---
title: "Derek McInnes: Rangers Victory Earns Absolute Squad Trust"
canonical: "https://readrangers.com/2026/09/21/derek-mcinnes-rangers-trust-celtic-victory/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Graeme Hanna"
section: "Rangers News"
published: "2026-09-21T08:31:47Z"
modified: "2026-09-21T11:59:45Z"
---

# Derek McInnes: Rangers Victory Earns Absolute Squad Trust

Derek McInnes struck a calm, satisfied tone after Rangers claimed a fifth straight win, this time a 1-0 victory over Celtic at Parkhead.

Ryan Naderi’s goal settled the contest, just seven days after Rangers had already beaten their rivals 3-0 in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Ibrox.

Two Old Firm wins inside a week is a rare achievement, and it showed in the manager’s demeanour as he faced the media.

The headline theme from McInnes was trust. He repeatedly pointed to the belief he now has in his squad, a group he has described as young but increasingly battle-hardened.

The win moves Rangers to within two points of Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership, a gap that looked far more daunting before kick off. For the full breakdown of Naderi’s winner, see our [Parkhead match report](https://readrangers.com/2026/09/20/celtic-vs-rangers-match-report-naderi-goal/).

McInnes was careful not to get carried away, but the underlying message was clear.

This is a manager who feels his methods are working and whose players are starting to believe it too. Supporters who followed both derby wins in detail can find more context in our [Old Firm double scalp analysis](https://readrangers.com/2026/09/20/rangers-reign-supreme-glasgow-old-firm-double-scalp-mcinnes/).

## Press Conference Summary & Headline Reaction

The mood inside Parkhead’s away press room was measured rather than euphoric. McInnes has been here before, and he knows a single derby result does not settle a season, nor does two in a week.

Even so, there was no disguising the significance of what his side had just done.

Rangers arrived at Celtic Park on the back of that emphatic cup win at Ibrox, and doubts lingered over whether they could back it up in the league, on the road, against a Celtic side desperate to respond.

Could Rangers rise in front of a full, partisan Parkhead crowd?

Naderi’s goal answered that question in the most direct way possible.

McInnes framed the result as proof of progress rather than a one-off. His central point, repeated in several forms during the press conference, was that trust between himself and his players is now paying dividends on the pitch.

The numbers back up his confidence. Rangers have now won five matches in a row and conceded only a single goal in that run.

For a manager who has spoken often about needing his young squad to develop resilience, that defensive record is the clearest evidence yet that the message is landing.

[Press Conference | Derek McInnes | 20 Sept 2026 (embedded)](https://www.youtube.com/embed/7g76LWTb0Cc?feature=oembed)

## Derek McInnes Transcript & Dissection

Asked directly about what has changed within his squad, McInnes did not hesitate before pointing to trust as the foundation of everything else.

> “Trust is the most important thing for me. I need to trust my team and trust individuals within it.”

It is a simple statement, but it carries weight given where Rangers were earlier in the season. McInnes has never hidden his belief that confidence is built through consistency, and he expanded on that idea when discussing the defensive side of his side’s recent form.

> “The clean sheets underpin all that. The biggest drain of confidence is losing bad goals. But the determination to keep the ball out of our net – while playing with real attacking verve – is something we didn’t have in the first few games of the season.”

That quote deserves scrutiny. McInnes is drawing a direct line between defensive solidity and the freedom his players now show going forward.

It is not a coincidence that Rangers’ most fluent attacking football has arrived alongside their tightest defensive spell of the season.

A team that trusts its back line to hold firm can commit more bodies forward without fear of being caught out, and that balance was visible in both derby wins over Celtic.

McInnes also addressed the broader context of the result, and here his words carried real weight given how tight the title race has become.

> “In the context of the season, it was very important. We’d have heard all about it if we’d lost and the gap was stretched to eight points at this early stage. So it was important to close that gap and also, with such a young squad, having the belief and confidence to win a game in this environment.”

That admission is telling. McInnes knows exactly how the narrative would have shifted had Rangers lost at Parkhead. An eight-point gap this early would have invited serious questions about his squad’s title credentials.

Instead, his players delivered in the toughest environment Scottish football offers, and the manager was quick to credit their nerve rather than simply the result itself.