Rangers will regret Russell Martin appointment as staggering Derek McInnes stat emerges
Rangers could have hired Derek McInnes on several occasions in the past, but under-fire manager Russell Martin will come up against him instead.
Martin was recruited in the summer to much fan negativity, which has since been somewhat justified after a dismal start to his tenure.
Rangers are winless in the league heading into their clash with Hearts on Saturday at Ibrox, who are thriving under new manager Derek McInnes.
McInnes was a serious option to replace Pedro Caixinha in 2017, but he never arrived at Ibrox, and Rangers may even regret not going for him instead of Martin earlier this summer.
Hearts levels ahead of Rangers in duels
Rangers invested heavily in the summer window to strengthen the squad at Martin’s disposal, but this has not been reflected in performance levels at all.
McInnes was backed with less than £3million worth of signings, compared to Martin having £20m spent on his squad, but the two coaches have produced very different results.
- Martin has drawn all four of his Scottish Premiership games so far, scoring just three goals.
- McInnes has won three of his four games and has scored a division-high 10 goals.
BBC Sport have now highlighted a damning stat which shows the difference in coaching performances between McInnes and Martin so far.
Hearts are top of the league when it comes to duels, with McInnes’ side winning 293 duels in four games, with a success rate of 54.3 per cent.
Rangers are sixth in the league in this same metric, with just 190 duels won in that time, with a success rate of 49.7 per cent.
Martin has clearly failed to motivate his side properly, with Rangers winning less than half their duels, and he cannot use time or spending as an excuse, given how McInnes has transformed Hearts.
Rangers could have hired Derek McInnes
Many may have turned their noses up at McInnes had he been appointed following 49ers Enterprises’ takeover of Rangers, but in hindsight, he could have been a superb appointment.
McInnes knows Scotland better than almost anyone and has showcased his ability to improve the players at his disposal.
Martin, meanwhile, has been a disaster despite heavy spending, and barring a miracle turnaround, he may eventually leave Rangers with another season wasted thanks to bad decisions.
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