Chris Sutton has criticised Derek McInnes despite Rangers securing their fourth consecutive Premiership win against St Mirren.
Bojan Miovski's late goal clinched the victory for Rangers on Wednesday night, leading to celebrations at Ibrox. Players remained on the pitch post-match to join in the festivities, while McInnes was seen applauding the supporters during the game.
However, writing in the Daily Record, Sutton questioned the significance of McInnes's interaction with the fans and the impact of the victory if Rangers fail to beat Celtic on Sunday.
Sutton said: "Derek McInnes has started to win over Rangers fans and they lapped him up clapping along to the sing-song after they scraped past St Mirren. That was a performance of nonsense and just playing to the galleries.
"But it will be a different story if they come a cropper at home to Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup, with no away fans in the ground."
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Despite his criticism, Sutton recognised the challenging circumstances McInnes faced when he took the reins at Ibrox, and acknowledged his managerial prowess. He added: "McInnes is a top manager and he walked into a difficult position.
"There's still a sense he's throwing everything at it to see what works but there is no doubt Rangers can cause Celtic problems."
Rangers are set to face Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals on Sunday, the first Old Firm clash under McInnes' management.
Victory would secure a spot in the last four, edging closer to the first domestic silverware of the season.
