Derek ready to drown out all the speculation
IF gathering journalists needed reminding that Derek McInnes did not wish to be probed yet again on the issue of his being linked to the vacant manager’s job at Rangers, it came from a Pittodrie press officer.
Such questions would not be tolerated, it was made clear, as reporters wondered whether anyone daring to suggest the Aberdeen manager was still a contender might be frog-marched out and locked in a cupboard until it was all over.
The weeks of McInnes speculation adds more than a little frisson to the meetings between these sides tonight and again on Sunday in the Granite City, as followers of Rangers wait and wonder when the men leading their club will eventually appoint a successor to the long-since departed Pedro Caixinha.
For McInnes, the focus is on trying to pour petrol on the fire that has singed reputations, and while he was at pains to point out the challenges ahead over the next five days, he was also at his diplomatic best on the issue of Ryan Jack’s summer departure to Govan.
He had removed the captaincy from the Aberdeen-born midfielder in the run-up to last season’s Scottish Cup final against Celtic when it emerged the skipper had decided to ply his trade under Caixinha when his Aberdeen contract expired.
McInnes was unhappy he’d been kept in the dark over Jack’s destination. Now, hunky dory just about covers their relationship.
“I spoke to him when he was up here for the Scotland fixture against the Netherlands three weeks ago,” McInnes revealed. “There is no problem at all with Ryan and myself.
“We have a really tight squad here and the players all keep in touch with those who moved on in the summer.
“In hindsight, I was just more disappointed that he was going.
“I was equally as disappointed when Niall McGinn, Peter Pawlett, Ash Taylor and Jonny Hayes left in the summer. That is part and parcel of football.”
Only a few days ago, Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne ended speculation over his manager’s future by announcing he would remain at the club, a statement endorsed by McInnes.
And their convincing 3-1 win at Kilmarnock at the weekend was a timely message to tonight’s opponents that they intend to widen the six-point gap between them in the league table.
Two successive defeats – to Hamilton and Dundee – will hardly have filled Rangers with confidence, never mind that they still have no-one at the helm.
“There is no doubt that Rangers have good players and they represent one of the toughest challenges for us,” said McInnes.
“Whether we are playing a team full of confidence or lacking in confidence, we just have to make sure we concentrate on our own performance.
“On the back of the game at Rugby Park, we are eager to get down there, do our job and hopefully win the game.”