before these two games I had us not picking up one point but now I have much more faith in the sqaud.
    Ill 2nd wat was said about Miller didn't score again but cover every blade of grass n to do that for 94 mins at 38 is a credit to him, total professional time to get off his case proves time n again he offers something to the team n can only benefit all the young ones in the team watching how to go about yur business n wats expected of u at the Glasgow rangers.
    Let's get behind new manager whoever it maybe, in 2nd place with January only around the corner to add to the squad onwards n upwards. WATP

  3. Murty has our team firing on all cylinders with star performances from many players, not least Windass, Bates and McCrorie because of his belief and encouragement in the players and his tactical changes that our two latest defeats demanded from the team.
    He has players playing to their strengths and in their favourite positions.
    Why would anyone think only the last two games have spurred Rangers players to catch a new managers eye when we are nearly six weeks since Pedro left?
    I don't buy it.
    Give Graeme Murty a three year deal, today. What more do we want from a manager.

    • PS. By retaining Graeme we deprive the Sheep of 800,000 megabucks and should use it to strengthen our own club by bringing in Moult, Walker or whoever Graeme Murty sees as a top addition to our present squad. No-one knows it better, for both its strengths and weaknesses. HE IS THE MAN FOR THE JOB.

    • PPS. Apologies lads for this continued Gnawing of a bone…….but how would you feel if we gave 800,000 megabucks away to our opponents and Aberdeen installed Murty as manager and signed Moult in January?
      And we lost the next few games?

    • I didn't want murty but after these two performances I have to admit I think he deserves it. I am under the impression that no matter how well he did the job was not going to be his. Give murty 6 months and judge from there. His formation change has been superb and playing mccorie at cdm just shows how well he knows the players. The celebration of the second goal looks like a team and manager united.

  4. yep why employ a manager who has failed to beat us twice in a week. Keep Murty till end of season to see how he does.

  5. What short memories. We lost to Hamilton and Dundee under Murty . Aberdeen had easy start to season and have now been found out. I don’t fancy McInnes but I don’t know who. Re surge with new manager ( Everton- Allardyce)- see Moyes. – West Ham. We need better pool.

  6. A very good week. 5-1 vs the Sheep, Media disappointed that there was no angst at the AGM, McCrorie and Bates looking the part, Second (finally). I think McInnes will be good for us though. He's not a Ferguson moving from Aberdeen to Man U, but he's better than Warbs and Ped and he'll be the right manager for the next couple of years at least.

  7. The turnaround after the two defeats brought Murty to come out and change shape and most importantly his man management, demonstrated by his enthusiasm, encouragement and tactical knowledge was evidently the reason for the turnaround.
    Given the job would make this likeable guy the spark to go on to be a brilliant manager. Why not I say.

  8. AMcC,Did you watch the Dundee and Hamilton games?We were rubbish and after after 2 wins against a poor Aberdeen team you would give him the job!!your a Absolute clown. He is a youth coach and no more. Ryan Jack should be thrown out of our club,he could have cost us points today. He’s not a hard man he’s a coward. He is not good enough for this club,Scott Brown had him in his back pocket 6times last season. Josh Windass was embarrassing with that dive today and I don’t hear anyone on here tonight about the best player in the SPFL,Pena. He was missing today.

  9. I do not agree with the article at all no offence. As stated by AMcC you’re saying the team have only started playing because of the DM affect yes? That’s giving Murty JJ & the Team a total disservice in all truth. Could it not be that Murty has struck a good bond with them? Also that the Team wanted to repay Murty & JJ for the Hamilton & Dundee results as they saw how much it hurt him? Yes a new Manager can give a Team lift that’s been shown hundreds of times over the yrs. Not anything new that is it to be fair and even more so if previous Manager had lost the dressing room ( Ped v Miller carry on ).

    Miller is a trier and a workhorse that’s a given but how many goals has he scored this term? Pena once again with the odd flashes but no workrate but how many goals?

    Last but not least how many are saying Murty isn’t good enough now? As his name was shit after the Dundee game – some even stated he’s a shit Youth Coach yeh… I'd be embarrassed if that was just saying… Onwards & Upwards 🔴⚪️🔵

  10. Given that we have a Director of Football to manage the recruitment process, we only need a first team coach.
    Can someone explain to me why McInnes can do that better than Murty, who has just had him on toast?
    I just don't see it myself. If we take McInnes, I fail to see why we need a Director of Football

    • Exactly ScotsWhaHae I mean why have a DOF if every Ex Player & Manager is saying DM must get the job?! If DM gets the job then he’s got it through the old boys network and the Media picking him not our DOF ffs…

      It’s a total farse from start to finish if that’s the case..

  11. Firstly, thank you to Graeme Murty for doing our club proud. You took half a team ( given the players that are our Dorans, Wallace, Alves etc ) mixed with young men like McCrorie and Bates and put on a first class performance and restored some respect for the club as you now have us second in the table. Fantastic and very well done.

    Our board got bitten in the bum by the Mark Warburton appointment and then increased the risk by a million time recruiting Pedro and that as we all know was probably the worst decision ever made by the club in our long history. However, if the media are correct and we are about to appoint a manager who our U20 coach has just out witted and beaten twice in a week then we have no hope of catching selic anytime soon. Today was our 5 win at Pittodrie stadium in our last 6 visits there…and yet we are going to appoint McInnes as Rangers manager…I do not get it.

    We have beaten them twice this season, Motherwell have beaten them twice and selic have beaten them…how is he the best man to manage Rangers ?

    He turned down £1m a year at Sunderland with a 3 year contract…because he was unsure about the future ownership of the club and that he may not last. He turns down £3m gauranteed …no risk what so ever…and we think he can manage the Rangers. Really, do we see him taking on Brenda? He will not take the pressure of being the Rangers manager and the first time we loss a couple of matches every body in the media will be saying…"well if you remember is record was abysmal before he went to Rangers".

    I hope the board don't make this mistake.

  12. This is a tough call.
    McInnes is the sensible option. To stabilize and build the team in the short term until we are more financially successful and can go after the De Boers and Bronckhorst's of the world.

    Murty doesn't quite tick all the boxes. Those two stupid results against Hamilton and Dundee have provided doubts. You can understand the team being up for it against the Sheep but the question still remains when its a Ross County can he get the same performance. We may never know.

    You have to assume that Rangers have already sounded out McInnes via a quite word in his ear from the likes of Walter as to whether he would be interested in coming to Ibrox. If not then, other than the Board looking like tits after all these weeks, we may well indeed find out how this team fairs against The Staggies with Murty at the helm.

  13. I have to put my hands up and say sorry regards Bates I said that he was a liability but glad to say I was proven wrong but one thing is clear after today and that is to give murty the job until the end of the season I dont see mcinnes having anything more than him in a managerial capacity we dont have the finances to bring in a really top class manager so give murty an opportunity, he has already out thought the supposedly favourite candidate for the job in two consecutive games

  14. Good God how can we possibly even think of McInnes as the next manager our youth coach outwit him twice. If its anything to go by and the fact he can't get nothing out of Rodgers were fuked!!
    The board are trueley useless all this time and go for McInnes, I just can't see it after all this time!
    Pedro come back all's forgiven》》

  15. Those doubting Derek McInnes ability, please don't forget he took his team to second place over a full season last year and has done that for the last couple of years. Well done to Murty, For his four wins,a posible future manager but not yet. Hope Derek is announced this week and I hope he get the time to succeed even if that takes the next two years.

  16. Try a little bit harder to prove they’re worth keeping?? They should be giving 100% every week no matter what,because they’re playing fur the great Glasgow Rangers.I wonder if Brian Laudrup or Paul Gascoigne would have upped their game on the change of a new manager RTWD