Simon Jordan questions Rangers for appointing manager who ‘bottled it’ last season

Simon Jordan has questioned Rangers’ decision to appoint Derek McInnes after he ‘bottled’ the title at Hearts last season.

The Jam Tarts came perilously close to breaking the Celtic-Rangers duopoly atop the Scottish Premiership table.

However, Hearts fell to a 3-1 loss at Parkhead on the final day of the season as goals from Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand cancelled out Lawrence Shankland’s opener.

Regardless, Rangers made the decision to appoint McInnes just days after Danny Rohl departed Ibrox for Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg.

McInnes, who spent five years with Rangers as a player between 1995 and 2000, is expected to close the gap on rivals Celtic having finished the season ten points off the pace.

Jordan, though, was taken aback by Rangers’ decision to bring the 54-year-old back to Glasgow.

“He’s not a prolific winner as a manager, is he?” Jordan began on White and Jordan on Wednesday.

“But he turned it around at Hearts, to be fair,” Jim White replied, to which Jordan hit back: “But they bottled it. They gave it back to Celtic. It was Hearts’ to lose.

“He had a lot of noise, a lot of bold observations, and I appreciated the opportunity to watch Hearts divide the top two, but he didn’t.

“So they’re taking someone that bottled it into a Rangers team that needs to be able to be better than they were, that need to be able to push forward.

“So it’s an interesting appointment.”

Rangers kick off the 2026/27 Scottish Premiership season with a trip to Dundee United next month.

And it isn’t long before McInnes returns to Tynecastle to face his former employers.

Indeed, the Gers make the trip to Edinburgh on Wednesday October 28.

Additionally, McInnes will experience his first Old Firm as a manager when Rangers make the short journey to Parkhead on Sunday September 20.