Rangers boss Derek McInnes has hit out at the extended international break – insisting he is ‘not a fan’ of the new-look format.
The condensed schedule saw most countries play four Nations League matches in quickfire fashion over the past fortnight.
The Ibrox club had 13 players away on international duty, some of whom have only just returned to training ahead of Saturday’s clash with Kilmarnock at Ibrox.
Rangers had built good momentum with six wins from six matches, two of which came against Celtic, as they reignited their season under McInnes.
Whilst international breaks are part and parcel of the season, McInnes lamented the elongated format and the fact that it is now almost three weeks since he was able to work with his players.
‘I think ideally when you’re searching for that kind of run of form, you want to just keep it going,’ said the Rangers boss, who has been named the Premiership’s manager of the month for September.
Derek McInnes with his manager of the month award for September after a fine run of form
‘That little block of games from Aberdeen onwards was something we’d spoken about, working towards the break. To come through that with six straight victories was brilliant from the lads and very important to us. But the other side of it is the break has been too long. There’s no two ways about it.
‘It’s unusually long. This is the first time this has been implemented. I just think that our players are away with different federations, working with different staff, travelling all over the world for four games.
‘I think it’s tough for the players to be away from their families and the like. But equally for us, there’s a lot of nervousness about your players getting into other teams and other countries’ hands for so long.
‘They’re all back in today but they’re not all training today. By the time we all get back together and training together tomorrow, it’ll be 19 days since the Celtic game.
‘That’s longer than a lot of tournaments for a lot of countries. For me, I know it’s set in stone, but I’m not a fan of it to be honest.’
In terms of the players who were away with their countries, McInnes was pleased to report a clean bill of health.
However, Cammy Devlin will be out for up to six weeks due to a hamstring injury he picked up in the 1-0 win over Celtic at Parkhead.
Rangers players celebrate the 1-0 win at Celtic Park immediately before the international break
Asked whether the clubs had any consultation with regards to the new-look international schedule, McInnes continued: ‘I don’t know if (they did) maybe at the outset, but I wouldn’t have thought so.
‘I think this is something that’s seen as a good idea and it’s something that I think is imposed now for the next three seasons. Rather than September and October being two separate ones, just putting it all together.
‘Like I say, it’s my first experience of it and if you’re asking me, it just feels like the players have been too long away.
‘Obviously, there’s a significant amount of players, which maybe makes it feel a bit worse than it actually could be for some clubs.
‘Maybe you’re only two or three away, but having so many away has affected your training. You’re only training with eight or nine senior players.
‘You’re bringing some younger ones up, but they’ve got their own obligations with games and whatever as well.
‘Even being able to do 11 v 11 practices and things like that. We arranged a game last weekend but it does affect everything. It’s not an excuse. We’ve just got to do all we can to be prepared for the game on Saturday because we need to be ready for it.
‘I think it would have been tough to go into this length of break on the back of bad results. Because sometimes you can overthink it and it’s your job when you don’t win games as a manager and a staff to work out why.
McInnes with Celtic Park hero Ryan Naderi, who won his first Czech Republic caps last week
‘So it’s nice to know that we’ve got into this break on good form. But we also need to ask ourselves why we won these games, what we’re doing right. We try to maintain levels. We still need to get improvements.
‘We’re not just kicking back and giving ourselves a pat on the back and enjoying the last wee bit. I think we’ve got to be honest and say there are still areas where we can improve.’
On being named manager of the month, McInnes added: ‘I think any individual award, whether it’s to players or a manager, it normally illustrates loads of things.
‘Particularly strong team performances, it’s what the players produce on the pitch. But there’s a full staff behind me and a full staff behind the players that gives the players the best chance.
‘It has been a strong month. It was a month that we needed to really find, to be honest. There was a lot of soul-searching at the start of the season, a lot of unconvincing performances.
‘I think what we’ve had is a bit of certainty, a bit of consistency on that side of it. With that has come some positive results, which has helped matters.
‘For us now, it’s just about trying to maintain that. It’s easier said than done, of course, but I do feel also that we’ve been given a bit of encouragement and hopefully we can continue that now.’
