Graeme Souness has Rangers warning for Michael Beale ahead of Celtic clash as 4 pundits spell out season non-negotiable

Graeme Souness has warned under-fire Michael Beale that he dare not lose Sunday's Old Firm showdown against Celtic at Ibrox but reckons he needs time to show what his new-look Light Blues side can produce under his stewardship.

The Englishman is on the ropes early in his first full season in charge after a 7-3 aggregate Champions League drubbing at the hands of PSV Eindhoven. But having recruited nine summer signings, Rangers legend Souness reckons it's too early to judge the new faces. However, the 70-year-old knows the immense pressure and scrutiny that comes with the job and that will be cranked up when Brendan Rodgers brings Celtic across the city for Sunday's lunchtime kick off.

Former Rangers team-mates Neil McCann and Steven Thompson believe Beale MUST win silverware this season with the Light Blues in the quarter-finals of the Viaplay Cup, where they host Livingston next month, and Kris Boyd says there are no excuses for the defeat in Holland. Here, Record Sport looks at what the pundits said after a sobering night in Eindhoven.

The legendary Ibrox figure and talkSPORT pundit says Beale must be given time but reckons he can’t afford to lose Sunday’s Old Firm showdown.

“We’ve got a new manager and he’s obviously trying to implement new ideas on on the group he’s working with. He’s got some new faces. Several new faces. I watched both games and in the first game Rangers got away with it. PSV were a good team on the front foot. They weren’t so good defensively and they’ll get beat up a few times in the Champions League by the better teams but it was just a step too far for this Rangers team.

“He’s brought new players in and it’s still very early to pass judgement on them in terms of how they’ll do in the