Derek McInnes mustn't be rash over Rangers job '“ Willie Miller

Willie Miller believes Rangers'¨would be crazy not to want Derek McInnes as Mark Warburton's replacement but is equally convinced the Aberdeen manager would be daft to swap stability at Pittodrie for chaos at Ibrox.
It would be criminal if the Rangers directors do not have Derek McInnes on their wish list says Willie Miller. Picture: SNS.It would be criminal if the Rangers directors do not have Derek McInnes on their wish list says Willie Miller. Picture: SNS.
It would be criminal if the Rangers directors do not have Derek McInnes on their wish list says Willie Miller. Picture: SNS.

Miller has watched McInnes transform the Dons from a team of perennial underachievers to becoming the second best side in Scotland since taking over from Craig Brown four years ago next month.

It is a position they can strengthen when they play their game in hand over Rangers tomorrow as a win at home to Motherwell would move them three points clear with a vastly superior goal difference.

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That would leave them on course for a fourth successive season in European football and McInnes has also delivered the club’s only silverware in the last 22 years by winning the 2014 League Cup final.

What must also appeal to cash-strapped Rangers is that it has all been done on a tight budget.The £250,000 which Aberdeen paid St Mirren for Kenny McLean was the only transfer fee incurred to assemble the squad.

It all adds up to McInnes being the ideal candidate for the Ibrox club as far as Miller is concerned, but the former Aberdeen manager reckons the man currently in the post would be better off staying where he is.

“I would urge Derek McInnes to think long and hard if he is offered the chance to manage Rangers,” said the Dons legend. “It’s clear there would be a strong emotional draw for him to go back and boss the club he once played for, but Derek doesn’t need me to tell him the present Rangers are different to the one he performed for.

“The shambolic manner they have handled the departure of previous boss Mark Warburton suggests all is still far from well within the corridors of power at Ibrox.

“If the Rangers directors know anything about football it would be criminal of them not to have McInnes on their wish list.

“But Derek must be careful not to let his heart rule his head as he knows what he has to work with at Pittodrie and has spoken of having a long-term vision for the club.

“He has stability at Aberdeen and the full backing of a board of directors he knows and trusts. He needs to weigh all of that up against what could lie ahead were he to be offered the Rangers job.”

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Miller acknowledges it is not just McInnes who would have to do some serious thinking about taking the Rangers job as, realistically, the Ibrox club are light years behind bitter rivals Celtic.

He can see the appeal of a return to Ibrox for Alex McLeish with whom he formed such a formidable defensive partnership as Aberdeen hoovered up the trophies during the Alex Ferguson era.

But Miller thinks it is a different story for anyone enjoying success with his current club given the unrealistic level of expectation that goes with the territory when you are manager at Ibrox.

He added:”One major burden could be the expectations of the Rangers fans as despite all their problems they still expect to see their team challenging Celtic for the title.

“Any manager already in a good job has got to look at that and think ‘is it the right time to be taking that challenge on?’ The answer to that is no. It’s a mission impossible at the moment.

“The next Rangers manager would need to be guaranteed he would get many millions to spend on players to cut the gap on Celtic.

“It doesn’t look likely that will be happening in the near future, so the next Rangers manager will be up against it big style from the moment he walks in the door at Ibrox.”