Hibs v Rangers: Difficult trip prediction as Kris Commons claims Rangers are on verge of implosion

Former Celtic star Kris Commons reckons Rangers are one result away from implosion ahead of a “difficult trip” to Easter Road on Wednesday amid criticism of performances and the club’s recruitment strategy.

Despite new boss Michael Beale losing only one game – last month’s Viaplay Cup final against Celtic at Hampden – since taking over last year, performances remain a cause for concern and a large section of the Rangers fanbase are growing increasingly frustrated with the club’s current regime. The Union Bears supporters group are calling for major changes as they displayed banners in protest against members of the board during Saturday’s 3-1 Premiership win over Kilmarnock.

As discontent off the pitch rumbles on in the background, Rangers are preparing for a difficult trip to in-form Hibs on Wednesday, with the gap at the top of the table between them and Celtic still nine points. Commons, who played handful of matches for Hibs on an emergency loan from Celtic in the winter of 2016 and 2017, believes Ange Postecoglou’s team are too strong and predicts that Rangers will drop further points over the coming weeks.

Writing in his Daily Mail column, he said: “The squad is still made up of signings from previous managers. It just highlights how stagnant things have become at Ibrox and how their recruitment model has failed with fans now making their feelings on this clear to sporting director Ross Wilson. Even Celtic’s subs would walk into this Rangers team at the moment.

Michael Beale has only lost one match since taking over as Rangers boss. Picture: Craig Foy / SNS

“Rangers face a difficult trip to Easter Road to face a Hibs team who have picked up some decent form lately under Lee Johnson. There’s some serious unrest at Ibrox at the moment. We’ve seen it with some of the banners unveiled by fans in recent weeks. They can see how far their club is behind Celtic on and off the pitch. Recruitment is key to success in modern football, but it’s an area where Rangers have faltered badly since winning the league.”

Commons added: “Given the unrest among supporters, it feels like Rangers are just one result away from things really blowing up.”