It was a huge weekend for the Ibrox boss in every sense but there are a few cautionary words from our man

Difficult days these for Derek McInnes. And, as absurd as it might sound, maybe even dangerous ones.

He’s so close to delivering something tangible and shiny from his first few months at the helm, and yet - as was showcased on Saturday evening - he’s not yet comfortable enough with his side to feel able to take anything for granted.

The bottom line is if the Rangers manager should come up short on cup final day on Sunday, December 13, then his reputation and standing with a section of his club’s support could suffer the kind of damage which might prove to be irreparable.

To put it bluntly, McInnes simply cannot leave Hampden without clutching the Premier Sports Cup in his hands because the consequences of failing to deliver the first silverware of the season could prove to be catastrophic to his longer term ambitions.

If truth be told, this extreme, knee jerk environment is actually a perfectly ridiculous state of affairs. McInnes is exactly the right man in precisely the right place where this latest attempt at a restoration of Rangers is concerned.

His team remains a very obvious work in progress but, so long as he is given time by the supporters and, with the continued backing of his superiors, he will come up with the answers required to solve a puzzle which has been too complex and complicated for so many of his successors to get their heads around.

But then McInnes knew from day one that he was placing himself in an imperfect situation when he chose to accept Andrew Cavenagh’s offer in the summer. And, for that reason, his destiny was always likely to come down to a dash against time over the course of his first season in charge.

He wasn’t wanted there by some of these fans, many of whom could not find it within themselves to forgive him for the ‘betrayal’ of concluding that Dave King was not the kind of boss he could feel even remotely comfortable working for.

That McInnes’ instincts were absolutely spot on is neither here nor there. Had he ignored them and shaken hands with King nine years ago he’d most probably have been long gone by now, dismissed as just another managerial footnote in the club’s chaotic recent history.

And yet now he stands on the cusp of creating a whole new era at Ibrox.

After four and half short months at the helm McInnes is 41 days and 90 minutes away from placing silverware back in a trophy cabinet which has been gathering nothing but dust for the last decade and a half.

And if he can do that then he’ll also be buying himself the breathing space, patience and goodwill he requires to push on with his grand plan to make Rangers relevant again in their own back yard.

The fine lines involved here might be outrageously unfair but that doesn't mean they don’t have to be navigated through all the same.

Which means McInnes is currently tiptoeing his way towards far more solid and safer ground, in the knowledge that one misstep could see a landmine explode under his legacy before it’s even got up and running.

That’s why his overwhelming emotion at the end of Saturday night’s semi final win over Aberdeen was one of gargantuan relief.

Be in no doubt, had Rangers stumbled at the national stadium on Halloween then the ramifications for McInnes would have been pretty gruesome in nature.

It’s no wonder he looked up to high doh on the sidelines during the second half as his team failed to find the back of Aberdeen’s net throughout a contest which always looked like it would be settled by the scoring of a single goal.

So it was little wonder then that when Ryan Naderi jabbed out his right leg to redirect a James Penrice shot home from close range, late on in the game, the relief was etched all over the manager’s face.

And yet the 1-0 win meant he ended the weekend with his credentials considerably enhanced, especially after Celtic malfunctioned so spectacularly at Falkirk on Sunday afternoon.

All of a sudden, then, McInnes is one game away from securing a first trophy - and at the first attempt - as Rangers boss while also moving to within touching distance of the champions at the top of the league table.

The Ibrox side will close the gap to just a single point so long as they win their game in hand and with Celtic seemingly intent on making a mess of themselves this season, McInnes may feel as if there is a whole lot more than just a League Cup for him to claim from his first campaign in charge.

There is no doubt at all that his eyes will be fixed on delivering the big one between now and May. But, in order to build enough momentum to slingshot him all the way to a title, a victory lap at Hampden Park next month might just prove to be essential.

A trophy parade is what is really required to convince his doubters that he is the man best qualified and capable of returning the club to its former status.

Walter Smith always championed McInnes for this very role and there’s a sense of irony somewhere in there too.

Smith himself was not considered as the most high profile candidate when Graeme Souness moved on to Liverpool in 1991. But the decision to promote him to the top job was probably the best choice made by Sir David Murray throughout his chairmanship.

All these years on, Cavenagh has similarly placed his faith in McInnes to create a new period of sustained success on Glasgow’s south side.

If it begins with a bang at Hampden next month, then McInnes really will be off and running as Rangers manager.

But should his players fall at the final hurdle then it is McInnes who will be left to carry the can while facing a battle to convince the club’s supporters that he can make their club winners all over again.