Why Derek McInnes Is the Right Man to Replace Russell Martin

With Gerrard no longer in contention Rangers are once again searching for the right man to take the club forward. Many fans wanted Gerrard, some did not! But, I believe all fans will agree that whoever steps into the Ibrox dugout next must not only understand the expectations that come with the job but also the realities of where we are right now as a team.

For me, that man is Derek McInnes.

McInnes knows Rangers inside out. He knows what this club stands for, he knows the traditions, and most importantly, he knows the players, the league, and the opposition. You can guarantee he has watched every Rangers performance this season, not just as a rival manager but as a lifelong supporter. He will already have a clear picture of which players can handle the demands of wearing the famous shirt and which ones cannot.

He is not a project manager or a name looking for a platform, like Gerrard. He is someone who sees the Rangers job as the pinnacle. A man who has played for the club, studied under Walter Smith, and built a managerial career on hard work, discipline, and standards.

When McInnes looks at this Rangers side, he will already know where we are weak, what needs fixed, and which players have the mentality to turn things around. That insight alone puts him ahead of anyone coming in from the outside.

He would not need six months to assess or rebuild. He already knows the terrain, the pressures, and the expectations. For him, the Ibrox job is not just another opportunity, it is the ultimate challenge, and the one he has spent his career preparing for.

McInnes is not just another Scottish manager. He grew up a Rangers fan, played for the club, and learned under Walter Smith, the man who embodied everything this club stands for. Smith did not just rate McInnes, he supported him. That is not a detail to brush aside. When someone of Walter Smith’s calibre believes in you, it means you have something special.

Yes, McInnes turned us down in 2017. But people forget why. The club was a mess at the time, directionless, unstable, and without structure. McInnes sought Smith’s counsel and was advised against taking the job in that moment. That tells you more about the state Rangers were in than it does about McInnes himself. He has since said he has “a story to tell” about that decision, and I, for one, would love to hear it when the time is right.

Holding a grudge against him for that is short-sighted. Back then, he made the right call. Now, in 2025, the timing could be perfect.

McInnes knows Rangers. He knows the standards, the traditions, and most importantly, he knows Scottish football. Every ground, every opponent, every manager who will try to frustrate us, he has faced them all. He has built competitive teams on smaller budgets, dealt with pressure from demanding fans, and earned respect in every dugout he has worked in.

Hearts have started brilliantly under him this season, sitting top of the table, and you can already see his fingerprints all over that side. Organised, compact, aggressive, and efficient. Those are qualities Rangers have been crying out for.

And make no mistake, if Rangers came calling, McInnes would have to think long and hard. Hearts may be thriving, but Rangers is home.

Walter Smith’s mentorship of McInnes is no small thing. Smith taught him the Rangers way: standards, discipline, humility, and leadership. McInnes has spoken before about the values he learned from that era, and you can see it in his teams. They are hard to beat, mentally tough, and relentless.

McInnes brings something deeper, an understanding of what Rangers means. The culture, the expectations, the pressure. He does not just respect it, he has lived it.

Rangers need a leader who embodies the club’s traditions but also understands the realities of the Scottish game as it is now. McInnes fits that mould perfectly. He is not a project manager; he is a builder. He is pragmatic, proud, and passionate. And above all, “he gets it”, a terrible phrase that’s commonplace in football, but we all know what it means.

He knows what it feels like to win at Ibrox, to be judged by the highest standards, and to face opponents who treat every match against Rangers as their cup final. He understands what pressure feels like and how to channel it into performance.

When he looks at this Rangers team, he will already know who is ready to fight for the jersey and who is not. That is the kind of insight and honesty the club needs right now.

Derek McInnes represents something vital.

He represents continuity with our past, understanding of our present, and hope for a future built on standards, structure, and belief.

He is not the easy choice. But he might just be the right one.