Rangers are a club in crisis, stumbling around in the dark. McInnes is a manager with a chance to stamp his name into history. It's no wonder the two won't be getting together

When Derek McInnes turned down the chance to become Rangers manager back in 2017, it seemed to touch a nerve with senior figures in the Ibrox boardroom.

After being given the knockback by McInnes, Rangers released a club statement which was effectively a thinly-veiled swipe at their former player.

In what was a spectacular PR own goal, the statement drew widespread condemnation from the club’s own supporters and brought the word ‘concomitant’ into the Scottish football lexicon.

Rangers were a basket case after sacking Pedro Caixinha. McInnes was in charge of Aberdeen and clearly had a good thing going at Pittodrie. He wasn’t of a mind to just throw it all away.

The circumstances this time around are different. For the avoidance of doubt, no official approach has been made to McInnes or to his current employers Hearts.

Even if an approach was to be made, Hearts would resist any moves to lure him to Glasgow. It is understood that McInnes has already given private assurances that he is going nowhere.

He then went on record yesterday by publicly reaffirming his commitment to Hearts. In other words, the whole thing looks like a non-starter.

Whilst acknowledging his credentials as a manager, sources at Rangers have thus far given no concrete indication that McInnes is a serious candidate for the job.

But that hasn’t stopped his name being linked with the vacancy, with some Rangers fans believing he would be a good fit to lead the club out of its current slump.

The majority of Rangers fans would take him in a heartbeat compared to a younger and more inexperienced head coach such as Danny Rohl.

But here’s the thing. Let’s be hypothetical for a moment and suppose that Rangers did pick up the phone to McInnes, why should he go anywhere near them?

If he was right to turn them down and stay at Aberdeen eight years ago, that applies tenfold now to his current situation at Hearts.

Rangers are a club in crisis. They have a squad that’s patently unfit for purpose. A fanbase tearing their hair out at the lack of urgency being shown by the club’s American owners.

And a sporting director who has just splurged the thick end of £10million on a striker who is allergic to scoring goals.

Contrast all of that to McInnes’ current situation at Hearts. His team sit top of the league and have a chance to make history this season.

Hearts are absolutely flying and McInnes is already a hugely popular figure with supporters given the instant impact he has made since taking charge in the summer.

Behind the scenes, the club have a very clear identity and vision, backed by their use of Tony Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics to inform their recruitment.

They have unearthed some terrific talents such as Claudio Braga and Alexandros Kyziridis, both of whom have shone in the early weeks of the season.

They broke their transfer record to sign Brazilian midfielder Ageu and the word at Tynecastle is that he is going to be a serious player once he returns from injury.

After beating Hibs in the Edinburgh derby just before the international break, Hearts sit two points clear of Celtic at the top of the table.

Talk of a title challenge is only growing louder. Their credentials are looking stronger by the week. With Celtic and Rangers both in a state of disarray, this could be the perfect storm for Hearts.

The door is open and, for the first time in a generation, they have a chance to become the first team since 1985 outwith the two Old Firm clubs to win the league.

To smash a 40-year record like that and break the duopoly, it would be the stuff of legend. Not only a Hearts club legend, but a bona fide legend of Scottish football. Period.

Hence why McInnes would be off his rocker to walk away from Tynecastle just now. In reaffirming his commitment to Hearts, he has even more reason to give Rangers a wide berth than he did back in 2017.

The trick will be to sustain this challenge until January at the very least. If they are still challenging Celtic at the top of the table, it would be no surprise if Bloom pumped some more money in and they had a real go.

As for Rangers, what sort of shape they will be in come January is anyone’s guess. The owners continue to be deeply unimpressive in their search for a new manager.

Knowing full well that Russell Martin was heading for the sack weeks ago, why are the club now flailing around in their efforts to find a replacement?

The whole thing has turned into a mess. They spoke to Danny Rohl in London last week and were said to have been impressed by the young German. But there’s been nothing further to that.

It sounds very much like Rohl is held in high regard by sporting director Kevin Thelwell, whilst the American owners are perhaps keen to explore other options.

Options such as Kevin Muscat. Currently managing in China, Muscat would not be available to take charge for another four weeks or so.

That would throw up the distinct possibility that Rangers will need to have an interim management team in place in the short-term, starting with this weekend’s clash with Dundee United.

The whole episode has been poorly handled. Stumbling around in the dark in their search for a new manager, these are not the actions concomitant with a well-run football club.