Gillespie’s Klopp Delusion: The Banter Years Continue at Ibrox
Winless in four, out to a Polish side whose name sounds like a WiFi password, and already admitting his squad isn’t “ready” for Europe - yet Jim Gillespie insists McInnes is the Scottish Klopp.
In the grand theatre of Scottish football, where moonbeams and the banter years have been prevalent for decades, Rangers chief executive Jim Gillespie delivered a masterclass in storytelling that even the writers of Game of Thrones would find fantastical. His latest line? That Derek McInnes, the man currently presiding over a winless start to the season - including elimination from the Europa League qualifiers by a Polish side whose name sounds like a wifi password - is in fact a “Klopp-style manager.”
Yes, you read that correctly. The same Derek McInnes who, after four competitive games, has yet to secure a victory and who has admitted his squad is “not ready” for Europa League football, is being billed as the Scottish answer to Jurgen Klopp.
Gillespie’s logic, as declared at the Rangers shareholders’ meeting earlier this week, is beautifully simple. There are, he explained, two types of managers: Klopp-types and Guardiola-types. The former are aggressive, front-foot, chance-creating, goal-scoring machines. The latter are, presumably, the ones who make their players pass the ball sideways 47 times before scoring from a corner.
“Derek McInnes is a Klopp-style manager,” Gillespie declared, with the confidence of a man who has just discovered that water is wet. He cited McInnes’ “great season at Hearts,” his “Scottish experience,” and the fact that he has managed over 500 games as evidence of his Kloppian credentials. What he did not mention is that Klopp’s teams are known for their high-intensity pressing, relentless energy, and ability to turn defeats into comebacks. The total opposite of a McInnes Rangers side.
If Gillespie’s comparison was a work of fiction, the Europa League qualifier against Jagiellonia Bialystok was the cold hard truth exposing Gillespie’s comments as nothing more than the ramblings of a drunk uncle at dinner. Rangers, despite spending between £60-70 million on players in the last year, were dumped out 3-2 on aggregate by a team whose name has spawned more memes than trophies.
The Polish side, seemingly aware of the comedic gold their name provided, leaned into the joke on social media after the match. Meanwhile, McInnes, in a post-match interview that was a ‘masterclass in damage limitation’, admitted that his team was “not ready” for Europa League football. This is the footballing equivalent of a chef admitting the oven isn’t hot enough after serving raw lasagne.
Veteran journalist Graham Speirs captured the mood perfectly: “Listening to Derek McInnes tonight I get the distinct impression that, after 9 new signings, he feels he is mired in playing mediocrity.” It’s a sentiment that will resonate with Rangers fans, who have watched their team transition from “built for Europe” to “not quite ready” in the space of four games.
Gillespie’s laughable claim that McInnes is a Klopp-type manager raises an obvious question - if McInnes is so Kloppian, why does his football look more like a Sunday league team? Klopp’s Liverpool were known for their “heavy metal” football, a term that conjures images of thunderous tackles, lightning-fast counter-attacks, and crowds singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at full volume. McInnes’ Rangers, by contrast, are known for their “heavy booing” football, a style characterised by defensive errors, missed chances, and crowds booing at full time - if any remained.
The comparison also ignores the fact that Klopp’s success was built on a foundation of data-driven recruitment, a clear tactical identity, and a squad that believed in his vision. McInnes, meanwhile, has inherited a squad that spent £50 million on players last season and a further £20 million this season but still looks like it’s missing a few key components. Rangers and missing links - no pun intended!
Who would have thought it takes more than being staunch enough, it takes more than a suit and brown brogues, it takes more than ‘getting a club’ to be a successful manager.
Gillespie also revealed that McInnes had been on Rangers’ “contingency” list since April. “We have always got a list of managers who we believe fit our squad and game model,” he said, with the air of a man who has just discovered that planning ahead is a thing.
The appointment process, he added, was thorough. “No one gets a free ride. You don’t get a job at Rangers unless you’ve gone through a thorough process and we believe we have the right person for that role.” This is the same thorough process that resulted in McInnes being hired simply because he was a former Rangers player, he gets the club and its traditions, and not to mention he finished above them in the league last season.
Meanwhile, Rangers fans, have not been slow to react. The booing at Ibrox after the Jagiellonia match was not just a sign of frustration; it was a verdict. A consistent one this season in fact and yet it has only taken four games for the Rangers fans to turn on Ronseal’s favourite shade of wood paint - Protestant Blue.
The sarcasm is palpable. McInnes, the man who was supposed to bring Kloppian energy to Ibrox, is now the man who admits his team is not ready for Europe. Gillespie, the CEO who promised a “Klopp-style manager,” is now the man who has to explain why his Klopp-style manager looks more like Ted Brasso than Jurgen Klopp.
The McInnes appointment, and Gillespie’s insistence on the Klopp comparison, says as much about Rangers’ ambitions as it does about their reality. The club wants to be seen as a European force, a team that can compete with the best, a team that can challenge for the Premiership title. But the reality is that they are a team that struggles to meet the ambitions of a support and board suffering from a Napoleon complex.
This is not to say that McInnes cannot turn things around. He is a manager with a proven track record in Scottish football, and he still has the backing of the board for now. But the Klopp comparison is a laughable stretch.
In the end, the Klopp comparison is less about McInnes and more about the need for honesty. Rangers fans deserve a manager who is judged on his own merits, not on a comparison to one of the greatest managers of his generation. They deserve a CEO who acknowledges the challenges ahead, rather than one who tries to spin a winless start as the beginning of some sort of Kloppian revolution.
As for McInnes, the pressure is on. He has admitted his team is not ready for Europe. Now he has to prove that they has what it takes still to challenge for the Premiership title and qualify for the UEFA Conference League. And if he can’t, then Gillespie’s Klopp comparison will go down as one of the most side splitting pieces of corporate storytelling in Scottish football history.
In the meantime, Rangers fans can take solace in one thing, Derek McInnes truly is one of them.
The banter years continue.