'Of course': Derek McInnes delivers bullish Rangers message and hopes to end 'suffering'

The 54-year-old has become the 22nd manager in Rangers’ history after leaving Hearts, taking over from Danny Rohl, who departed earlier this month for RB Salzburg after finishing third in the league.

Rangers have only won the title once in the past 15 years and McInnes said the clubs fans have “suffered”. He is driven to give them a team they can “believe in”.

Speaking at his official unveiling at Ibrox on Wednesday, McInnes said: “It’s a very special moment for myself and my family and a lot of people I can think of on a day like this. Having known the club for a long time, supported the club, I’m well aware of the responsibility that being manager brings. I'm excited to get going.

“I feel as though it’s the right time for me. I feel ready for it. I feel as if I belong here and I’m ready to get going with it.

“I feel as though the Rangers fans have suffered for a long time. It’s up to us to try now and play a key role in driving the standards and getting a winning Rangers team on the pitch more often than not. I’ve got an idea of what my Rangers team needs to look like, and hopefully, it’s something similar to what the Rangers fans want as well.

“The fans need something to believe in, they need something real. A lot of managers have sat in this position first day and said they were going to do this and going to do that. It’s easy to say things, but it’s a lot harder to get it done. But there’s work to be done here, but we’re going to do it well.

“We’re all going to work hard to bring the best players here because it does take more than just being a good player to play for Rangers and deal with what’s expected. There has to be a lot more under the bonnet to deal with that expectation. I feel that part of my job, and the staff's job that we bring, is to try and make the most of the current squad, but also add players that can help us be successful.

“I’m not kidded. I know if we don’t win trophies, there’ll be somebody else sitting here before too long. But I come here with the confidence I know with the resources we’ve got, with the infrastructure in place, and the support we’ve got from people above us, that this should be a winning Rangers team and this should be a club that should be winning.

“Rangers give me the best chance to win, and that's important. I know what I can bring to Rangers, but equally, I know what Rangers can give to me.”

Asked if the ambition is to win the league at the first time of asking, McInnes replied: “The intention is to win the title as quickly as possible. Can we? Yeah, of course we can. It's easy to say it, but the intention is to go and do that. We've got work to do as I've said, but the reason I'm here is because I believe we can.

“I want the players to feel that when you sign for Rangers it’s incumbent of them all that part of the reason when they sign here is to be successful. It’s incumbent of them, they’ve got to feel that responsibility. A lot of players will sign for a club for lots of reasons - location, financial reasons, all the rest of it. But there’s got to be a part that we all sign up here is to win trophies and be successful.”

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