Rangers Manager Accepts Responsibility for Disappointing European Exit
Rangers’ manager Derek McInnes has taken “full responsibility” for his team’s “embarrassing” exit from the UEFA Conference League after a defeat against Jablonec. The team, which entered the second leg of the playoff with a 1-0 lead, suffered a dramatic loss on penalties, ending their European campaign entirely.
Despite starting strong in the penalty shootout, Rangers faltered as Findlay Curtis and James Penrice missed their final penalties, leading to a 4-3 outcome on Thursday. This marks the first time since a loss to Luxembourg’s Progres Niederkorn in 2017 that Rangers will not participate in European football beyond August.
The pressure mounts on McInnes following a troubling start at Ibrox, including an earlier exit from the Europa League against Jagiellonia Bialystok and lackluster results in their first two Premiership matches. “I’m embarrassed with the performance,” McInnes stated. He praised the staff and supporters for their unwavering support but acknowledged the team’s shortcomings.
“I’m not going to make any excuses. There’s been a big turnover of players, and we looked inexperienced, but the responsibility to improve lies with me,” he asserted. McInnes emphasized that everything was in place for success, yet the team’s performance fell short.
Statistics from the match corroborate McInnes’ dissatisfaction; Rangers held just 46% possession throughout the 120 minutes and managed only one shot on target. They also struggled defensively, winning less than 70% of their tackles while committing 17 fouls.
“I can’t accept losing individual battles; we need to regain momentum,” McInnes added. He remarked on the youth and inexperience within the team and mentioned ongoing efforts to make new signings to strengthen the squad.
“We got what we deserved; winning on penalties would have merely concealed our issues,” he reflected. McInnes fears that this defeat may hinder the team further, revealing, “We entered this match seeking confidence, but the team that deserved to advance did so, and that’s hard to accept.”
In their previous outings, Rangers had shown promise, winning 5-1 against St Mirren in the League Cup and securing a 1-0 victory over Jablonec at Ibrox, but early setbacks in the Premiership raised concerns.
Former Rangers player Andy Halliday criticized the team’s performance, noting, “Rangers showed no style or desire, and the lack of shots and control is shocking.” He drew parallels between this match and past humiliating defeats in the club’s history.
Steven Thompson, another ex-Rangers striker, highlighted the lack of attacking threat with only one shot on target in 120 minutes and noted the absence of a commanding presence on the pitch to lead the team. He recognized McInnes’ frustration amid the team’s faltering form.
Tom English, chief sportswriter for BBC Scotland, described the team’s performance as passive, pointing out the lack of motivation or leadership during the match, stating, “No one responded to McInnes’ efforts to improve the situation.”
Fan reactions further illustrated the discontent surrounding the club. Supporters expressed their frustration, with some describing the team as the worst they have seen in decades, citing a need for significant changes to avoid future failures.
As the team faces increased scrutiny and expectations ahead of their next fixtures, McInnes finds himself at a crossroads, tasked with reviving the struggling Rangers side.
Manager Derek McInnes says he take “full responsibility” for Rangers’ “embarrassing” Conference League exit at the hands of Jablonec.
Rangers, who held a 1-0 lead going into the second leg of the play-off in Czech Republic, lost 4-3 on penalties on Thursday to crash out of Europe completely.
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Derek McInnes’ side actually led early in the shootout, only for Findlay Curtis and James Penrice to miss their final two penalties.
It leaves them without European football beyond August for the first time since the 2-1 aggregate defeat by Luxembourg’s Progres Niederkorn in the Europa League first qualifying round in 2017.
And it ratchets up the pressure on McInnes after a hapless start to his reign at Ibrox, which included a Europa League exit against Jagiellonia Bialystok and a draw and defeat in their opening two Premiership games.
“I’m embarrassed with the performance,” the Rangers manager said.
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“The only people who represented the club well tonight were my staff and the supporters who were outstanding, getting behind the team despite watching what we all watched.
“I’m not going to make any excuses. Yes there’s been a big turnover of players, yes we looked inexperienced at times but the responsibility is mine to make sure we’re better than what we served up tonight.
“We’re elite in everything we do in terms of preparation and the performance lacked in everything.”
‘We got what we deserved’
The stats back up McInnes’ anger. Rangers had just over 46% possession during the 120 minutes in the Czech Republic, and just one shot on target.
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They won fewer than 70% of their 16 tackles and committed 17 fouls.
“I can’t accept, and we shouldn’t accept, losing individual battles, duels, second balls, not winning enough tackles and just getting the momentum of the game going our way,” the former Hearts manager added.
“I thought we looked young, inexperienced at times. We’re trying to make some signings to help with that side of it but we need to do so much more as a team.
“We got what we deserved. If we’d won on penalties we would have taken it, of course, but it would only have covered over the cracks.
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“I’m mortified with the performance. I know you can lose games of football but we should have enough in the building to take care of that tonight.”
Rangers had won their two previous games – a 5-1 win over St Mirren in the League Cup and the 1-0 victory against Jablonec at Ibrox – after drawing at Dundee United and losing at home to Hibernian in their opening two Premiership matches.
But McInnes feels this latest result may set them back.
“We went into this game scrambling for some sort of confidence, some positivity,” he said. “But I just thought the team that deserved to go through went through tonight and that’s hard for me to take.”
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‘One of worst results in recent history’ – the pundits’ view
Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday: “Rangers had no style, no desire, no movement, no tackles, no shots, no control. They offered absolutely nothing over 120 minutes. I’m not that shocked given what I’ve watched in the first few games.
“The questions are going to start coming Derek McInnes’ way. Rangers played five different formations tonight and they offered nothing.
“They had a week to prepare for this game. I don’t know what they did. I didn’t see how they were going to score. They got played through far too easy.
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“I think of Kaunas, Progres Niederkorn – that’s up there with those defeats. This is one of the worst results in Rangers’ recent history.”
Former Rangers striker Steven Thompson: “One shot on target in 120 minutes. That tells a story about Rangers’ threat.
“When players are on the pitch and things aren’t going well and they look around them for someone to grab the game by the scruff of the neck, to lead, there’s no answers.
“I could see Derek’s frustration. He couldn’t believe what he was watching. He tried numerous different things to bring about a better level of performance. But they need better quality on the pitch – and they need a gameplan.”
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BBC Scotland chief sportswriter Tom English: “They were passive and there was no get up and go about any of them. In a properly-functioning team, which this clearly is not, there would be one or two in there who, out of pure anger at their haplessness, would try and get something going but there was nobody.
“There was nobody out there berating, cajoling, encouraging, there was none of that. They all just went down with the ship. It didn’t matter what Derek McInnes did, nobody responded.
“McInnes will be looking at this thinking they’ve put a lot of work into it, spent a lot of money, tried a lot of formations and nothing is working. What does he do now?”
‘Worst Rangers team in 70 years’ – the fans’ view
Barry: Rangers are kidding themselves on. They are no where near the level they think they are, mediocre players, inexperienced staff, incompetent board. Be lucky to finish top six this season.
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Lennie: Worst Rangers team I have ever seen in my 70 years of supporting this great club. Not one of them who played tonight [Thursday] deserve to wear the jersey of our great club.
Jim: Five years ago Rangers were in a European final, now we can’t even qualify for the third tier European competition. Not only Rangers but Scottish football in general have to address the issues on why we are in freefall.
Brian: An absolute disgrace. The eye-watering amount of money wasted on sixth rate players is incredible. In my opinion McInnes must win at all costs on Sunday or I personally think he’s a goner.
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