Derek McInnes Officially Becomes Rangers Coach, Replacing Danny Rohl

Rangers have officially appointed Derek McInnes as new coach on a three-year contract after reaching a compensation agreement with Scottish Premiership rivals Hearts. McInnes becomes the third coach at Ibrox in the space of a year, replacing Danny Rohl, whose move to Austrian side RB Salzburg was confirmed earlier on Wednesday. The 54-year-old joined Hearts from Kilmarnock last summer and led the Tynecastle club to a second-placed finish, trailing Celtic on a dramatic final day, but pipping Rangers for Champions League qualification. The former Rangers midfielder turned down an offer from the Ibrox club in December 2017 to stay at Aberdeen, but has now followed Tynecastle captain Lawrence Shankland in his move from Hearts. “It's a real honour,” McInnes said. "The demands here are clear and our supporters rightfully have high expectations. The onus is on me, my staff and the players to meet those expectations, and get this club performing as it should. There's still a lot of hard work ahead, but preparations have begun and I'm really looking forward to meeting the current squad in the next few weeks and welcoming some new faces." Alan Archibald, Paul Sheerin and Craig Clark will assist McInnes. While Rohl serves as head coach, McInnes will hold the title of manager and become the main candidate once it becomes known that the German wants to move to Salzburg. Chairman Andrew Cavenagh said that McInnes was "someone we have always held in high regard" and was "what this club needs right now." He added: "His deep experience in Scotland and Rangers is very important for us. He knows how to win in this league, and he comes in after a very strong season with Hearts." Rohl, who is 37, replaced Russell Martin as head coach in October and led Rangers in a tight title race, but a post-split dip in form led to a third-place finish behind Celtic and Hearts, while the Ibrox club finished the season without silverware. Cavenagh, who publicly supported Rohl in the offseason, thanked him for his "devotion and commitment to Rangers." "He and his staff have worked hard during his tenure, which we greatly appreciate," he added. McInnes, who has coached more than 800 games, began his coaching career at St Johnstone in 2007 before joining Bristol City. He joined Aberdeen in 2013 and spent eight years at Pittodrie, winning the League Cup in his first full season and finishing second behind Celtic for four consecutive seasons in the Premiership. After resting for 10 months, McInnes returned to coach Kilmarnock in January 2022 and succeeded in bringing the club back to the top division. He finished 10th, fourth and ninth in three seasons in the Premiership at Rugby Park before almost ending Hearts' 66-year wait for a fourth title. Hearts were unbeaten at home in the league last season, with McInnes winning 28 of 44 games in all competitions, including three of their four meetings with Rangers as well as home and away wins over Celtic. McInnes' move to Ibrox echoes his partnership with Scottish striker Shankland, who joined Rangers three weeks ago after scoring 20 goals for Hearts last season. For Rangers, McInnes is the right and obvious choice. He is very experienced, a tough professional in Scotland, there is nothing he doesn't know about this league. His work ethic is very high. He would be a great fit for Rangers. They're going to spend money this summer and I think it's a reasonable move. Derek managed to keep the players together at Hearts. It was one of the hardest things to do - keeping everyone happy - and he did it. No rumors have emerged from Tynecastle about problems behind the scenes. He knows this league better than any coach. He has been on the front lines for a long time. He knows every trick in the book and has succeeded wherever he has been. Rohl's record at Rangers in all competitions stands at 22 wins, 11 losses and seven draws in 40 games. After initially pulling out of the Rangers bid, he changed his mind and took the job after the club were unable to secure Steven Gerrard or Kevin Muscat. The German coach revived Rangers' fortunes after Russell Martin's tenure, taking the team from mid-table to title contenders. However, Rangers suffered a post-split setback when four consecutive defeats in the last five matches destroyed their hopes of a first Premiership title in five years. The removal from both domestic cups by Old Firm rivals Celtic further exacerbated fans' frustration and increased the pressure on Rohl. However, Cavenagh - whose American consortium took over a year ago - moved to calm speculation over the head coach's future last month amid interest from Wolfsburg and vowed that Rohl would oversee "a season of substantial change". Rohl was given the funds to bring in four players in January, while Shankland was brought in from Hearts last month when a squad overhaul will be McInnes' responsibility. Rangers are wasting no time in their search for a new coach with the squad due to return to training this week. Rangers will enter the Europa League in the third qualifying stage, days after their Premiership opener on the weekend of August 1/2.