Walking up the Marble Staircase for the first time as Rangers manager, Derek McInnes was struck by a flashback. It was a bolt from the blue that stopped him in his tracks. As you reach the top step of that famous grand balustrade, just off to the left sits the Ibrox manager's office. McInnes had only once crossed its threshold before. That was three decades ago on the day he signed for Walter Smith's all-conquering Light Blue side of the mid-90s.
A special memory with his father
On that occasion, he pushed open the door expecting to find Smith sitting behind the imposing desk — a piece of furniture that has seen every Rangers boss since Bill Struth come and go — waiting with the final paperwork required to complete his £300,000 switch from Morton. Instead, he was met by the sight of his dad Duncan, beer in hand, having the time of his life with the manager of the club both he and his boy supported. That Smith would take the time out of his busy schedule to ensure the occasion was everything both father and son had dreamed of has long stuck with the former Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Hearts gaffer.
And it was that memory that shot back into the 54-year-old's mind as he walked into that same room earlier this week, having just been confirmed as the 22nd permanent appointee to take ownership of that office. Those common touches are the mark of the man and precisely why McInnes has revered his former manager as much for his human kindnesses as his ability to piece together trophy-winning football teams.
Emotional reflections
Sadly, Smith is no longer with us, having passed away five years ago this October. It is 26 years since McInnes lost his father. But somewhere, he is certain both men will have been looking down, filled with pride at the fact he is back where he belongs. “They came back to me when I walked into the gaffer's room at the top of the stairs,” said an emotional McInnes. “You were only ever in that room when you signed … or if you were a bad boy! Was I in there a lot? No, not me! In fact, Wednesday is only the second time I've actually been in it. The first was the day I signed.
“I was taken away to do my medical. I was away for an hour and a half. I didn't do my medical very well because I was always injured! But when I came back up the stairs, the gaffer was sitting in there with my dad. They both had a can of beer in hand and the two of them were just chewing the fat. I remember going to my dad, ‘Check you out!’ He was like, ‘Aye, I’m just chatting with Walter’. I went, ‘did you go to school with Walter, aye?’ Clearly the gaffer knew it was a special day all round, probably even more so for my dad, who was a big Rangers supporter. I think he was determined to make that day as good as he could for him. It meant a lot.
“So that office, it's only the second time I've ever been in it, and that was Wednesday. And you can feel the history in there. My mind flipped back to that day. I think both would be proud to see me here now. I had a lot to do on Wednesday, you know media duties and meeting people, but there's no doubt that I've thought about both my dad and Walter a lot that day. I'm sure both would be delighted for me. I got a nice message from the Smith family, both at the end of the season with Hearts with the way it played out at the end and another in the last couple of days.”
Building a new squad
Having completed the formalities of his unveiling, now it is down to the proper business of constructing a team that can compete for honours. McInnes met with his new squad on Thursday for the first time. Most of the faces were familiar enough from last season's team, given there are only two new recruits in the door so far — a certain Lawrence Shankland and the returning Ross McCrorie, who remains in the US with Steve Clarke's World Cup squad. But there will be plenty of fresh additions to come in the weeks ahead as McInnes starts constructing a squad in his own image.
Perhaps thankfully, those new signings will not have to run the gauntlet their manager faced back in 1995, when McInnes walked into a dressing room containing daunting characters like Ally McCoist, Paul Gascoigne, Ian Durrant, Richard Gough and Andy Goram. The ribbing these days might be a tad on the tame side, but the new boss wants his players to grasp that the need to win remains every bit as important now as it was back then.
Lessons from the past
Looking back on his own arrival, McInnes said: “Yeah, I remember, aside from the normal messing about and all the piss taking initially, when I first went in there was a clear message. I had other options — financially better options — to go down south. Here there was six or seven international players ahead of me for the position but it was the conversations with the gaffer really that convinced me to come. He felt I could have a role to play here and obviously I felt really confident walking into the Rangers dressing room.
“My time here was impacted severely with injuries but I still felt being in and around a club every day that I saw the character that was needed, the personality that was needed, the determination that was needed day in, day out. But also what you needed was that real togetherness in the dressing room. You can only do so much as an individual, but together you can do a hell of a lot more, and togetherness and forging strong relationships, and building a real bond with your team is key for this, because it's going to be, at times, us against everybody.
“The heat and the criticism comes at a club like Rangers when things aren't going well, and it's in those periods that you need to, for all footballers and everybody involved in football, stick together and have that response. Football isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Anybody could do the job if that was the case. So I saw what spirit and team togetherness and being proper people, and we had a dressing room full of proper good people, and it's important that we have something close to that this time around.”
