Aberdeen boss McInnes vows to ignore Rangers "boo-boys"
The Pittodrie boss was Gers' number one target to replace Pedro Caixinha but he decided against taking the job last month.
Derek McInnes says he will pay no attention to the Ibrox boo-boys when he leads Aberdeen out in Govan for the first time since rejecting the chance to manage Rangers.
The Pittodrie boss was Gers' number one target to replace Pedro Caixinha but he decided against taking the job last month.
He can now expect a frosty reception when he returns to the ground where he served five years as a player on Wednesday night.
But the Aberdeen manager will let the flak hurtling down from the stands fall on deaf ears as he focuses on extending his side's advantage in second place over the Light Blues to six points.
“I'm preparing myself for the game,” he said when quizzed about how he would deal with the reaction of the home support.
“I played for nearly 20 years and I've managed nearly 500 games. You just have to deal with what's ahead of you.
“For me the most important part is dealing with the game and picking up the three points.
“You can't affect anything else going on round about the match.”
Gers waited six weeks before finally making their move for the Dons boss last month - in which time the two clubs faced off twice.
The long-running round of speculation frustrated McInnes but he is not blaming that for the back-to-back defeats Rangers dished out to his men.
And he insists his team will be out of the blocks quicker than they managed on their last Ibrox trip, November's 3-0 slump.
“When it comes to results a lot can be made out of the stuff that happens before and after a game,” he said.
“But during the match it's all about the 90 minutes the players and focusing on the job in hand. The last time at Ibrox we didn't give ourselves a chance from the outset.
“The game was won and lost at the start so this time we want to impose ourselves early.
“In any game, especially against good teams - and Rangers are that - then you need to start with confidence and make your mark.
“But we didn't do it that night. We gifted away a penalty, were loose in possession and got what we deserved.
“However, I think we've shown over the last four or five years that that kind of performance only happens in isolation.
“The intention is to go down there and show we are a good team and come back with the points.”
McInnes admits he has been impressed by Gers' loan signings of Sean Goss, Jamie Murphy, Jason Cummings and Russell Martin this month.
He said: “It's four very good short-term signings. They will give them more flexibility, more goals and more international experience.
“Rangers were firm favourites to finish second at the start of the season and now huge favourites on the back of the signings they've made.
“But last season they were favourites to finish second and we managed to overcome it. We've been used to finishing second in the last few years and that is our challenge again."