Derek McInnes understands the fury of Rangers fans after a winless start to the season, but insists he can end the 15 years of hurt.
Frustration shared
McInnes, a lifelong supporter who took over in June, has failed to taste victory in his first three matches. He acknowledges the fans' lack of patience, saying they have waited too long and spent too much to be told to calm down.
“No, I'm not asking for more time,” he insisted. “I understand the frustration. I share the frustration. It's 15 years of frustration here at this club. Nobody knows that more than me. We’ve won one title and the fans didn't even get to see the title win.”
By-product of frustration
McInnes stressed that every Rangers team is a by-product of that frustration, and only winning will change the mood. “So the Rangers fans just want to see their team winning and so do I. And we will get there. It's not going to start like we wanted,” he said.
He added: “I'm not going to ask the fans for more patience because I think the Rangers fans have been patient enough. It’s up to us to give them a winning team more often than not. And we will get there.”
Painful defeat
The latest setback came as a controversial Josh Campbell penalty and a last-gasp Callum Wright winner killed off Rangers’ revival after Miguel Chaiwa’s own goal. McInnes felt the penalty decision was wrong, saying it was “so soft, so harsh on us.”
Despite the defeat, McInnes praised his players’ efforts in the final half-hour, noting they had plenty of box action but passed up chance after chance. “The only stat that really matters, as you know, is the scoreline,” he said.
“Nobody's as frustrated as I am, but it's my job to keep calm with players. If they keep giving us that, what they gave us the last part of the game, we'll be fine.”
