---
title: "Ian Durrant: Derek McInnes building a proper Rangers team"
canonical: "https://readrangers.com/2026/09/23/ian-durrant-derek-mcinnes-rangers-team"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Graeme Hanna"
section: "Rangers News"
published: "2026-09-23T19:11:38Z"
modified: "2026-09-23T19:11:38Z"
---

# Ian Durrant: Derek McInnes building a proper Rangers team

**Ian Durrant believes something is shifting at Ibrox Stadium.**

In conversation with the Daily Record, the Rangers legend said Derek McInnes is slowly moulding a Rangers team that supporters can be proud of, after a testing opening to the season.

Durrant has watched plenty of managers try to build something lasting at Ibrox, and he isn’t rushing to hand out garlands.

However, he does see genuine signs of progress in how the players are responding to McInnes on the training ground and on matchdays.

> “We have to beware, it’s only September. But you can see Derek’s team are growing and the confidence growing. He’s slowly but surely getting there.

That caution matters. Durrant isn’t claiming the job is finished, and he isn’t promising trophies. He’s simply pointing to a group that looks more settled than it did a few weeks ago.

## Overcoming early European exits and a stuttering start with huge away wins

It hasn’t been a straightforward start to the campaign. Rangers suffered two European exits early on, and the Premiership form was stuttering rather than convincing. For a club that expects to compete on every front, that was a tough pill to swallow.

What has changed the mood, according to Durrant, is a run of results away from home. Rangers picked up an [away win at Pittodrie](https://readrangers.com/2026/08/30/confirmed-rangers-team-lineup-vs-aberdeen-mcinnes-rings-the-changes-minsu-kim-starts) and followed it with a [victory over Celtic at Parkhead](https://readrangers.com/2026/09/21/martin-oneill-rangers-defeat-celtic-crisis), two of the toughest away trips in Scottish football.

> “They’ve been to Pittodrie, been to Parkhead, come away with victories and the players are learning.

Durrant’s point is straightforward. Winning at Aberdeen and Celtic away from home isn’t easy for any Rangers side, and doing both in quick succession tells you the players are starting to trust what McInnes is asking of them.

It’s the kind of foundation a manager needs before he can think about the bigger picture.

## A youthful starting XI and Dan Neil joining Nico Raskin in midfield

One detail from Sunday’s team sheet stood out.

[James Penrice](https://readrangers.com/squad/james-penrice), at 27, was the oldest player in Rangers’ starting XI, a reminder of just how young this squad has become under McInnes. That isn’t an accident. It reflects a deliberate push to build around energy and legs rather than experience alone.

In midfield, the picture has shifted since the transfer window closed. [Dan Neil](https://readrangers.com/squad/dan-neil) arrived on deadline day and has already formed a new partnership alongside Nico Raskin, giving Rangers a different balance in the middle of the park.

Our [tactical performance breakdown](https://readrangers.com/2026/09/22/rangers-xg-breakdown-celtic-tactical-analysis) from the Parkhead win shows how much that pairing has helped Rangers control games in central areas.

A younger starting XI carries risk, but it also gives McInnes more scope to shape the team his own way.

Durrant’s comments suggest the manager is getting the balance right, even if it’s still early days for that midfield combination to prove itself over a full season.

## Navigating September as Derek McInnes shows his tactical maturity

What Durrant sees most clearly is a manager growing into the job in real time. He described McInnes as becoming a wily old fox in how he sets his teams up, and framed that as a positive for Rangers going forward.

> “Derek is becoming a wee bit like a wily old fox now in terms of how he sets his teams up – and that’s good for Rangers.

That word, wily, is deliberate. It suggests a manager reading games rather than sticking rigidly to one plan, adjusting his approach depending on the opponent and the occasion.

We’ve seen evidence of that flexible approach in recent weeks.

[McInnes praised his side](https://readrangers.com/2026/09/21/derek-mcinnes-rangers-celtic-reaction-ryan-naderi) after the Celtic win, and Durrant’s assessment backs up that sense of a squad finding its identity under him.

None of this means the early season problems are fixed for good.

Durrant was careful to stress it’s still only September, and a couple of crucial wins don’t rewrite a whole campaign on their own.

But for a Derek McInnes Rangers team that stumbled out of the blocks, the direction of travel now looks a good deal healthier than it did a month ago.

You can read Durrant’s full remarks in the [Daily Record coverage.](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/see-rangers-team-men-despite-37686848)