Rangers boss Derek McInnes rues ‘basic mistakes’ as Premiership title challenge begins with a whimper
Derek McInnes last night admitted that Rangers’ error-strewn performance cost them the chance to start the campaign with a victory away at Dundee United.
Seeking to win a game on the opening day of the season for the first time since 2022, Rangers fell behind just before half-time to Lachlan Rose.
The visitors were marginally better in the second period and levelled through Thelo Aasgaard, but were unable to find a winner.
United actually had the best chance to claim three points only for Jesse Randall to chip the ball straight into Ivor Pandur’s arms near the end. But on his competitive bow as manager, McInnes felt his side lacked quality in the key moments.
‘I’m disappointed with a lot of aspects of it,’ he said. ‘I felt we were just wasted in the first half. I thought we had to defend more than we needed to.
‘I’m disappointed with the goal, obviously. I just think it was unnecessary, without pointing fingers. Second half, we got ourselves in a bit of a position.
‘I thought the equaliser was coming before it actually did. It wasn’t through a lack of effort [the outcome], I need to stress that, because I thought they looked fit enough and I thought we looked determined enough.
‘It was just the little basic mistakes, the bitty mistakes and silly decision-making. All that does is it gives them encouragement, it takes you further back, and it all of a sudden starts to look a bit more difficult than it was.
‘So, we’ve got to improve in a lot of things.’
The Rangers manager was irked by the fact that his team didn’t kick on after they equalised through Aasgaard.
‘I thought the desire to get the equaliser was clear,’ he continued. ‘I felt for five minutes or so after that, it was still clear we were going to get the winner, but I thought the desire to get the winning goal wasn’t quite the same as the desire to get the equaliser, and I’m disappointed that we never kept the shoulder to the wheel.’
Despite signing eight players to date, McInnes now believes that the display underscored the needs to strengthen the squad further.
‘I like the character of the team, the determination of the team, but I still expect better,’ he said.
‘I know the evidence today would suggest we’ve still got loads to do, and I get that, but I do think we have got enough to be encouraged about. But the new signings need to land pretty soon; I need to say that.
‘We’ve got important games, important league games, important European games, and we need to try and get players in the building as quickly as possible.’
The main plus point for the visitors was the display of Aasgaard who cut his holiday short after playing for Norway at the World Cup.
‘The boy deserves a lot of credit,’ McInnes added. ‘I think he took a lot of confidence from the World Cup, being involved with such a great effort for his country and playing his part, the goal against France.
‘I thought he made it look easy and he probably felt at home in that environment. He could have taken a longer rest after the World Cup but it was great that he wanted to come back.’
United manager Jim Goodwin said: ‘We’re not getting carried away, it’s only a point, and we wanted all three, but to get that point on the board is important.’