There's been no shortage of waffle spoken by the people in charge at Ibrox down the years. With Mark Warburton, it was about pitch geography and how his Plan B was to do Plan A better. Pedro Caixinha left everyone bemused with his tales of barking dogs and caravans. Michael Beale, well he vowed to release Rangers’ handbrake - only to see his tenure skid off the road. Philippe Clement spoke of moral victories, while “cultural architect” was Patrick Stewart’s description of Russell Martin. As for Kevin Thelwell, he sent the Ibrox cringe-o-meter spinning off the scale with his 25/8 patter.
It’s precisely that kind of buzzword babble that has seen so many fans turn a deaf ear to the numerous managers and execs making appeals for patience. They’ve had enough of hearing coaches talk a good game then fail to deliver silverware. But that’s where Ryan Jack reckons Derek McInnes is different.
He worked with the new Ibrox boss when they were together at Aberdeen and saw a man who is old school in his communication approach, a gaffer who is never afraid to tell it like it is. That’s not to say he would shy away from the latest trends and new innovation. Instead, Jack recalls a manager who had an ability to strip away attempts to complicate a simple game.
"That is just the modern day game," the former Ibrox midfielder told Record Sport. "The first thing everyone talks about when they discuss managers getting jobs is, ‘What style does he play? What’s his philosophy? Do they play from the back?’ But that can all become a bit robotic. I just think Derek has a lot more about him than that. He’s got a bit of the old school side given he's been managing for a long time. But he also has an eye on the modern approach with the coaches he has beside him, so I think you’ll see a good blend of styles at Ibrox. The main thing, though, is that I don't think the style's an issue.
"At Rangers, they've gone down the route of trying to get head coaches who had a clear style and clear identity, people who put a big emphasis on the way they were going to approach the tactical side - but it’s not worked. For me - and I’ve said it for a long time - the first thing that a club like Rangers needs is a leader. If you're going to be Rangers manager, you need to be a figurehead, you need to be able to speak well, lead well, deal with all the crazy stuff that comes at you when you work in the Old Firm. It's not just about picking a team. You’re dealing with bigger personalities than you find at other clubs, bigger players, maybe a bigger changing room, more players. You're dealing with the media.
"Obviously there’s important work to be done on the training pitch too but Rangers in the past have gone for people who talk about good systems and this is how they play this way and that way - but then don't deliver results. When they fail to win, everything flips and changes are made. It’s been happening for years. It’s just not sustainable. That’s why I think Derek is a great appointment, I really do. He's got the leadership qualities required. And I say that personally because I've played for the club. I know what is needed, somebody to actually lead from the top."
The news of McInnes’ appointment hasn’t won universal approval among supporters. Some suggest one League Cup win in a 19-year management career doesn’t bode well for Rangers’ trophy prospects under the new man. Others point to his teams’ style of play - or perhaps lack of it. Jack, though, has only positive memories of playing for Del’s Dons line up - especially the early days when they packed plenty of punch with a frontline of Jonny Hayes, Niall McGinn and Adam Rooney.
"It was a great time and a great team to play in, I'm not going to lie," said the former Pittodrie skipper. "We had Hayes and McGinn creating havoc down the wings, Rooney scoring a lot of goals. Then we signed Graeme Shinnie and Kenny McLean, which took things up another notch. In my time with Derek at Pittodrie, we always had flair in the team. He always knew how to inject some attacking threat into his line up. The trouble is that opposition managers pick up what you’re doing and go man-for-man. They follow your flair players all over the pitch. So when that happens you have to play a bit more direct. But back then, Del’s emphasis was always about getting the ball to the flair players as quick as we can and letting them do the damage.
"You can see that football has changed over the years. Now everybody thinks you've got to make 40 passes to get it to a winger and then you've got to score that perfect goal. I know that’s not how Derek sees it. But even in this Rangers team, I think you’ll see him try to inject a lot of pace in the team, he’ll want those exciting flair players out wide. He’ll look to have a physical striker up front, which he's obviously got with Lawrence Shankland and Youssef Chermiti. So I think all the tools will be there for him and the club will help him add to what he has at the moment. He’ll be allowed to go and stamp his authority on the club and his team."
McInnes has broken hearts in Gorgie by walking out on the Jambos just weeks after almost leading them to a title triumph. Jack knows what that’s like. Although born in Aberdeen, he grew up supporting Gers and enraged the Red Army when he decided to join his heroes in Glasgow in 2017. He said: "Derek is a supporter of the club and was there as a player, it’s always been a dream to go back and manage the club. For me he's worked so hard to get there. He really deserves it. He's obviously dropped in the league, he went to Killie and the Championship to get his career going again after leaving Aberdeen. That at Hearts, he almost achieved something incredible. That’s why he deserves credit. Every year, whatever club he's been at - Killie, Aberdeen Hearts - he’s always built a squad that can get results. There have been times when he’s had to sign six, seven, eight players in the summer but he gets them to gel and become a unit. That’s no easy thing and why I think he deserves this chance at Ibrox."
