Another season, another groundhog day opening in Dundee

If you felt a sudden wave of nausea watching Rangers kick off their Scottish Premiership campaign on Friday, don't worry, your stomach isn't broken. That was just pure, unadulterated deja vu hitting you like a freight train. Derek McInnes walked onto the touchline at Tannadice looking like a man ready to usher in a bright new era, only for his side to stumble straight out of the blocks with a 1-1 draw against Dundee United.

We have seen this movie before. In fact, we buy a ticket for this exact movie every single August. Rangers turn up, promise the world after a summer of grand declarations, and immediately drop points on opening weekend to remind everyone that Scottish football is a relentless grind built to break your heart.

Derek McInnes insists it's fine, but the fans aren't buying the calm act

To his credit, McInnes didn't completely blow a fuse in his post-match interviews. He insists Rangers will improve as the new pieces settle into place. But let's be honest for a second: when you're managing Rangers, patience isn't a commodity in high supply. The fans didn't travel to Dundee to watch a work-in-progress; they went expecting to set the tone for a title charge.

Instead, what they got was a clunky performance that lacked any sort of killer instinct in the final third. United smelled blood early, forced the tempo, and made Rangers look uncomfortably casual on the ball. You can talk about process and pre-season legs all day, but when Celtic are relentlessly relentless, throwing away two points on day one feels like burning cash in the driveway.

The road ahead is already uphill

It is way too early to call the fire brigade, but McInnes needs to figure out his best XI and figure it out fast. The midfield spacing against Dundee United was a complete mess, leaving the backline exposed every time the home side pushed forward on the counter. If Rangers think they can glide through tough away fixtures on reputation alone, this Premiership season is going to be a brutally long ride.

McInnes promises improvement, and he better deliver before the pressure cooker starts whistling. The blueprints are clear, the squad has talent, but right now, Rangers look like a team still trying to figure out how to put the furniture together without reading the manual.