Derek McInnes accused of early Rangers error - can Dan Neil help fix it?

Derek McInnes will admit he made errors during his early spell with Rangers.

The Gers were knocked out of Europe and delivered several unconvincing performances early in the season.

After the two Old Firm victories, it looks like the Scottish manager is finally getting things right in G51.

Dan Neil has been one of the most influential players at Ibrox in recent matches, donning the armband in Lawrence Shankland's absence.

The striker picked up an injury against Motherwell that will keep him out for a considerable period.

With the former Sunderland midfielder the vice-captain, he has stepped up to lead the team out, and he may be better suited to the role.

The case against giving Lawrence Shankland Rangers captaincy

Shankland was finally starting to click at Ibrox before picking up a knock and it couldn't have come at a worse time.

Overall, the Scotland international's early-season performances for the Gers weren't the best.

Gordon Dalziel believes handing the striker the captaincy may have had an adverse effect on him.

There's already a lot of pressure on a number nine at the Govan side and Shankland also seemingly felt the added scrutiny that comes with wearing the armband.

Speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard on 24 September, Dalziel said, "I thought it wasn't a great move to give [Shankland] the captaincy. Not because he's not a great leader and can't handle it.

"You get into Rangers, it's different for a midfield player than a centre-forward. You can get judged on your performances in midfield and centre-half.

"You get judged on goals at Rangers if you're a number nine. I would've taken that bit of pressure off him."

Would mid-season captaincy change help Derek McInnes?

Neil will lead Rangers onto the pitch for the foreseeable future until Shankland returns from injury.

Once the striker is fully fit again, McInnes may have to make a ruthless decision about changing the captaincy mid-season.

While the former Sunderland ace has shown he may be better suited to the role, stripping Shankland of it could affect his confidence.

Once the season ends, maybe McInnes can sit down with the Scottish attacker and the Englishman to determine what's best for the team.

For now, there's no need to change the squad's dynamics at Ibrox.

The Glaswegian outfit should focus on consistently performing as they did against Celtic and on winning domestic silverware by the end of the 2026-27 campaign.