Derek McInnes conquered Edinburgh - now Rangers boss has chance to change Glasgow derby landscape

It has come along a week earlier than planned. Rangers are due at Celtic Park next Sunday for a Premiership clash but as are the quirks of the Scottish football calendar, the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final draw has pitted the two Glasgow clubs together.

So McInnes will have the comfort of Ibrox for his managerial derby debut. The boyhood Rangers fan and former player will be surrounded by like-minded souls, as no Celtic supporters are permitted to attend. And having won his past four matches after a rocky start in Govan, there is momentum building.

As Hearts manager, McInnes won three of the four Edinburgh derbies against Hibs - the first being a late 1-0 success at Tynecastle. It set the tone for an epic campaign that so nearly ended in glory.

“I think it's the same in any derby,” said McInnes. “I had the same conversation last season at Hearts where Hearts managers don't really normally survive if they can't win derbies.

“Obviously, this is a bigger fixture and the spotlight is on. It's a cup tie. You've still got two cup ties to win to win a trophy so it doesn't guarantee anything but I do think it gives you a bit of credit in the bank if you can win these games.

“Obviously if you don't win them, there's just a bit more scrutiny on you. But listen, I know what I signed up for. I know the job requires you to be the best team in Glasgow, to be the best team in Scotland and hopefully we can do that.”

McInnes had the derby edge in Edinburgh

His Hearts team were certainly the best in Edinburgh last season. “I think in terms of your own support to feel that, you could clearly see what it meant to the supporters to win those derbies,” McInnes recalled. “The impact it can have on the opposition as well. I think you've got to recognise that as well.

“It’s a chance to strike a blow to your direct opponents as well. It's a big game. I understand that if you can win it, you get a lot of feel-good factor benefits from it.”

But McInnes is all too aware of how such headway can be stopped in its tracks by this fixture. While Rangers have posted good results recently, they pale in comparison with Celtic. Martin O’Neill’s men have prevailed in their past 16 domestic assignments.

“We're playing against a team who have been the most successful team in recent seasons,” noted McInnes. “They’ve won more trophies than any other team and they’ll feel the weight of that expectation this season as well. It's up to us to try and take advantage and use the opportunity to say, ‘it's our trophy this year and we're going to work towards it’.

“We have to deliver a performance that overcomes them. Having that belief and personality in the pitch is something that's so vitally important that the players feel that. I certainly feel that. I know we've got a performance in us and I know we've got a squad that can win the game. But we're going to have to bring a big performance to do it.”

As a player, McInnes managed it. He featured in three derbies during an injury-ravaged five years at Rangers between 1995 and 2000 and was on the winning side on each occasion. His first taste of the Old Firm arena was given to him in November 1996 by Walter Smith, a game that Rangers won 1-0 at Celtic Park but became infamous for a horrendous open-goal miss by Peter van Vossen, who replaced McInnes that night.

“I flicked on a header,” said McInnes. “I think I beat Brian O'Neill in the air which was unusual, I flicked on to [Brian] Laudrup and he did the rest. I remember we won the game 1-0, I think we went top of the league that night at Celtic Park.

“That was the Van Vossen night. I remember the gaffer didn't really celebrate too much, he was just so angry with Peter for missing the chance because we put the game at risk towards the end of the game. It was a big win for us and it was a massive season.”

Stepping into Walter Smith’s shoes

Indeed it was. Rangers went on to win the league and hit nine in a row. “The pressure to deliver nine was clearly on everybody in that dressing room, particularly the gaffer and we all felt it,” recalled McInnes. “Wherever you came from in the world, whether you were a local boy or you weren't, there was a sense of opportunity there and having won eight, we had to win nine.

“We all felt that collective responsibility, but the players all wanted to do it for the manager as much as anybody.”

Such a moment - even a long time ago - should stand McInnes in good stead as he steps into Smith’s shoes. With a young squad with limited experience of an Old Firm match, the onus is on him to sufficiently prepare the players for the occasion.

“I think as a player it's different,” said McInnes. “I remember you just don't want to let anybody down when you play in these games. You think about your teammates, you think about your friends, your family who are all going about the game and things like that. You just want to make sure you win the game.

“I think that any team the gaffer [Smith] would have, you wouldn't need to motivate that dressing room because he knew that all week the motivation was there.

“It was probably, not trying to keep a lid on it, but because there were so many of a certain type playing in the dressing room, I think he took it as a given that the competitive part of the team was always going to be there.

“I think really he just would speak about the basics. He's the best manager this club's ever had, but his fundamentals were about doing the basics really well and in this game in particular. Any time I played it was in terms of give it to the guys that can make the difference in the game, the game changers and do your job well.

“He would probably just give you the responsibility about how we were always as strong as each other. It was only as strong as your weakest player, so everybody had to bring some sort of performance. It's hard to win these types of games without everybody bringing a performance of some sort.”

For too long, it has been Celtic who have been bringing the performance on Old Firm day. This is a chance for McInnes to change the landscape.