The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
McInnes no regrets over turning down Rangers job
Manager reveals pressure of being in spotlight for Ibrox post
It was a line in the sand moment: after weeks of speculation and a heavily publicised pursuit, Derek McInnes decided he would not be joining Rangers and would remain Aberdeen manager.
McInnes, speaking from Aberdeen’s training base in Dubai yesterday, insists he has no regrets over turning down the chance to return to Ibrox where he spent five years as a player.
Rangers finally made their approach to speak to McInnes on December 5, with the Dons immediately rejecting the approach from the Light Blues.
That sparked a tumultuous week at Pittodrie, with McInnes and assistant Tony Docherty missing training on the two days that followed as they weighed up the biggest decision of their careers.
It was left to Paul Sheerin and Barry Robson to take charge of the Dons squad ahead of their Friday fixture against Dundee at Dens. The night before the match, the news broke that McInnes had decided to stay with the Dons.
McInnes said getting back to the day job with Aberdeen was the biggest relief and admitted he found it difficult to cope with the scrutiny.
He said: “I felt as though it was just good to get back to concentrating on a game and back to the work.”
It was one of the stranger episodes in Scottish football, with McInnes linked heavily for the role for weeks without Rangers making an approach. When it came it was swiftly knocked back by chairman Stewart Milne, before McInnes took a couple of days away with his family to discuss his options.
Re-emerging for training on the Friday morning ahead of the game brought a semblance of normality after a hectic, testing few weeks.
McInnes said: “When the players came in on the Friday morning it was good to see them and to get in about them because we are really close.
“Myself and the players, I feel we have a strong bond. One or two of them were really pleased we stayed and maybe one or two were not so pleased. No, only joking.
“I think you manifest things and you create an environment where you are happy.
“Everyone has a part to play in that. It has been a good period.
“We would like to have won more trophies up until now but people will look back on this period as a good time for the club and we are all enjoying it here.”
He also defended his team against accusations that they do not perform in enough big games, feeling it only gets brought up when the Dons lose against Celtic or Rangers, rather than when they are victorious.
“We beat Rangers twice last year, up until last season we had beaten Celtic at some point in every season. Our big games are still Hibs and Hearts and we’ve always done well against them over the years.
“I find it’s something that’s sometimes thrown at us but we have won two semifinals last year – I’d say they were big games when Aberdeen used to be criticised for not dealing with semifinals.”