Rangers’ soft touch days are over under Derek McInnes and here’s why | Barry Ferguson
The Ibrox legend insists the new manager’s mindset signals a long-awaited shift in Govan.
I’ll be honest with you: for the past few seasons, watching Rangers has been a frustrating experience. There have been times when this team has looked soft. Mentally fragile. Too easily accepting of second best. But as I look at the squad preparing for the new campaign, I’m convinced Rangers’ soft touch days are over under Derek McInnes. There’s a different feel around Ibrox this summer, and it starts with the man in the dugout.
When you listen to McInnes speak, you hear something that has been missing for a while: genuine ambition without the caveats. “I don’t see why we can’t have the ambition to win a title this season,” he said recently, and that line should send a shiver down the spines of the rest of the Premiership. It’s a statement of intent, not just noise for the cameras. For too long, we’ve heard about “processes” and “rebuilds” that never seemed to end. McInnes isn’t interested in that. He knows the demand at Rangers is to win, and he is embracing that pressure rather than hiding from it.
He’s right that the club has been slow out of the blocks in recent seasons. That has cost us points and momentum before the leaves have even started to fall. McInnes has identified that weakness immediately. He knows that to challenge for the title, you don’t just need to beat Celtic; you need to be relentless from matchday one. If you start slowly, you’re playing catch-up, and in this league, that’s a dangerous game. He’s demanding a fast start to build the belief and trust of the supporters. The fans are desperate to get behind something, but they need to see the fight on the pitch. Under this manager, I believe they will.
Of course, it hasn’t been a quiet summer. It’s been another overhaul. We’ve seen big names leave and fresh faces arrive. The likes of Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin have come in from Hearts, while key figures like James Tavernier and Jack Butland have moved on. That’s a significant shift in the dressing room dynamic. But this is exactly what McInnes needs. He is bringing in players who understand the Scottish game, who don’t need a settling-in period, and who have a point to prove. It’s a clever move. He’s blending that Scottish core with other additions to create a squad that understands what it means to grind out results in this country.
The manager has been honest about where the squad stands. He’s said they are physically ready but admitted they are a “wee bit light defensively” and need more firepower up front. I like that honesty. There’s no sugar-coating it. He knows the areas that need strengthened, and he’s not afraid to tell us. This is a far cry from the days of “we go again” or vague promises about the future. This is a manager who sees the problems and is actively trying to solve them.
What convinces me most, though, is McInnes’s ability to change the culture. The “soft touch” label didn’t come from nowhere. It came from teams knowing they could bully Rangers or that if they scored first, the heads would go down. McInnes won’t tolerate that. He demands intensity in training and in matches. The players will have to earn the right to wear that jersey every single week. There is nowhere to hide for anyone who isn’t willing to work.
The challenge is real. Celtic are a formidable force, and the other teams in the league will be desperate to knock Rangers off their perch again. But for the first time in a while, I look at Rangers and see a manager who isn’t just a coach; he’s a leader. He understands the psychology of the club. He understands the demand.
This might not be a quick fix, and there will be bumps in the road, but the foundation is being built on grit and ambition rather than hope and fragility. He’s challenging his players to have the ambition to go and win that title, not just to compete for it. That is a massive psychological shift.
So, while I’m sure the doubters will point to the recent past, I’m looking forward. I see a manager who has been here before, who knows what it takes to win in Scotland, and who is determined to restore the fear factor at Ibrox. The soft touch is gone. Long live the fight.
