Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes has called for the focus to return to matters on the field following his decision to stay with the club.
The Dons rejected an approach from Rangers for their manager on Tuesday and McInnes has backed his club’s stance by committing his future to the club.
? The manager spoke to RedTV this morning ahead of tonight’s match against Dundee at Dens Park #StandFree pic.twitter.com/V9nkqjWJuo
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) December 8, 2017
The move brings a six-week saga of relentless speculation about the Dons manager’s future to an end and McInnes hopes his decision can finally bring some closure.
He said: “It’s been a challenge for everybody concerned over the last wee while.
“Obviously, I had something to consider. As it is in life if you’re deemed to be doing well then you get opportunities or offers and decisions to make.
“I feel that I wasn’t prepared to walk away just yet, I’m really happy here as everybody knows and I wasn’t prepared to tarnish relationships that I’ve built over the last wee while.”
McInnes will be in the dugout for tonight’s game at Dundee and the Dons boss is keen to move on from what has been a disruptive period for the club.
He said: “The focus should be on the game now and hopefully everything gets settled down.
“None of this has been of our own doing and I think since an official approach was made on Tuesday we quickly got it put to bed yesterday.
“Obviously now it’s just about the game and I think it’s important that we just get back to that.
“That’s normal practice to us and it’s about winning games and having the focus is on the team. Hopefully we can do that, I think the team has got off a bit lightly with not winning games and the focus being on myself.
“Tonight is a great opportunity to get back to winning ways and hopefully speaking about a winning team and nothing else.”
McInnes’ comments come after a terse statement from Rangers last night where they reacted badly to the Aberdeen manager’s rejection of their advances.
The Gers statement hinted McInnes was not up to the task of managing “a massive club like Rangers.”
Former Rangers director of football Gordon Smith has criticised the Ibrox club for their poor handling of the affair.
He said: “I find the whole thing astonishing.
“It seems strange that it takes so long to make the appointment, then when Derek turns it down they come out with this statement saying it was probably the right thing that he stays at Pittodrie because really they were trying to assess whether he was the right person for the job and the fact he is staying at Pittodrie proves he isn’t the right person.
“It’s almost like they are saying he didn’t have the bottle for such a big role.
“It absolutely is an embarrassment for the Rangers board. They are trying to say now that he wasn’t the number one candidate.
“I just don’t understand how they can say that.”