The Rangers irony facing Michael Beale as Aberdeen visit during Gio misery haunts boss with end game repeating itself

Defeat to Aberdeen looks to have been the final straw for Rangers fans with Michael Beale facing the Ibrox axe after the disastrous display.

But a loss to the Dons on home turf could be an ironic end to the boss' spell should he be shown the door in the wake of the defeat after his appearance in the stands last term amid mounting pressure on Gio van Bronckhorst. On a day when the Dutchman in the dugout was fighting to save his job Aberdeen made the trip to Govan - but it was the appearance of then-QPR boss Beale in the stands that caught the eye.

Rangers won the game 4-1 and Van Bronckhorst kept his job - but Beale may not be so lucky with his Aberdeen cameo from the stands and the 3-1 Scottish Premiership defeat acting as de facto bookends for his time as Light Blues boss. At the time Beale's visit was said to be a chance for him to return to Glasgow and catch up with old friends as he greeted punters around Ibrox before kick-off - but the toxic atmosphere at full-time appears to signal the end game is approaching for the boss.

The end would come for Van Bronckhorst off the back of a draw with St Mirren after spilling seven points in five league games. Now Beale faces an eery similarity to the precarious position his predecessor found himself in - with the international break looming after a trip to Paisley.

Pundit Hugh Keevins was quick to point out the twist of fate facing Beale on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard: "After Limassol, after St Mirren, it’s the international break. it may be a repeat of history. As Giovanni van Bronckhorst went, so might he.

"Isn’t it the height of irony that Michael Beale suffers tonight as the result of an Aberdeen visit to Ibrox. A year ago he was the one who visited Ibrox on the day that