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Rangers should be embarrassed at finishing third, says Derek McInnes

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Derek McInnes: Rangers should be embarrassed at finishing third

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes insists any club with Rangers' financial clout ought to have finished second in the Premiership and that they should be embarrassed at having failed to do so.

Aberdeen are six points clear of third-placed Rangers with two games to go.

"I find it strange he feels the need to talk about Aberdeen so much," McInnes said of Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha.

"They should probably be embarrassed that they've not finished second. I think he likes to do a lot of talking."

The teams meet for the final time this season at Ibrox on Wednesday evening with the Light Blues trailing the Scottish Cup finalists with a vastly inferior goal difference in addition to the six-point gap.

Rangers scored three late goals at Pittodrie last month to record a 3-0 win, that following a 2-1 win apiece earlier in the season.

However, it is the Dons who will finish runners-up to champions Celtic, albeit 30 points behind Brendan Rodgers' team.

McInnes, who has also led Aberdeen to the Betfred Cup final this season, feels the Portuguese is misguided about his targets in his early days as Rangers manager.

Pedro Caixinha falls to his knees to celebrate as Rangers score a third goal to stun Aberdeen at Pittodrie
Pedro Caixinha falls to his knees to celebrate as Rangers score a third goal to stun Aberdeen at Pittodrie

"If he thinks that is doing brilliant at Rangers, being on the up by finishing ahead of Aberdeen, then he's clearly mistaken," added the Aberdeen boss.

"His job as Rangers manager is to finish above Celtic and he should be more concerned about that challenge.

"For us, any team that finishes above Rangers in the league, with the budget they have, is doing their work well.

"And I think that any SPL (sic) manager, with the budget they have, would finish second in the league.

"The Rangers fans over the last few years have been used to either owners, managers or players saying what they want to hear but the reality is his job as Rangers manager is to finish above Celtic.

"If he thinks he's doing well by finishing above Aberdeen and the rest, he'll soon find out that's not enough."

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317 comments

  • Comment posted by Govie, at 15:55 16 May 2017

    Rangers were still talking about catching Celtic until a couple of months ago. Then it was all about "we will catch Aberdeen" Rangers still haven't learned any lessons from the past, the wages are higher, but the quality of the team isn't. Money being blown.

  • Comment posted by Adrian, at 16:09 16 May 2017

    The sad thing is Rangers would barely be competitive in the English Championship

  • Comment posted by User0330124180, at 16:24 16 May 2017

    To finish 3rd in the first year back isnt great but it isnt that bad. Rangers need an overhaul of the squad this summer. The major thing for me is how poor things have become in Scotland as a whole. Too many teams and too many leagues. Reduce it to 2 leagues of 16, amalgamate teams, even split of tv money, more done in youth development and stop the bean counters and lawyers running the game.

  • Comment posted by User0768356396, at 16:08 16 May 2017

    You should be embarrassed you've only managed 1 win against the worst ever Rangers Team 😭😂😂😂😂😂

  • Comment posted by NeilT, at 16:10 16 May 2017

    In the same vein, McInnes should be embarrassed to have finished only just ahead of Rangers. The standard of Scottish football has to be seen to be believed.

  • Comment posted by Jack M, at 15:52 16 May 2017

    Rangers should have finished 2nd with their budget but Aberdeen's squad is just as good if not better than Rangers' so it shouldn't be a suprise really that they finished 3rd.

  • Comment posted by User0979874405, at 23:07 16 May 2017

    As a man city fan i believe EPL fans cannot slag off the SPL as it is a much smaller country,it is like the spanish fans ridiculing the league in Portugal,i think to have a structured 4 divisions with highland/lowland leagues also no longer isolated from joining(due to the old pals re-election vote)is all to Scottish footballs credit,no country its size can boast the same..

  • Comment posted by GC, at 20:17 16 May 2017

    Scottish fòotball at present is pretty crap. We all know that. But to those of us that go along every week to follow our clubs (Morton for me) we would still rather have that than the half and half scarf tourist attraction that the English top flight has allowed itself to become.

  • Comment posted by DumfriesRanger, at 15:59 16 May 2017

    Completely agree with McInnes, he seems to "get it". Happy to give Pedro time but still find it strange that we looked past McInnes or Wright for the job.

  • Comment posted by BLAGADON1, at 17:35 16 May 2017

    @42 Absolutely right. Rangers beat Leeds in 92 and cheated out of European Cup final by Bernard Tapie. Playing field was a lot more
    Even then Steau Bucharest, Ajax
    won the Euro cup. Now 5 English teams qualify 4 are not Champions. Joke.

    English Premier league is football cancer.

  • Comment posted by JimBobJr, at 15:49 16 May 2017

    And so they should be. 3x as much paid per player than Aberdeen. However, even Ranger's players salaries are not comparable to Celtics

  • Comment posted by Wee Brian, at 18:12 16 May 2017

    Re 62
    Mystery team in Euros - 2008 DNQ, 2016 Out to Iceland;
    World Cup - 2010 drew with the giants of Algeria and USA, 2014 Bottom of group won by Costa Rica;
    Last major final - 51 years ago;
    Number of defeats to Scotland- 41
    Famous managers - McLaren, Hodgson, Allardyce, Southgate
    Famous players- Carlton Palmer

    I'm splitting my sides at this Mickey Mouse team

  • Comment posted by User0483449915, at 16:07 16 May 2017

    Rangers are on top at the minute. Top of the pile in the liquidators file.

  • Comment posted by samerulesapply, at 16:39 16 May 2017

    Why does every English fan keep up with the "" if spl clubs were in England they'd be league 1 or conference or crap like that" . If spl joined the English league the financial boost would mean they'd be up there in less than 5 years.. remember before sky's $$$ in 91 scottish clubs were easily matching England's in continental competing.

  • Comment posted by U16671310, at 21:39 16 May 2017

    Who are these "English" clubs ? Berwick don't have any English players, never mind the rest, if there's a team with more than 4 it's a miracle..Big fat Sam , top rated English sportsman....tizer n double chips trophy winner 2017.

  • Comment posted by AF83, at 19:42 16 May 2017

    @186

    Motherwell fan here, just wanted to say that Celtic Got a draw against Man City who you class as a big club...

  • Comment posted by Important Notice, at 16:40 16 May 2017

    Pedro will be removed from office by end of October 2017, thanks.

  • Comment posted by U16650949, at 16:35 16 May 2017

    @30 hackney claret...you're clueless,it's a better standard than many give it credit for,as for Celtic getting to the Champion we (United) are the only club in Britain bigger,they'd attract real quality with the other funds and audience available

  • Comment posted by U16679154, at 18:26 16 May 2017

    It's more people who watch the premier league who are saying that Celtic would struggle in the EPL.

    I think Celtic fans don't care about the EPL and most of them would probobly rather not be there.

    I've watched loads of EPL games and the quality is pretty bad unless it's one of the top 6 playing.

    If teams like Watford and Burnley can survive easily I think Celtic would be Around top 4/6

  • Comment posted by jaycee, at 16:20 16 May 2017

    To be fair it is their 1st season back in the SPL and they have done ok (but only ok). With their budget they should be able to build their squadand if they cant finish 2nd next season it would be a fail.
    Love or hate them, Scottish football needs Rangers challenging at the top. Or anyone else, but probably only Rangers can. Celtic titles are almost meaningless without serious competition.

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