The Michael Beale Rangers pressure factor that has St Johnstone eyeing Judgement Day AGAIN as Gio parallels appear

St Johnstone heaped fresh misery on Gio van Bronckhorst’s Champions League flops when Rangers last made a Premiership Perth trip.

And Murray Davidson reckons his old side will be out to pile the pressure on them again as Michael Beale’s under-fire Light Blues make their first run out since their Old Firm set-back. Beale’s predecessor was already under the cosh when he made the journey up the A9 last November.

The game took place just five days after a 3-1 defeat to Dutch giants Ajax rounded off a miserable return to European football’s top tournament as they were crowned the worst ever side to feature in the group stages. And van Bronckhorst’s days were effectively numbered as soon as his side allowed themselves to suffer another devastating domestic set-back as goals from James Brown and Nicky Clark gave Callum Davidson’s Saints a sensational win.

Van Bronckhorst limped on for another couple of games before a draw away at St Mirren proved too much for the Ibrox board. How much is too much is once again the question those Gers directors are having to ask themselves as they weigh up Beale’s future.

Pummelled by PSV in this year’s Champions League final eliminator and trailing Celtic by four points after last week’s deflating derby display, Beale is under huge pressure as he looks to cling to his job. The sharks are circling but retired McDiarmid ace Davidson has warned he won’t find safe waters in Perth against a side that can smell blood.

He said: “You’re always aware of pressure building on opposition managers and I’m sure some players do use it for motivation. I always thought that if a manager was under pressure, so would the players be. You have to play on that and use it to your advantage. Human beings are funny