Alex McLeish is impressed with the job Derek McInnes is doing at Rangers.

McInnes, appointed this summer, has led Rangers on a 12-match unbeaten run and they trail Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic by four points, with a game in hand.

Rangers are also through to next month's League Cup final.

McLeish managed Rangers from 2001-06 and won seven trophies, including two league titles.

"It takes a wee bit of time as you see to get things going and there was a wee bit of panic again after five or six games," McLeish told BBC Scotland.

"All of a sudden, the players, they get it - what it takes to play for Rangers, what it takes to win football matches.

"And I really believe that Derek is taking the team in a very, very profitable direction in terms of trophies.

"He's got a lot of quite talented players. There's a few that are there that instantly you recognise, wow he's going to make a difference and that's what you need. They need to realise that they can make a difference."

It's almost 25 years to the day McLeish took over from Dick Advocaat at Ibrox and the Scot sought counsel from Ibrox managerial great Walter Smith before taking up the post.

And McLeish said: "The day I went to Ibrox, I said, 'Walter, what do you think?' And he said, 'just win'."