McInnes era opens with draw as Rangers held at Dundee United

Rangers began the Derek McInnes era with a 1-1 draw at Dundee United in their Scottish Premiership opener. It was the same result as last season's opening match, but the tone was different. A year ago, then-manager Russell Martin heavily criticized his players after a draw at Motherwell; McInnes, however, emphasized patience and the need for reinforcements during this transitional summer.

Rangers fell behind to Lachlan Rose's first-half goal, but improved after the interval and equalized through Thelo Aasgaard. They could not find a winner and were lucky not to concede late when Jesse Randall's weak effort was saved by debutant goalkeeper Ivor Pandur.

McInnes told Sky Sports that the team dropped points and were not good enough to take all three. He insisted they must trust the process and do simple things better. "It's one game," he said, adding that they will improve as the season progresses.

Former striker Steven Thompson said there was no reason for panic. He described the point as a decent result at a difficult venue, with many teams likely to struggle there. Thompson stressed that McInnes needs time to bring in his own players and implement his ideas on the training ground. In contrast, Andy Halliday, another former Rangers player, was critical of the tactical setup, noting that the team lacked compactness and that Dundee United's individuals were more influential except for Aasgaard.

New signings Ivor Pandur, Ben Godfrey, Cammy Devlin and Lawrence Shankland all made their debuts from the start, while Dan Neil and Ross McCrorie came off the bench. McInnes confirmed further signings are expected. Rangers remain a work in progress, and this was not the ideal start, but the real assessment will come later.