Rangers manager Derek McInnes says his side are not currently equipped to compete in the Europa League after a 3-2 aggregate defeat by Jagiellonia Bialystok ended their hopes of reaching the competition proper.
Rangers were held to a 1-1 draw by the Polish club at Ibrox Stadium on Thursday, having lost last week’s first leg 2-1 away from home. Their European future now depends on beating Czech side Jablonec in the Conference League play-offs if they are to have any continental football beyond the end of August.
The result means Rangers are guaranteed to go without at least Europa League group-stage football for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
Lawrence Shankland gave the home side the lead from the penalty spot in the first half, scoring his first goal for Rangers since joining McInnes at the club from Hearts. But Nik Prelec levelled with a powerful header, sending Rangers out on aggregate.
Boos greeted the final whistle at Ibrox, adding to the pressure on McInnes after he failed to win any of his first four competitive matches in charge. Rangers have drawn two and lost two of those games.
McInnes said the reaction from the home supporters was “justified” and acknowledged that Rangers had fallen below the standard expected of them.
“It is not great to watch.
“My team went from some good highs in the first half to being as poor as we were in the second half, and you have to say we didn’t do enough.
“The club is built for the Champions League and Europa League, but I don’t think the team is ready for it, and it pains me to say that.
“We need to get more quality; we need to get more confidence into the team.
“That is the job I came into Rangers to do. With Rangers finishing third last season, what was served up wasn’t good enough. We have to get things moving in the right way quickly.
“We should be winning this game. Jagiellonia are a decent team with some good players and I think they’re well coached, but Rangers, at their best, should be winning this.”
The former Hearts boss said the team had shown promising spells before their performance deteriorated after the interval, but accepted that Rangers had not done enough to overturn the first-leg deficit.
McInnes now faces a quick opportunity to try to lift the mood around Ibrox. Rangers play St. Mirren in a League Cup second-round tie on Sunday, only three days after their European exit.
The same two teams will meet again six days later in the Premiership, with Rangers still waiting for their campaign to gain momentum.
