McInnes criticizes length of international break after Rangers’ 19-day player absence
Derek McInnes has expressed his dissatisfaction with the extended international break, describing it as “too long” for his squad.
The Rangers manager was named Scottish Premiership manager of the month for September following four consecutive victories, but he highlighted the logistical challenges faced by his team. Following the win over Celtic on 20 September, 13 of Rangers’ players were away on international duty.
McInnes noted that the full squad would not train together until Friday, the day before their match against Kilmarnock. This marks a gap of 19 days since the derby victory against Celtic.
“Our players are away with different federations, working with different staff and travelling all over the world for four games,” McInnes said. “It’s tough for the players to be away from their families, but equally for us there is a lot of nervousness about your players going into other countries’ hands for so long.”
Although the players returned on the day of the interview, not all were training. McInnes added: “So by the time we get on to the pitch together tomorrow it’ll be 19 days since the Celtic game. That’s longer than a lot of tournaments for a lot of countries. I know it’s set in stone – but I’m not a fan of it to be honest.”
Rangers entered the break on a six-game winning streak, which included victories over Celtic in both the League Cup and the Premiership. This run marked a significant turnaround for McInnes and his side after a difficult start to his tenure at Ibrox, which saw them exit European competition.
McInnes stated he is under “no illusions” that this good form must continue. He also revealed he had lunch with Sir Alex Ferguson at the club’s training ground. Ferguson had been a regular visitor to Tynecastle during Hearts’ title charge the previous season.
“He spent a bit of time with the staff and me, chewing the fat as he does,” McInnes explained. “He has always been really supportive, and I’m sure he is with a lot of managers. I’ve had a couple of conversations with him since I’ve been at the club, but to see him in person was good. Particularly after his health scare.”
McInnes continued: “He enjoyed what we were doing at Hearts and he was a regular visitor. But he understood the opportunity for me to come here was there and we spoke long and hard about that. He spoke about his own difficult starts at Man United, and he said it’s how you finish a campaign not how you start the campaign. Sometimes it can take time. He thought we were really strong on the performance at Celtic Park in particular.”
