Derek McInnes has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson visited Rangers' Auchenhowie training base earlier this week, spending time with the manager and his staff over lunch. The legendary former Manchester United boss, a close friend of McInnes, was in Glasgow dealing with personal matters and took the opportunity to catch up with the Rangers manager.
McInnes, who has leaned on Ferguson's advice since taking the Rangers job, described the visit as a valuable chance to learn from one of football's greatest minds. The pair's relationship has grown over the years, particularly since McInnes managed Aberdeen, Ferguson's old club, and last season when Ferguson regularly supported McInnes' Hearts side in their unlikely Premiership title bid.
Ferguson's advice on difficult starts
Speaking ahead of Saturday's Premiership clash with Kilmarnock, McInnes said: "He messaged me on Monday to see if he could come in and see us on Tuesday. He was up in Glasgow dealing with one or two things and seeing his brother. So he came in on Tuesday for lunch and spent a bit of time with the staff and myself, chewing the fat as he does. It was great to see him."
McInnes noted Ferguson's health, saying: "He's in good health. Obviously, he's got a wee bit of difficulty with his walking at the minute but he's determined. He says he's two months away from being right as rain again and he certainly looked in decent spirits."
The Rangers boss added: "Sir Alex is somebody who has always been really supportive. I'm sure he is for a lot of managers. But for myself, he's been really kind with that. Any time you get to spend with him, either on the phone or in person, you've got to take that opportunity. I'm grateful for that. He was, particularly last season, a big supporter of what we were doing at Hearts. He was a regular visitor, so it's nice that we've managed to catch up."
Ferguson's backing for Rangers move
McInnes revealed he had long conversations with Ferguson over the summer when he was offered the Rangers job. "I've had a couple of conversations with him since I've been at Rangers. But to see him in person was good, particularly after his health scare. I had a discussion with him in the summer," he said.
"He enjoyed what we were doing at Hearts. I think he genuinely felt that a club outwith the Old Firm could win the league. But he understood when the opportunity to come here was there for me. We'd spoke long and hard about it. I think he just wants good things to happen for me. He has been very supportive and I enjoy having conversations with him. There's always something you come away with that he's not said previously."
McInnes shared Ferguson's advice on managing tough periods: "He spoke about his own difficult start at Man United. He said it's how you finish a season, not how you start the campaign. Sometimes it can take time. As we know in modern football, sometimes you don't always get that time. But he thought we were really strong in the performance against Celtic Park in particular."
Makhanya's impressive start
Ferguson was impressed by Rangers' derby win over Celtic before the international break, a display underpinned by strong performances, notably from South African defender Olwethu Makhanya, who was voted the Premiership's Player of the Month. The £3 million signing from MLS outfit Philadelphia Union has exceeded expectations, according to McInnes.
McInnes said: "Yeah, probably. When we took him, we'd liked a lot of what we'd seen. We felt there was enough evidence there. The profile, the speed of him, how he handles one-v-one situations and his calmness on the ball. But the MLS is a completely different league to Scotland, where it's a wee bit quicker, more physical, and a bit blood and thunder. The MLS is very technical and slow paced. You don't need to defend loads of crosses. It's very tactical. But what we've seen in him is an ability to cope and deal with different situations."
He added: "When we signed Maka, there was a hope that he could hit the ground running. But to come in and be as strong as he's been is credit to him. He's over here on his own. But he's dealt with it brilliantly. He's very quietly effective. Even Monday to Friday, he quietly gets about his work. It's good that a player like him gets this recognition. There could have been a few players in the team who could have won the award. But rightly so, his performances have been highlighted of late. We just need that to continue and he knows that as well."
Rangers' early season form
McInnes and Rangers are in a good place after back-to-back Old Firm wins before the break, but the manager stressed there is still much to play for. "It helped going into the Celtic games on the back of four wins. I thought we looked ready for Celtic games and they were obviously two big wins for us," he said.
"But we're only in the infancy of the season. There's still so much to play for and we want to just try and maintain it. We're going to get judged over a period of months, not just one month and a few weeks. Everybody's under no illusions here about us having to keep the shoulder of the wheel and keep cracking on."
