New manager, same problems? Michael Beale's Rangers prevail over Hibs but plenty work to be done

New manager, new hope…Same old problems? At first, yes. But there was something in the way Rangers responded after two very early setbacks that meant there was a notable skip in the step of the home fans as they carefully navigated the icy Govan pavements afterwards.

Ryan Porteous celebrates after putting Hibs 1-0 ahead at Ibrox. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

All’s well that ends well and that seemed to be the conclusion reached by supporters who so desperately want Michael Beale to be a success. The new manager pledged to get Alfredo Morelos firing again and the Colombian striker duly notched the winner after Rangers had twice fallen behind to goals from Ryan Porteous, the player the Ibrox fans love to hate, and the returning Kevin Nisbet.

It didn’t take long for Rangers’ old vulnerability to rear its head again despite the hope invested in the Beale project. The new manager said all the right things again in an extensive interview in the match programme. However, it’s on the pitch where he knows he will be judged.

No one should expect miracles from a man just inside the door and who has been a manager for just 22 games prior to last night. It will take a lot more than simply restoring some old Ibrox traditions, such as wearing suits and brown brogues on matchdays, to reignite Rangers.

Ryan Jack draws Rangers level at 2-2 after Hibs twice took the lead at Ibrox. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

But this topsy-turvy, sometimes worrying but ultimately rewarding win, which saw Malik Tillman again exhibit his class with some involvement in all three Rangers’ goals, will do for starters.

Hibs, meanwhile, played their part but a seventh defeat in eight games means two upcoming home outings against Livingston and Celtic take on huge significance. Porteous picked up a booking here for a foul on Fashion Sakala, the scorer of Rangers’ opener, which means he is suspended for the Edinburgh derby on 2 January.

Many probably approached this game harbouring slight trepidation. We have after all been treated to a near-month long extravaganza of football in Qatar since there was last action in the Scottish Premiership. The prospect of a match in sub-zero temperatures might not have appealed initially.

But a frantic start in which three goals were scored stirred the soul, even if the warmth felt by the home fans was generated by an indignant fury at the way their team was defending. This wasn’t the bright new shiny dawn under Beale they had envisaged.

Rangers have taken the opportunity to shed their manager but re-jigging the team is more problematic while still outside the transfer window. Beale has limited options, particularly with Croatian left back Borna Barisic still in the Middle East and preparing for a third/fourth play-off place clash against Morocco. Adam Devine came in for only his second league start - and performed impressively - while John Lundstram dropped back to centre half.

Other than this, the changes of interest came in shape. Ryan Kent was played more centrally, as was the case in the friendly against Bayer Leverkusen last Saturday. Morelos came in for the injured Antonio Colak with Sakala in support. All well and good. And then the match began.

Oh dear. There are two things a manager does not want to see, particularly on his first competitive outing in charge and having greeted the fans with a wave that carried a ‘let’s get down to work’ vibe. He does not want to see his team lose an early goal and he emphatically doesn’t want to see his team unpicked a minute - 53 seconds to be exact - after getting back into the game. Beale witnessed both these no-nos in the opening 20 minutes of his Ibrox reign.

The World Cup break has allowed managers to reflect and reconsider things. It has perhaps allowed them to come up with something a little bit different, possibly inspired by what they have seen on television in the Middle East. But no one expected Lee Johnson to return from the break with the idea of deploying Ryan Porteous as a central midfielder. The big No 5 was already guaranteed to be a focus of attention given his past actions against Rangers, who were even reported to be interested in signing the soon-to-be-out of contract player.

That isn’t likely to happen, particularly given the way Porteous marked his opener after just eight minutes. He sprinted the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Hibs fans. His new position didn’t account for the goal. Wherever he was playing he wasn’t going to miss a header from the edge of the six-yard box after Joe Newell’s corner while under precious little pressure.

Rangers’ set-piece weakness had struck again. Porteous almost scored again soon afterwards when his shot whistled over the bar before he landed in a heap in the box after bashing into Tillman. No penalty, no goal and Rangers were level within a couple of minutes.

Kent fed Sakala on the left and the Zambian international picked his moment before drilling past David Marshall into the far corner. Only 15 minutes had been played. You can keep your Messis and Mbappes.

But the home fans were no sooner back on their seats than they were wondering if it was schoolboy football, never mind World Cup football, they were watching. Hibs went ahead again straight from the re-start. A ball in from the left from Marijan Cabraja took a nick off Tillman and Nisbet dashed between Rangers’ centre-halves to touch in Hibs’ second on his first start since February after recovering from a devastating knee injury. An Allan McGregor save from Elie Youan two minutes before half time kept Rangers in the game.

Its significance became clear in the second half as the hosts overturned Hibs’ lead in impressive fashion. Ryan Jack struck the equaliser just before the hour mark after sweeping in a flicked-on header from Tillman after James Tavernier’s corner. Morelos then does what he does – but hasn’t done enough recently – when he finished off a fine run from Tillman from eight yards after 62 minutes. Rangers held on and the home fans hailed Beale at the end. Now the hard work really does begin.