Rangers fans are very used to false dawns and a fake Rangers Celtic sea change. The Ibrox side has had more than a few in the two decades since Walter Smith returned for his second spell. That spell ended, of course, in 2011, and there began a long period in the wilderness, which technically is still ongoing.
We have had false prophet after false messiah, and Rangers fans are certainly no strangers to having hopes raised, then crushed, as the reality of another failed manager and regime bears sad fruit. McInnes, of course, is the first time in some time that Ibrox Noise, and indeed the vast majority of Rangers fans, got the manager that they wanted.
Derek McInnes endured a nightmare start
There is no question that Derek McInnes’ start to life at Ibrox was initially horrifying. He broke some preliminary records, where in the first five or so games his win rate was essentially zero. He had a poor preseason, and the start of competitive action wasn’t a lot better.
Very few Rangers fans were actually calling for McInnes’ head. Ibrox Noise certainly was not one of those who did. We also did not see any point in sacking Derek McInnes at the time. We felt that we simply did not know what to do next given how badly we were doing in the league. Derek McInnes, of course, had us ninth. Things were not going well.
But over the course of the past month, the sea change in Scottish football has been stark. While Celtic remain five points clear at the top of the league, Rangers have gone on a consistent victory run. Domestically speaking, in the league, the points have rattled in, even if the performances have not been spectacular. This would be very much the same for our friends in the East.
Consequently, Rangers have risen to second in the league, which is a far cry from being third bottom. However, the biggest test for McInnes, and any potential change that this might reflect to the overall order of things in Scotland, was, of course, facing Celtic.
Rangers managers and a sea change is judged on the Old Firm
The simple reality of any Rangers manager is you are measured on your results against the Old Enemy. There are very few to no Rangers managers who get away with that one. And for McInnes to not only win his first Old Firm match, but do so with a comfortable level of crushing defeat inflicted upon the opponent, does hint at a potential sea change.
Only a potential one, however, because there is much work to do for a Rangers Celtic sea change. You would have to go back to Ally McCoist and the last time a permanent Rangers manager won their debut Old Firm match.
McCoist, back in 2011, when he had a strong Rangers team off the back of 3IAR under Walter, won his maiden Old Firm clash at Ibrox. That wasn’t really that huge a surprise back in those days because that team was strong. It was coming off the back of an outstanding three in a row under Walter and it was certainly no shrinking violet, given the number of titles and trophies under Walter.
Since then, only one Rangers manager has managed to win their debut Old Firm, and he was an interim. That’s Barry Ferguson. It was also a victory very much against expectations and was achieved through a late stunning goal by Hamza Igamane.
This is a bit different. This is a permanent manager, Derek McInnes, and he’s done it under the huge pressure and glare of the Ibrox spotlight and done it comfortably with a tactical masterclass.
Celtic suffered a crushing Old Firm defeat amid a sea change
This was by far the most convincing Old Firm victory that Rangers have had in close to a decade. This was a mauling, and not a single Celtic fan has suggested otherwise. They know that their team was crushed on the day, and the simple reality is it could be a sea change.
The problem, of course, is that aberrations happen in the League Cup. If we look at the difference between Rangers against St Mirren in the League Cup, which got us to this Old Firm encounter, and Rangers v St Mirren in the league, the performance and result were night and day. And not for the better,
The simple reality is you cannot compare cup competitions with league form and performances. Cup competitions are quite literally one off games. In this one, Rangers by far had the best and deservedly won by a mile, but they did the same against St Mirren, only for St Mirren to provide a much stiffer challenge in the league.
So the real test of a Rangers Celtic sea change does indeed come next weekend at Parkhead. With 60,000 baying home fans and, of course, the obligatory lockout of away supporters, Derek McInnes will find the going a little bit tougher.
Of course, the last time he travelled to Parkhead didn’t go too well for him either, as he lost the league on the final day of last season. So his memories of Parkhead will not be the best.
Parkhead will reveal if Rangers have turned the corner against Celtic
They are still, however, unfortunately, the team in form. When it comes to league performances, Celtic have been peerless this campaign. Rangers are catching up at the moment with the results, but it really just depends on the performance next Sunday to show if there’s been an unexpected corner turned as a result of recent times and indeed the Old Firm win.
We very much hope this is a good sign of things to come and a Rangers Celtic sea change. McInnes absolutely nailed the match. The players put in a shift, and all round it was perfect for the home side.
But can it be perfect for the away side in one week’s time?
Time will tell.