Walter Smith's side are looking to finish the campaign with four trophies and Saints block their route to the Scottish Cup final.

Ahead of Sunday's semi-final at Hampden, rookie boss McInnes pointed to Smith's return to the helm in January 2007 as the key factor in the Rangers resurgence.

"Walter has done a fantastic job," the Saints boss told Rangers News. "He identified what the side was lacking and added a bit of strength and presence to it.

"He is probably a year ahead of schedule in terms of how successful he has been and has already managed to start bringing trophies back to the club.

"That helps the club tick along and buys him a bit of time with the fans, who in turn will become a bit more patient.

"He would probably admit his team still isn't quite the way he wants it and I'm sure he'll try to improve it further over the summer."