Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday has stepped forward to back the club’s new boss, Derek McInnes, insisting that the manager is doing everything within his power to turn the tide at Ibrox despite a bleak start to his tenure. Halliday, who spent five seasons playing for the Glasgow side, argued that the recent string of poor results cannot be laid at McInnes’s feet alone, pointing instead to deeper structural problems within the organization. In a candid interview with Sky Sports News, Halliday described McInnes as a manager who is still "scratching the surface" as he searches for a winning formula. He explained that the coach is experimenting with different line‑ups, trying to identify players he trusts, and deciding whether the solution lies in altering the squad’s personnel or tweaking the tactical shape.
"He's trying to find a formula, he's trying to find a solution, he's trying to find players that he trusts. Whether that's personnel or whether that's shape and he's really scratching the surface," Halliday said. The former midfielder highlighted a number of glaring deficiencies in the current Rangers roster that make McInnes’s task especially arduous.
According to Halliday, the squad suffers from a pronounced lack of pace, a scarcity of creative spark, and an absence of a player capable of dictating the tempo of a match. "You look at the balance of the squad and there's a real lack of pace, a real lack of creativity, no one that can dictate the tempo of a game," he noted. These shortcomings, he argued, are not simply a matter of poor coaching but stem from recruitment decisions made by the club’s hierarchy. Halliday’s criticism extends to the club’s transfer policy over the past year.
Rangers have brought in nine new signings during the summer window, yet a high‑profile deal for PSV winger Couhaib Driouech, reportedly worth £6.5 million, fell through after the player suffered an injury during his medical examination. Fans have expressed frustration over what they see as an inconsistent recruitment strategy, and Halliday echoed those concerns, describing the situation as a "gross level of mismanagement." He pointed out that signing 27 players in a twelve‑month period inevitably leads to a number of poor decisions. "If you've signed 27 players in the space of 12 months, then you've got so many decisions wrong," he said.
The former midfielder painted a picture of a squad that is overloaded in some areas while thin in others. According to Halliday, Rangers have an excess of left‑backs, centre‑halves, and central‑midfielders who all share a similar profile, but they lack depth on the wings and in attacking positions.
"Only one left‑back in the door, three centre‑halves, only two wingers, a whole host of central‑midfield players that all kind of fit the same profile," he observed. This imbalance, he argued, forces the manager to work with a limited set of options, making it difficult to implement a dynamic, attacking style of play.
Despite the criticism, Halliday acknowledged that the club’s chairman, Andrew Cavenagh, has defended the recruitment process at a recent shareholder Q&A, claiming that the squad is stronger than it was a year ago. Halliday, however, remained unconvinced, stating that the quality of the new arrivals does not represent a clear upgrade over the previous roster.
"They need an upgrade, and I think it's hard to say they've done that," he concluded. The pressure on McInnes has intensified after a four‑game winless streak that culminated in a disappointing exit from the Europa League at the hands of Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok.
The early elimination has amplified scrutiny of both the manager and the board, with supporters demanding immediate improvements. Yet Halliday urged patience, emphasizing that McInnes is operating with the resources he has and that the solution will not appear overnight. In summary, Halliday’s defense of Derek McInnes rests on three main points: first, the manager is actively seeking the right tactical approach and personnel; second, the squad currently lacks essential attributes such as speed, creativity, and a game‑controlling presence; and third, the club’s recruitment strategy has been flawed, leading to an overabundance of similar‑type players and insufficient reinforcement in key areas.
While the chairman maintains that the team is better than it was a year ago, Halliday believes the evidence on the pitch tells a different story and that meaningful upgrades are still needed if Rangers hope to mount a serious challenge in the Scottish Premiership and beyond. Fans can continue to follow the Scottish Premiership live on Sky Sports and keep up with Rangers’ progress through various streaming platforms, including NOW.
The club’s ongoing efforts to address these issues will be closely watched, as the expectation remains that a club of Rangers’ stature should be competing for titles rather than grappling with basic squad imbalances.