DEREK McInnes says there has been a positive feeling amongst his Rangers squad of late, but wants his team to continue that run in their next home outing tomorrow evening.
The Light Blues will host Paisley side St Mirren in Govan in league action before a Premier Sports Cup quarter-final to come at the weekend, off the back of three wins in succession.
Speaking to the media in this afternoon’s press conference ahead of his team’s next test, he said: “I do think there has been a good feel about the place; I have mentioned the togetherness and the bond with the players.
“Of course, the response has been really strong, we have navigated two tricky away games, we have picked up a really good performance at the weekend against Motherwell which it had to be and I thought the scoreline could have been a few more when we have looked back at the game.
“There was a lot about the game that we really enjoyed, so it is five wins from six; it doesn't feel like that. I get that with the disappointment of the European game, and we are not just going to diminish that.
“It was a disappointment, but we have got to kind of dust ourselves down and get on with the job.
“We look far more creative in what we are trying to do, and I think with the transfer window closing hopefully we can just keep continuing that progress.
The manager highlighted what he feels has been key in a recent change in momentum for his side, where he is expecting another tough challenge from tomorrow’s visitors having beaten Craig McLeish’s side 5-1 in a recent cup encounter on home soil.
He continued: “I think the distances have been far better and even we have controlled transitions a lot better as well, which was something that was a real problem for us at the beginning.
“We have been able to keep applying pressure, being a better counter-pressing team, nullifying opportunities for the opposition; it was all in abundance at the weekend again.
“I do think getting a wee bit more familiarity, a bit more consistency of selection, particularly in the big end, has helped with that. Good performances as well. I spoke to the players last week with the window closing now we have got a strong squad; the squad will drive the standards.
“It is up to us to not waste your minutes on the pitch. If you get minutes on the pitch, don't waste them; don't let the door open for anybody else, and I thought we didn't have a failure really at the weekend.
“I thought it was a strong performance individually as well as a team.
“Hopefully at Ibrox tomorrow we have got the supporters again getting behind the players.
“We have got a big few games coming up, but all the focus is on this one, as you can imagine, because we want to go into the weekend's game on the back of another win.
“St Mirren is always a tough game. A new young manager coming in and trying to implement a style, but I don't like the whole narrative. Sometimes St Mirren have always been a good team over recent seasons.
“Stephen Robinson won a League Cup, had them in the top six; we always expect whatever team I have been at a tough game against St Mirren.
“Although we ran out kind of comfortable winners in the League Cup there was still opportunities for St Mirren in the game, we expect a wee bit how the game at the weekend against Celtic I thought they were really strong with their performance in long spells.
“Having watched that game Saturday night, you see exactly the speed of them, how they want to promote bodies forward; they are in to try and ask questions of them, so good on them for that.
“We need to come out and be confident with our work and try to set about the task and just look for a win to continue what has been a decent wee spell for us.
“Each game brings a demand, but the demand has been there of late, and hopefully we can continue that.”
Having confirmed the significance of the hamstring injury picked up by Lawrence Shankland at the weekend to be around the three to four month region, McInnes provided an update on other members of his squad with three outings on the horizon before the first international break of the season.
He added: “Tuur [Rommens] is back on the pitch running but not joined in with us, but the intention for him is probably to join in full training maybe a day or two after Celtic on Sunday.
“We are hoping he has a full week's work going into the game at Celtic Park, all being well.
“Kosta Nedelikovic has picked up a little bit of a foot injury so we just need to check how that is today, he has just taken a couple of kicks in training it is wee bit sore we actually got it x-rayed and it was nothing significant we are just hoping that settles a wee bit, it is just bit painful where he gets kicked.
“Yokota is struggling a wee bit with a groin injury, so he got scanned this morning, and we expect him to miss tomorrow night and depending on the scan, we will see if he misses the weekend, but other than that I think we are good to go.”
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