Derek McInnes has been appointed as the new manager of rangers Football Club, with Ibrox confirming the former player has signed a three-year contract.
McInnes returns to Rangers from Heart of Midlothianjoining a club where he played for five highly successful seasons between 1995 and 2000. The 54-year-old arrives with extensive managerial experience, having taken charge of more than 800 games and a clear understanding of what it takes to win at Ibrox.
His appointment follows the departure of Danny Rohl, who left the club to take charge of RB Salzburg after less than a year in charge. Rangers moved quickly for McInnes once the German’s exit became likely, identifying the boyhood supporter as the candidate to lead the next phase of their rebuild.
A long way back to Ibrox
McInnes began his managerial career in 2007 at St Johnstone, before moving on to take charge of Bristol City, Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and most recently Hearts. At Tynecastle he enjoyed an outstanding campaign, guiding the Edinburgh club to second place in the Championship Scottish Premiership and a club-record points haul, minutes away from a first top-flight title in 66 years before the final-day defeat at Celtic.
That season earned him the PFA Scotland, SPFL and SFWA Manager of the Year awards. He brings assistants Alan Archibald and Paul Sheerin with him from Hearts, alongside Craig Clark, who previously worked with him at Kilmarnock.
McInnes: “A real honour”
Speaking about his appointment, McInnes said: “It is a real honor to become the manager of Rangers Football Club.
“It is no secret that I grew up a Rangers supporter, and I am convinced that this is the right time to take on this prestigious role given the structure of the club and the leadership of Andrew, the Board and Jim.
“The demands here are clear and our fans rightly have high expectations. It’s up to me, my staff and my players to meet those expectations and make this club run as it should.
“There’s a lot of work ahead, but preparations have already begun and I’m really looking forward to meeting the current squad in the coming weeks and welcoming some new faces.”
Board support
Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh said: “I’m delighted to welcome Derek to Rangers. He’s someone we’ve always rated highly, and we believe he’s exactly what this club needs at the moment.
“His deep Scottish and Rangers experience is important to us. He knows how to win in this league and is coming off a very strong season with Hearts.”
Chief executive Jim Gillespie added: “Derek understands what this club stands for and the standards required to succeed here.
“We are very pleased to have been able to get Derek in position prior to the start of pre-season training. With the addition of Derek to the squad, we will continue to push for this club to win consistently.”
McInnes inherits a team that finished last season without a trophy and a summer rebuild that is already underway. The challenge now is to translate his proven track record in Scottish football into the consistent success that Rangers fans expect.
Source: Rangers Football Club. This article is based on the club’s official announcement published in www.rangers.co.uk.
