Kris Commons believes that crisis time is fast approaching Steven Gerrard at Ibrox.
A week ago the former Liverpool u-18 coach was chest pumping and high-fiving as his club beat Hearts to go to the top of the SPFL Premiership.
The garden was rosy for Gerrard as he surveyed Scottish football from the summit and looked forward to making progress in the Europa League.
Between now and the end of the year the old Liverpool connection is going to come under the microscope as Gerrard faces up to the challenge of Brendan Rodgers.
The Celtic boss is tried and tested with seven trophies to back up his credentials, after raising hope among Ibrox fans their rookie manager is now under pressure to deliver and prove that he is not another fall guy to join Mark Warburton, Pedro Caixinha and Graeme Murty in the Hall of Shame.
In the Daily Mail Commons writes:
Steven Gerrard is at a crossroads. He’s now at the point where it looks – and sounds – like he’s ready to bin certain players in January.
To hear your manager come out and say that you ‘failed miserably’ isn’t just a rocket up the backside. It’s way beyond that.
It seems like Gerrard has lost faith in some of them on a really basic level, to the extent that there might be no way back now.
Let’s strip it back. Rangers were playing a Dundee team who were bottom of the league at the start of the day and had been shipping goals in fours and fives this season.
Rangers played over an hour of the game against ten men, yet could only manage a grand total of three shots on goal. That’s abysmal.
Take nothing away from Dundee. They defended magnificently and fully deserved their point.
But if Rangers want to be taken seriously as contenders at the top of the league, the onus has to be on them to go and win games like that.
On Thursday the tribute act need a win away to Rapid Vienna to progress in the Europa League.
After that they have a testing schedule of Hamilton, Hibs, St Johnstone, Hibs and Celtic before they reach the winter break.
Celtic are now two points ahead of the Ibrox side with a game in hand adding to the pressure that Gerrard is under.