Former Celt’s brilliant Derek McInnes takedown
The current boss of the Rangers Derek McInnes has earlier this week been bleating once again about what he perceives to be an ‘injustice’ over his failure to guide Hearts to what would have been a historic league title last season…
Del is still hurting from the Hearts capitulation last term, and had a bitter wee rant in his pre-match media conference in the lead up to his first visit to Tynecastle as the Rangers manager on Wednesday night.
The Ibrox manager still hasn’t got over his Gorgie side’s dramatic collapse after throwing away a ten points lead and managing only one win away from home in the league since the start of 2026.
McInnes blames the referees for some decisions in the closing stages of the season, one involving his side not being awarded a penalty at Fir Park as referee Steven McLean saw the dive for what it was and the other, again at Fir Park when John Beaton was called to the VAR monitor after Andrew Dallas spotted a handball in the closing stages of Celtic’s penultimate match of the season.
If McInnes selectively recalls these two incidents then perhaps he could look at others, like the terrible decision to rule out a St Mirren winner in Paisley against Hearts earlier in the campaign. Swings and roundabouts Del, and if you had won just one more away match after the bells then you would have been champions.
But it’s easier to blame everyone else.
“I think there was a real injustice and a grievance towards the end of the season, we felt we should have won the title,” McInnes said bitterly, like a broken record.
“I wanted to be a manager who won a title outside the Old Firm (sic), but for a few contentious decisions going against us, I think we would have won it.”
However former Celtic winger Aiden McGeady, speaking on the Go Radio Football Show, dismissed these claims. He said: “The injustice has been mentioned a few times. What was the injustice? Was it a few contentious decisions, as he said?
“But at the end of the day, it was in your hands and you blew it. All you had to do was draw the last game of the season. Couldn’t do it.”
He said: “So I can understand why you’re going to put it down to, ‘It’s not my fault, it’s not the team’s fault, it’s referees.’ But, yeah, for me, that’s you glossing over that.”
Fair play to Aiden for calling out Derek’s ongoing bitterness. Hearts lost the league due to their own failings, and couldn’t handle the pressure when it really mattered, just like in 1986. Celtic were deserved champions after the Hoops went on an incredible run following a defeat at Tannadice in March.
Daizen Maeda, knowing he was leaving in tears summer, was like a man possessed and he rose to the significant challenge while the Hearts players faltered, wilting under the pressure. Even on the final day of the season when Hearts just needed a point at Celtic Park and were ahead in the match, they still couldn’t get it over the line.
That wasn’t the fault of the match officials, it was all on Hearts and their manager. Yet they still complained, with made up suggestions of players being assaulted. They even claimed this week that it was unfair for Celtic to have a home game in the last day of the season.
Post split Celtic had three home matches to play and Hearts two. The SPFL clearly didn’t go out of their way to deny Hearts the title by their post split fixture scheduling – Hearts could have won it themselves by them had they won some of those away matches.
Celtic are worthy Champions, in 2026 just like in 1986. The table never lies so maybe Derek McInnes should look closer to home in his search to blame someone for the Jambos shortcomings.
