Rangers not playing fair with Hibs ticket delay as lockout is NO bonus if rare result is achieved - Tam McManus

Tam knows from experience you have to savour successes at Ibrox as Hibs fans still in the dark over allocation

It seems a bit offside to leave Hibs fans hanging over tickets to Ibrox with Sunday’s game just a few days away.

Mind you, given the struggles over there in recent times, perhaps some punters might see being shut out as a bonus. They shouldn’t, though. You never know what can happen... and it’s about time Hibs got a result in Glasgow.

It never used to be that rare. In fact, one of my favourite memories in the game came at Ibrox 23 years ago last month. I was just a youngster and we were going up against Dick Advocaat’s multi-million pound side, with big name players such as Stefan Klos, Lorenzo Amoruso, Arthur Numan, Michael Mols and so on. I remember being told by some of my family I was 14/1 to be first goalscorer that day. Before anyone jumps in, no, I didn’t go near it, of course.

I’m sure a few did and they were laughing all the way to the bookies when I raced on to Craig Brewster’s back heel and stuck it past Klos. It was a magical moment getting my first goal against the Old Firm. Even though Rangers came back at us, we managed to grab an equaliser in the second half thanks to an Alen Orman thunderbolt just before the hour. He tore off on an 80-yard run to the Hibs fans in the corner and I went with him to slide in to the celebration.

It was about the last thing I managed that day as I was knackered after that run and got taken off inside 10 minutes But it was a special feelin and it’s another reason why hope the Hibs fans are in there this weekend.

There was a time when Hibs were a bit of a bogey team for Rangers. You look back at the Championship season and when they got the better of Rangers to win the Scottish Cup.

Even after promotion, Neil Lennon’s side managed to get some cracking results, including a win at Ibrox. We did it a few times in my day as well and they should be going there hoping to do the same.

If their side can snatch a win – or even a point – they will want to have been there to see it. It will be easier said than done, though. There have been some famous wins over the years but the recent record against Rangers is pretty horrendous.

They haven’t won since Martin Boyle’s hat trick in the League Cup semi-final nearly three years ago when Giovanni van Bronckhorst was in the stands preparing to take charge. Both clubs have gone through about two dozen managers since then but the results have followed a familiar pattern – Hibs get battered.

It doesn’t seem to matter how Rangers are looking at the time – and there have been occasions when you felt they were there for the taking – the match has still gone their way. This time last year Rangers were really struggling but they brought in Philippe Clement and he got a bounce in his first game in charge.

Unfortunately it was Hibs on the end of it and it finished 4-0. That’s been the story of late.

It’s about time they changed the record. Here we are and you get the feeling Rangers are vulnerable again. They have steadied the ship after being hammered by Celtic and it was a comfortable win for them in the League Cup against Dundee. But you sense there are still issues there.

The fans will be in a better mood being back at Ibrox but they won’t have much patience, especially as the gap at the top could go back to eight points again less than 24 hours earlier. Off the field, there are still a lot of distractions, with what has been happening with the chairman, the lack of a chief executive and so on.

There is pressure on the pitch as well, given Rangers cannot afford to allow that gap to widen before the next Old Firm meeting. That is why Hibs need to be ready to capitalise. They could do with taking a leaf out of Falkirk’s book, seeing how well they did last weekend to shake up Celtic.

They might need to be a little more compact at first as getting through the first 20 minutes will be vital to get a foothold in the game and maybe sow a few seeds of doubt in the stands. But they certainly need to be as brave on the ball as the Bairns and make the most of any chances that come their way.

Boyle missing out is a major blow but Hibs have other attacking options. I’m not too concerned about that side of the team.

It’s the other end where I worry. The clean sheet against St Johnstone the other week was much needed but the big question remains if they can keep out a team like Rangers.

They’ll have to. If Clement’s side get in front early, you know the drill – it could end up a comfortable afternoon for them.

The longer Hibs can stay in the game, it could be a different story. My game was up after my brox celebration but it can be the kick-start to the season this team needs.

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