Kris Commons reckons Saturday's 4-1 win over Aberdeen was huge for Gio van Bronckhorst - but insists they're only one misstep away from a return to crisis mode.
The former Celtic star believes the Rangers boss is still walking a tightrope following a string of poor results that led to intense speculation over his future at Ibrox. A convincing victory over the Dons at the weekend has turned the heat down a notch as goals from Antonio Colak, John Lundstram, James Tavernier and Alfredo Morelos provided the Dutch boss with a much-needed result and performance.
But the big tests keep on coming for Van Bronckhorst as his side face Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday, looking to avoid the ignominy of posting the tournament's worst-ever group stage return. Commons reckons the weekend win must be viewed in the context of Aberdeen's poor away record and claims Rangers are still just one bad night away from collapsing "like a pack of cards".
He wrote in the Daily Mail: "That was a really big victory for Rangers on Saturday. They delivered a much-needed boost for under-fire boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Given the amount of pressure he has been under, I reckon that was one of the most important victories they've had under the Dutchman. But one result isn't going to solve all of the problems. Should Rangers suffer a heavy defeat to Ajax at Ibrox tomorrow night, Van Bronckhorst will be back to square one.
" Ajax showed they are a class above when they thrashed Rangers 4-0 in Amsterdam. A similar outcome tomorrow would spell major problems for the Ibrox boss. The 4-1 win over Aberdeen at the weekend was definitely a good building block. But another Ajax annihilation would see the whole thing collapse like a pack of cards again. That's just the fragile nature of how things are at Rangers just now. I've seen fans and journalists openly speculating about the manager's future on social media.
"People are already drawing up a list of potential candidates to replace Van Bronckhorst. That's just the nature of football these days. One result won't ease all the pressure. Rangers need to go on a run, string together a few victories, and bring a sense of style and adventure back to their football. Aberdeen's away form has been terrible this season, so you have to view it in context. Rangers did what was expected of them."
