Still only three games into his tenure as the new Rangers manager, Derek McInnes certainly doesn’t have his troubles to seek at the moment.
On the domestic front, Rangers already trail Celtic by five points after labouring to a draw and a defeat in their opening two Premiership matches against Dundee United and Hibernian.
The club’s hopes of progression and qualification for the Europa League will hinge on their ability to overturn a 2-1 deficit against Jagiellonia Bialystok in Glasgow.
With McInnes still searching for his first win, and fans openly questioning the club’s recruitment strategy, it has been a rocky start to life in the Ibrox hotseat for the new manager.
All the more so now that key players have started dropping like flies. No sooner had McInnes digested the 2-1 defeat to Hibs on Sunday, a Youssef Chermiti bombshell then landed in his in-tray.
Chermiti is unlikely to kick another ball this season after suffering an ACL injury, with the Portuguese striker now in London to see a knee specialist.
Derek McInnes faces a huge challenge against Bialystok after a 2-1 first-leg defeat
The fact that the injury came only hours after a club-record bid of £22million from Galatasaray had been rejected brought a painful irony.
Tuur Rommens could also be out of action for anything up to eight weeks after picking up a groin strain in the match against Hibs.
From McInnes’s point of view, it never rains but it pours. Hence why tonight’s clash with Jagiellonia has such a massive feel to it.
Not only in the context of Rangers’ season and trying to secure progression in the Europa League, but purely just in the sense of trying to give the whole place a lift.
If this goes wrong at Ibrox tonight and Rangers were to be knocked out against limited opposition from Poland, the noise would only intensify.
Asked about the difficult start to the new season, McInnes said: ‘It is my job to keep the spirits up. It is the players’ job to keep themselves going. We are going to be playing a European game in front of 50,000.
‘We understand it is not always going to be sunshine and rainbows. I got the job for a reason. There are a lot of changes to be made and a lot of turnaround in the squad.
‘Of course, it is not going to be as straightforward as I hoped. I would enjoy the job a lot better than I am at the minute [if the team was winning]. You can only enjoy it when you are winning.
Rangers stars appear dejected as they applaud the travelling fans in Poland last week
‘We have work to do. It is part of being a manager. There are ups and downs — and it is coping with difficult times that defines you.’
Some fans have questioned some of McInnes’s team selections thus far across his three matches in charge.
Too many square pegs in round holes, a squad lacking quality and depth in near enough every area, and a recruitment strategy which is far from convincing.
Brentford’s Jayden Meghoma has been identified as one of the main contenders to come in on loan to fill the void left by Rommens.
To clarify, this is the same Jayden Meghoma who patently wasn’t good enough during his original loan spell last season, and whom Rommens was signed to replace.
Lawrence Shankland, the newly appointed club captain, only got off the bench for the final five minutes in Poland last week.
Vanja Dragojevic, a promising young Serbian midfielder signed for a fee of around £4.5million, has been asked to play out of position at right-back.
In terms of attacking output, the other option at right-back, Ross McCrorie, is a huge downgrade on James Tavernier.
McInnes greets recent defensive arrival Olwethu Makhanya in training ahead of the second leg
There is also precious little quality out wide, hence why McInnes has been desperate to get new wingers into the building as quickly as possible.
In short, it’s all just a bit of a mess. How quickly Rangers are able to sort it out and equip the new manager with the tools he needs to do the job is now of paramount importance.
Asked about the need to lift supporters and boost morale, McInnes continued: ‘If we had won on Sunday, it doesn’t mean everything would be rosy in the garden.
‘But we could all be doing with a win. Supporters could do with it and players could do with it. There is nothing better than getting that encouragement and confidence into the supporters by getting a win.
‘We have work to do, but I think the tie is finely poised. I thought we were decent in Poland for long spells.
‘We have got to understand that, as I said last week, we played a part in our own downfall with the goal against us. If we can tighten up on that side, I feel we have got the game and performance in us to get through the tie.
‘If we can get through it, everybody starts to feel better about themselves. That is the plan.’
Rangers took an early lead in Poland last week before shooting themselves in the foot with some calamitous errors in defence.
Manny Fernandez was particularly culpable and, across the three matches so far this term, he has looked well off the pace in the heart of defence.
Lawrence Shankland and John Souttar were all smiles as they enjoyed training in Milngavie
If Rangers are to turn this around, McInnes will need his big players to step up in a way that they have failed to do thus far.
‘We need to play with a bit more risk,’ said the Rangers manager. ‘I thought we were a bit too safe last week for my liking.
‘We need to force the issue and play with a bit more tempo. It’s a balance between attacking and defending, but you have to play with a bit of risk.
‘We have got 90 minutes to win the game and get through the tie. We need to be measured and confident in our work, but also understand the urgency, tempo, bigger passes and greater risk needed to win the game and get through the tie.’
This could well be a game of risk and reward. A night when the McInnes era at Ibrox finally gets up and running with a performance and victory to lift the spirits.
The manager wants his team to be bold and play with a sense of freedom. McInnes even spoke yesterday about gambling and getting more bodies into the box.
In the words of his namesake Derek Trotter… he who dares, wins.
