Rangers’ Europa League hopes crumble as McInnes admits failure

Rangers manager Derek McInnes conceded on 13 August 2026 that his side were not good enough to progress to the Europa League after a 3‑2 aggregate defeat to Jagiellonia Bialystok in the qualifying round. The loss ended their bid to reach the competition and deepened an early‑season crisis at Ibrox.

By CALUM CROWE, SCOTTISH DEPUTY CHIEF SPORTS WRITER. Published: 23:42, 13 August 2026 | Updated: 23:44, 13 August 2026. The report was filed by CALUM CROWE, SCOTTISH DEPUTY CHIEF SPORTS WRITER.

Match details and aggregate loss

Rangers entered the second leg seeking to overturn a 2‑1 deficit from the first leg in Poland last week. The tie offered a chance to restore their Europa League campaign.

A first‑half penalty by Lawrence Shankland gave Rangers the advantage at Ibrox. The goal put them 2‑1 ahead on aggregate.

Midway through the second half, Jagiellonia forward Nik Prelec headed an equaliser. The match ended 3‑2 on aggregate, eliminating Rangers.

The defeat left McInnes without a win from his first four matches, and a section of the Ibrox crowd turned against him. The atmosphere was compared to the vitriolic reaction last year under Russell Martin.

Managerial fallout and next steps

Off the pitch, Rangers are understood to have secured a loan for left‑back James Penrice from AEK Athens, with an option to buy next summer. The move aims to bolster the squad amid the early‑season crisis.

Consequently, Rangers will drop into the Europa Conference League play‑off round against Jablonec of Czechia. The new challenge offers a chance to salvage European participation.

McInnes said, ‘This club is built for the Europa League and Champions League. That’s obviously the intention, but I’m not sure the team is quite ready for it at the moment.’

He started the night with a back three, removed Thelo Aasgaard at half‑time and reverted to a back four. McInnes insisted the change was purely tactical due to Aasgaard’s lack of involvement.

He now faces a must‑win League Cup tie against St Mirren at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon. McInnes added that the fans’ reaction was justified and that the team must own its shortcomings.