Rangers should not take no for an answer over Derek McInnes if they’re to catch Celtic, says Billy Dodds

BILLY DODDS reckons the Rangers Board should ignore the statements that have emanated from Pittodrie over the past 72 hours.

After Friday night’s calamitous defeat at Dens Park, in the former Ibrox striker’s opinion, the club must still try to appoint Derek McInnes as their new manager.

On Thursday the Dons chairman, Stewart Milne, stated categorically that McInnes was going nowhere, and had unfinished business in the Granite City.

McInnes echoed those words the following day.

But Dodds – who enjoyed excellent spells during his playing career with both Aberdeen and Rangers – reckons the Light Blues must test the resolve of the Dons and their team boss by making a move this week.

Dodds, who was at Dens Park to see Rangers go down 2-1 to Dundee – told The Sunday Post: “For me, Derek McInnes is the perfect fit for Rangers.

“First and foremost, he is an excellent manager. Just look at his work at Aberdeen and the way he has turned the club around in the past four years to make them the second force in the country.

“He also knows how to build a club. Again, his track record at Aberdeen proves that.

“Right now, Rangers need rebuilding from top to bottom. They’re rudderless.

“But Derek would put in solid foundations very quickly, and build from there.

“He is also excellent on the training ground, knows how to get the best out of his players and doesn’t take any nonsense.

“He knows about good scouting, and knows how to have a good relationship and understanding with the media.

“So, when I say Derek McInnes should be Rangers manager, I’m saying it as someone who knows how Derek works, and how good he is at his job.

“When he was appointed as manager of Aberdeen, I told him he was joining a proper club.

“One with an excellent chairman, in Stewart Milne, and a fantastic fanbase that, with the right man in charge, would have Pittodrie really animated and passionately behind the team.

“We spoke again a few months later, and Derek told me I had been absolutely right about Aberdeen.

“So I know how much he cares for the club, and is appreciative of what he has.

“However, that shouldn’t stop Rangers from going for him. They should at least make an attempt.

“I watched Rangers against Dundee on Friday night, and they appeared to lack direction in too many aspects.

“Derek would sort that out, for sure.

“But I’m also well aware that Aberdeen would do everything in their power to keep him, and rightly so.

“And Derek wouldn’t just jump at any move for the sake of it. You only need to look back in the summer when he refused the Sunderland job after he was offered it.

“Any offer would need to be 100% right for him because he totally respects what he has at Aberdeen.

”And rightly so. Aberdeen is a massive football club. I have some fond memories of my time there as a player.”

As chance would have it Rangers play Aberdeen at Ibrox on Wednesday night, and again at Pittodrie next Sunday.

In between, on Thursday, is the club’s AGM in Glasgow.

If a permanent manager hasn’t been appointed by then, Ibrox chairman Dave King will need to supply answers to many questions on that front, and also about the club’s financial plan for the next three years as they try to stop Celtic from doing 10-in-a-row.

Dodds said: “It’s going to be an interesting week, that’s for sure.

“The fans need answers and they want to see light at the end of the tunnel.

“At the moment, Celtic are getting stronger and growing. Rangers are not.

“That’s not acceptable to the Rangers fans. The board need to find solutions.

“But it also can’t all just be about the managerial situation and the board of directors.

“The players need to take responsibility.

“Do some of them look as if they care enough, and want to be there? No, probably not.

“Are enough of them good enough to play for Rangers? Again, probably not.

“So they must shoulder some responsibility and look at themselves. The ideal time to start would be in midweek against Aberdeen.

“But, again, it’s not about one result and everything is on the up again. This is about everyone at the club pulling in the one direction to close the gap on Celtic and be successful again.

“It’s about a proper plan, put in place for a period of time to give the club the best possible chance of being the number one club in the country once again.”

Dodds will take in Aberdeen’s clash at Kilmarnock this afternoon, and will be at Ibrox on Wednesday.

He is back doing some media work after losing his job at Ross County earlier in the season.

He was in Dingwall for three years as assistant boss to Jim McIntyre, and they enjoyed wonderful success.

After inheriting the team at bottom of the SPFL Premiership, they steered them to safety.

They built on that the following season to finish in the top six and win the League Cup, the club’s only piece of major silverware in its history.

They also brought in bargain-basement players, such as Jackson Irvine and Liam Boyce, and made the club around £750,000 in transfer fees.

That kind of thing only enhanced the growing reputations of McIntyre and Dodds as a managerial double act.

Now, of course, it’s all about waiting for the right opportunity to come along, and Dodds hopes to be in the game in a full-time capacity sooner rather than later.

He said: “I’m a coach, and I’m waiting for the next opportunity. It’s the same as every other person in this line of work who is out of a job at the moment.

“We need to wait for someone to lose their job or move on. It sounds horrible, and it is a horrible business, but that’s how it works.

“When a job becomes available, it’s like vultures circling.

“We will see what happens, but we have enjoyed a wee break and are now ready for the next challenge that comes our way.

“It was unfortunate that our time at Ross County came to an end.

“But the chairman, Roy McGregor, thanked us for what we had done for the club and also said we were the hardest-working management duo he’d ever worked with.

“So we left with our heads held high, and very proud of keeping the club in the big league in our first season and then winning the League Cup.

“Jim is an outstanding manager, and we work well together. We know our stuff, we know the game. We put the hours in and we are also very detailed in our work.

“The next club to get us will be getting a very experienced managerial team.

“We’ll be ready, and we just have to wait for someone to give us an opportunity.

“For now, though, it’s good getting around the grounds and seeing some of the teams.

“I’m keeping up to date with players and their form, the formations set out by managers and their staff, and different little things that go into it all.

“I will keep seeing as many games as I can, and Jim is the same.

“You might not be in the game, but you never stop working and can always learn plenty of new things.

“This period gives you some time to reflect, and also pick up the phone to other managers to glean information to continue with your personal development.”

Dodds’ message on who Dave King should phone is clear.