Alan Stubbs insists Ibrox still has the same aura

Alan Stubbs reckons Rangers aren’t the force they once were but he insists Ibrox still has the power to spook opposition players.

The Hibs boss is no stranger to the Gers’ home, having starred there on many occasions for Celtic.

And even though the Govan club’s fortunes have slumped since then, he believes facing them at Ibrox is just as big a challenge as it ever was.

“Big clubs always have that aura,” said Stubbs. “You can sometimes wane a little bit from what you were in bygone days, but big clubs will always be big clubs.

“It’s the same with Manchester United. They are going through a transitional period but are still an unbelievable club, with an aura about them. It’s still the same Old Trafford and it will be the same old Ibrox.”

Stubbs’ players will step over the white line on Monday night hoping to steady the ship after a rocky start to the season.

They gave a good account of themselves a few weeks ago when the clubs clashed in the Petrofac Training Cup, which the Light Blues shaded 2-1 at Ibrox.

Rangers, by contrast, have started steadily, and according to the Hibs boss, the Gers players and manager deserve more credit than they get.

The Easter Road boss said: “Rangers have good players. You don’t win games just because of the club itself. They are getting results, which is very difficult. I respect everything about the club, including the group of players they have.

“With big clubs you have to have a certain mentality. When you are one of the big two in Glasgow you are the focus of attention all the time. That brings pressure to perform at a high level week in week out.

“When you dip below what that perceived level is there can be criticism. The thing is, at a big club you are always judged against what happened in the past – rather than the Rangers of now.

“There are a lot of things which have gone under the bridge at Ibrox over the past few years. And the reason they are where they are now is because of that. Ally is doing his best to get Rangers back to where they were and that was never going to be easy.”