Old habits haunt Rangers in early McInnes tenure

Two games, no wins, and a whole lot of work yet to do - there has been no dream start for Derek McInnes in his dream job.

Rangers' 2-1 first-leg defeat in their Europa League third-round qualifier away to Jagiellonia Bialystok came hot on the heels of a meek draw at Dundee United in their Scottish Premiership curtain-raiser.

McInnes' appointment, many fans hoped, would be a fresh start for the club after a succession of managers who arrived with glowing reviews and bags of promise, before they all left under a cloud of criticism and disappointment.

Nine signings have arrived this summer, with more expected, but last year's ruinous form is casting a long shadow.

"We've seen a lot tonight of what I thought Rangers were last season," McInnes said after the defeat in Poland.

It's a damning indictment from someone who knows how high the standards should be at Ibrox.

Neither Russell Martin nor Danny Rohl were able to restore past glories in their short stints in Govan while McInnes was taking Hearts to the verge of immortality.

Much of the condemnation surrounding the Ibrox club's failures last season came back to the same theme - they may be fluid and clinical going forward at times, but a soft underbelly put paid to hopes of success.