Rangers manager Derek McInnes says he is “still looking for a bit more quality” from new additions but admits that, until the squad turn a corner, they are “all going to feel pretty miserable”.
A penalty shoot-out defeat against Jablonec in the Czech Republic on Thursday night in the UEFA Conference League play-off means the club will not play European football this season for the first time since 2017.
McInnes’ men have now won just two of seven fixtures since the start of the season and face trips to Aberdeen and Falkirk in the space of four days as pressure mounts following a terrible start.
Minsu Kim became the club’s 12th signing of the summer on Thursday, joining from Girona for £8.5m, while a deal has been agreed for Portland Timbers forward Kevin Kelsy to become the 13th arrival in a move worth around £9m.
It remains to be seen to what extent the absence of European football affects transfer plans, although a slimmer squad will undoubtedly be required with only domestic football to navigate.
Asked whether there is a risk that new arrivals will have too much pressure placed on them early, McInnes said: “We’re bringing them in to help the team and help others here. So hopefully, by bringing much-needed quality, it helps everybody.
“There’s no two ways about it, fans need to see more quality. I’m looking for a bit more quality, and hopefully, with that quality, it brings others on as well.
“When you carry a big fee, as you do when you play for Rangers, you’ve got to deal with that. That’s part and parcel. That’s why we bring them.”
The defeat in the Czech Republic marks a low point for the club, not dissimilar to the humiliation suffered at the hands of Club Brugge in Champions League qualifying at the same stage last season.
Findlay Curtis and James Penrice both missed penalties and were visibly distraught after the match. McInnes stressed that responsibility does not rest with either individual, but with the collective group who allowed the tie to be decided by the “throw of a dice” that is a shoot-out.
“It’s a low point for us all, to be honest. But I’ve tried, hopefully, to convey that it’s not on them now.
“Once it goes to penalties, we don’t have the advantage of the finances we’ve got as a club. We don’t have the advantage of playing for 50,000 fans. It goes out the window. We had enough time to show that advantage in the match.
“They are two boys [Penrice and Curtis] who are going to have good careers, and hopefully good careers at Rangers. It has been a tough start, as we mentioned, but the intention is to try and make sure we have the outcome that we all want.
“We’ve got to knuckle down and get a win now at Pittodrie on Sunday, and just try, slowly but surely, hopefully with some new signings, to get back to winning ways as quickly as possible. Until we do, we’re going to feel pretty miserable.”
The Rangers manager was candid in his post-match reflections on Thursday night, admitting his team “need to be something” but do not currently look comfortable holding the ball, breaking into space or playing directly.
Asked how that changes in the space of a few short days, McInnes added: “Well, that’s the job of a manager, is to try. I don’t think we played particularly well. I’ve been expecting us to be better in possession of the ball.
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“We had worked on building the game in a three, with midfield dropping in, working the spaces, getting into wider areas, playing on the outside of shape, and then being positive from then on in. But we weren’t good enough at that, and we weren’t good enough to really get control of the game.”
McInnes made a number of tactical changes in an attempt to get his side going but admitted he was surprised by his side’s level in possession. Problems also remained with the first-half press, with a disconnect evident in the way Rangers pressed before the break.
McInnes added: “It came down to them enjoying the game a bit too much. I do think that they managed to find that extra man in midfield at times when we jumped to press, and a lack of communication made things a bit more difficult.
“They had chances in the first half. I was a bit surprised at just how poor we were in possession of the ball as well.”
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