The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Ibrox men should be ‘embarrassed’
Rangers should “probably be embarrassed” at not finishing second in the Ladbrokes Premiership this season, according to Dons boss Derek McInnes.
The Pittodrie side are all but assured of their runners-up spot to champions Celtic as they lead the Light Blues by six points with a goal difference 20 better than their nearest challengers and only two fixtures remaining, the first of which is against Pedro Caixinha’s side at Ibrox tonight
The Gers boss, who took over from Mark Warburton in March, claimed that his side are set to go “up and up and up”, while warning McInnes that Aberdeen face a slide unless he “renews” their squad.
For good measure the coach revealed his admiration for Ryan Jack, “a player that I like”, with the Dons’ skipper’s contract ending this season.
Former Rangers midfielder McInnes told Caixinha that he has more to worry about than Aberdeen, specifically traditional rivals Celtic, who have clinched their sixth successive Premiership title and who are aiming for the domestic treble this season.
He said: “I think it is strange that he feels the need to talk about Aberdeen so much.
“If he thinks that doing brilliant at Rangers, by being on the up by finishing ahead of Aberdeen, then he is clearly mistaken.
“The job of Rangers manager is to finish above Celtic and he should be more concerned about that challenge.
“Any team that finishes above Rangers in the league, with the budget they have, is doing their work well.
“They should probably be embarrassed that they have not finished second and I am confident that any Premiership manager, with the budget that Rangers have, would finish second in the league. “He likes to do a lot of talking. “I think the Rangers fans over the last few years have been used to whether it is owners, managers, players saying what they want to hear but the reality is, his job as Rangers manager is to finish above Celtic and if he thinks he is doing well by finishing above Aberdeen and the rest then he will soon find out that is not enough.”
Rangers have given up on catching Aberdeen, but defender Lee Hodson insists his side are determined to send a message to those who still believe Aberdeen have a stronger squad than the one assembled in Govan.
He explained: “Every game is important from the first game of the season to the last game of the season. We definitely want to go out there and prove a point.”