Derek McInnes promised that Rangers would deliver by the end of the season as his new-look side crashed 2-1 at home to Hibs.
Already trailing in the Premiership after drawing at Tannadice, the Ibrox men compounded an away defeat in the Europa League to Jagiellonia Bialystok by losing to the Easter Road men in injury time.
With the team already five points behind Celtic and St Mirren, many disgruntled Rangers supporters booed McInnes’ men off the field at full-time.
Acutely aware of the lack of success at the club across many years, the new manager understands that response – but pledged that his side will quickly put a poor start to the campaign behind them.
‘I’m not asking for more time,’ McInnes stated. ‘I understand the frustration. I share the frustration.
‘It’s 15 years of frustration here at this club. Nobody knows that more than me.
Rangers boss Derek McInnes says he understands the fans’ frustration after a defeat by Hibs
A stoppage-time winner by substitute Callum Wright earns Hibs a 2-1 victory at Ibrox
‘We won a title and fans didn’t even get to see the title win.
‘Every Rangers team is a by-product of that frustration. So, the Rangers fans just want to see their team winning and so do I. And we will get there.
‘It’s not going to start like we wanted. We have to work hard and stick together in the dressing room.
‘But do we expect it (the response) to be any different to what we got today? Not until we start winning. So, I’m fine with that.
‘I’m not going to ask the fans for more patience because I think the Rangers fans have been patient enough.
‘So, it’s up to us to give them a winning team more often than not. And we will get there.’
Back on level terms with five minutes remaining, McInnes felt Callum Wright’s injury time winner for Hibs was harsh on his side.
‘Disappointing result,’ he added. ‘We thought we were deserving of better. I didn’t think we were brilliant, but I do think a lot of things transpired against us.
‘The outcome isn’t great and we get that, we accept that. But, in the cold light of day, if you analyse the game, we were the better team.’
McInnes felt aggrieved that his side fell behind to Josh Campbell’s penalty after Vanja Dragojevic’s tug on Jason Kerr was spotted by the VAR, Matthew MacDermid.
‘I thought the decision to give a penalty kick was wrong,’ he added.
‘Having seen it back again, I think it’s so soft, so harsh on us. I think we’ve got to come then from behind, but luckily, we’ve still got plenty of the game to do that.
‘I thought we huffed and puffed first half. I think you’ve got to compliment Hibs in the sense that they came and they sat off us to that shape.
‘We were a wee bit pedestrian, a wee bit reluctant to try and break lines a bit quicker and try and be a wee bit more positive.
‘I thought the last half hour of the game was far more how I wanted Rangers to play in terms of we engaged more strikers quicker, we had more balls in the box, we looked as if the equaliser was coming.
‘We had plenty of box action. The only stat that really matters, as you know, is the scoreline. But I actually thought the intent of the team was good.’
Rangers striker Youssef Chermiti is stretchered off with an injury that will undergo a scan
McInnes faces a nervous wait to discover the full extent of Youssef Chermiti’s injury.
The Portuguese was stretchered off in the first half, with a scan set to reveal how bad the injury is.
‘He’s left on a boot and his knee in a brace,’ he explained. ‘We’ll get him scanned tomorrow.’
Rangers are understood to have knocked back a £22m bid from Galatasaray for the forward.
Corum FK, another Turkish side, are interested in Mohamed Diomande.
The Ibrox men are also trying to land Dutch winger Couhaib Driouech from PSV Eindhoven and are monitoring AEK Athens full-back James Penrice.
