Shay Logan expects Mark Warburton to turn things around at Rangers – but the Aberdeen defender hopes to pile more pressure on his former manager this weekend.
Logan played under Warburton at Brentford before joining the Dons in January 2014 after being told his first-team playing opportunities at Griffin Park would be limited.
Despite being only six matches into the season, Warburton is already under intense scrutiny.
The Light Blues have won only two of their opening fixtures and were thumped 5-1 by rivals Celtic this month, while summer recruit Joey Barton missed Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Ross County after being sent home from training last week following an argument with team-mates.
Logan is surprised by the amount of pressure Warburton is under after taking nine points from six games.
He said: “Managers get so much grief. How many games did they go last season unbeaten? They scored how many? They came up and he had a bad outing against Celtic, who are playing really well.
“That is what managers get. If the team isn’t performing in one or two games then it falls back on the manager.
“It is a hard thing to be a manager. He has been doing the job long enough to take the criticism.
“He is a very smart man, outside of football, and I am sure he will get out of football what he deserves.
“In Scotland, Rangers are a very big club.
“If they are not getting the results then it is maybe seen as the end of the world. Maybe he wouldn’t be getting this pressure down south.
“We are only six games in, they are still in the cups and sitting OK in the table. They’ve lost one, so it seems a bit unfair but football is a game where results matter.”
Logan is looking forward to his first encounter against Rangers on Sunday – although the 28-year-old stresses his full focus is on Thursday’s Betfred Cup quarter-final against St Johnstone.
He added: “I have never experienced it but I am sort of aware of the history and stuff.
“Personally, I don’t go into any game thinking any differently. It might mean more to the diehard supporters because it has been a long time. For me, it is work and I go into every game looking to win.
“It is a big game and an opportunity to go up against them but it can’t be seen as any more important than the match before against St Johnstone.
“The cup competitions were a real disappointment last season. You want to have good cup runs and we have a good chance against St Johnstone.
“It will be a tough test because they knocked Hearts out last time but we will back ourselves if we stick to our game plan.”