Derek McInnes openly acknowledged that Rangers are still a step away from being competitive at the Europa League level. The Glasgow club hosted the second leg of their third‑qualifying round tie against Polish side Jagiellonia Białystok, a match that ended in a 1‑1 draw at Ibrox. The aggregate score of 3‑2 meant Rangers were eliminated, marking the club's quickest departure from the competition since 2017. The defeat also extended McInnes' winless run as manager to four games.
The atmosphere after the final whistle was charged with disapproval. When Jagiellonia’s players responded to a fan’s jab that their club name resembled a Wi‑Fi password, the Rangers supporters voiced their displeasure with a chorus of boos. McInnes confirmed that the reaction was justified, noting that the performance, especially in the second half, fell short of the standards expected at this level.
"It was justified, to be honest. It wasn't good enough. What we served up, particularly second half, wasn't good enough," the former Rangers midfielder said in the post‑match interview.
He went on to stress that the club’s ambition is to regularly feature in both the Europa League and the Champions League, but he doubts the current squad is ready to meet those objectives. "We need to be honest, the club's built for Europa League and Champions League and that's the intention, to get there.
But I'm not sure the team is quite ready for it at the moment and it pains me to say that, to be honest, it does," McInnes added. He highlighted the need for higher quality and greater confidence throughout the team.
"We need to get more quality, we need to try and get more confidence out of the team," he explained. Injuries have further hampered Rangers, with left‑back Tuur Rommens and striker Youssef Chermiti both sidelined.
In response, McInnes altered his formation, opting for a back three and making five changes from the previous weekend’s loss to Hibernian. "I felt we had to make the game open and it was a bit too open at times in the first half. Gassama and Yakota playing as kind of effectively wing‑backs, we were asking a lot of them at times," McInnes said. He believed the tactical shift paid off in terms of creating chances inside the penalty area, which ultimately led to the solitary goal for Rangers.
Nonetheless, he admitted that Jagiellonia posed several threats throughout the match. "I thought we were good value for getting it one and a half‑time, but I still thought that Jagiellonia had a couple of scares. Once again, it's not another 90‑minute performance.
That's been in the Rangers for a while now. It's been a continuation of that this season, already," McInnes reflected.
He was blunt about the team's overall display, describing it as insufficient and lacking the intensity required for a full 90‑minute effort. "In the four games we've played, we've had some good moments, but it's not been good enough and certainly not a strong enough 90‑minute performance. But for us to lose the goal. It's inexplicable how we don't make a foul, how we don't stop the flow of the attack, how we don't just sanitise that whole situation.
It's not lack of bodies, it's lack of intelligence, it's lack of doing the right thing, to be honest. We lost all our composure after that, if I'm going to be honest with you," he said. At 55, McInnes is the sixth permanent manager Rangers have appointed since Steven Gerrard's departure in 2021. Despite the poor start to his tenure, he remains confident that he can reverse the club’s fortunes.
"What we served up last year wasn't good enough. You get a job for a reason," the former Hearts boss continued. "You get a job to try and make things better and obviously sometimes you get it because things aren't quite right, and we have to try and get things moving the right way quickly. There's no two ways about it, we should be winning this game.
Rangers, as strong as they can be, should be winning this day and we have got work to do between now and the end of the window, but between now and Sunday to get ready to win a League Cup tie against holders St Mirren." McInnes' comments underline a clear message: the standards at Rangers must rise if the club is to compete on the European stage. The manager emphasized that simply fielding a team is not enough; the players must exhibit tactical intelligence, composure, and the ability to control games for the full duration. While injuries and recent tactical experiments have complicated matters, McInnes believes that with the right adjustments and a renewed focus on quality, Rangers can still achieve their continental ambitions. The defeat serves as a stark reminder that the gap between domestic success and European competitiveness remains significant.
Fans, already vocal after the Wi‑Fi password quip, will be looking for tangible improvements in the coming weeks, especially as the club prepares for a crucial League Cup tie against reigning champions St Mirren. The upcoming fixtures will test whether McInnes can translate his candid assessments into on‑field results and restore confidence among the Rangers faithful.