Graham Spiers blasts 'foolish comment' Jim Gillespie made in Rangers shareholders' meeting

Jim Gillespie has been slammed for a comment he made about Derek McInnes during Rangers' shareholders' meeting on Monday.

The Gers CEO and Andrew Cavenagh addressed supporters and their concerns over the state of the Glasgow club.

Fans are worried after a dismal start to the campaign, which has seen the Light Blues draw their opening game, before losing twice.

They are already five points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, despite making nine new additions in the transfer market.

The hiring of McInnes was supposed to signal a shift, back to the good times, however that has not been the case so far.

Gillespie was boisterous when it came to the new manager at Ibrox, even comparing him to a legend of the game.

What did Rangers chief Jim Gillespie say that has caused significant backlash?

The former St Mirren vice chairman made a comment about Jurgen Klopp in the meeting.

He believes that McInnes' style of play was reminiscent of the legendary ex-Liverpool boss.

He said: “It’s very simple. There are two different types of managers – you get a Klopp-type manager and you get a Guardiola-type manager.

“I think in terms of Rangers’ game model and what fans’ expectations are we wanted a Klopp-type manager who was on the front foot and played aggressive football and created chances and score goals.

“Derek McInnes is a Klopp-style manager. Underneath that is the structure that he wants to play, the conversations about how successful he has been."

Graham Spiers took to X on Monday to criticise the Bears backroom figure, saying: "What a foolish comment. A millstone around Derek McInnes’s neck."

While a direct comparison to Klopp would make him look foolish, Spiers may have misinterpreted the point that he was making.

Why Gillespie's comments should not be taken at face value

The comment was not saying that McInnes is comparable to Klopp in any way in terms of their actual ability.

It was more highlighting that he is a similar mould, a motivator, who can get the best out of the players at his disposal, rather than saying he is the same quality of manager.

At his best, his sides play an attractive brand of football, like what Klopp did at Anfield.

The Gers still need to act in the transfer market, so he can bring the style that he wants to the G51 side.

They have started with a medical set for PSV winger Couhaib Driouech, to bolster their creativity in attack, but there must be further additions after that.

Kosta Nedeljkovic and James Penrice are also expected to be on the Gers' radar, which should add solidity to the defence, which has looked quite vulnerable.

There is still a lot of work to do to make sure that the Auchenhowie side can compete with their rivals.