With the return of the Scottish Premiership well and truly underway, are there a few managers who are already under the cosh?

Although there have only been two matchdays — more for those who compete in Europe — so, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, there are a few managers who are perhaps beginning to feel the heat, given their results have been sliding in an unfortunate direction.

Kicking things off with the most talked-about boss in Scottish football, the man who won Premiership Manager of the Year last season, Derek McInnes. Now, given his fine tenure with Hearts last season, one may be questioning why his name is anywhere near this. Yet, since swapping Gorgie for Ibrox, the former Rangers player has not had an easy opening.

As it stands, Rangers are yet to win a game under Derek McInnes. Yes, they have only played four times, including European games; however, the Gers faithful are becoming unsettled, with results not living up to the expectations demanded of Rangers. Most recently, they lost their first competitive match at Ibrox this season, and given McInnes was unbeaten on home turf when he managed Hearts, it is possibly a worrying sign for Rangers.

Across their four matches this season, Rangers have failed to perform as a cohesive unit, and that doesn’t solely rest on the manager; some of the blame must lie with the players. Rangers appear to be lacking a player who is central to the squad, someone who binds them together. They are missing the je ne sais quoi, if you will. Their performances, as they stand, are 11 individuals playing at the weekend, hoping three points drift their way, and I can say with complete certainty that the lackluster performances will not be tolerated by the fans.

Yes, Rangers are lacking in a few positions, mainly the desperate need for a left-footed defensive player since the injury to Rommens, and probably a backup striker, as Chermiti was ruled out with an ACL issue. However, given they have spent £17.1 million, should they really be lacking in positions? Unexpected injuries do not lie at the feet of McInnes, as he doesn’t have a crystal ball. However, in terms of recruitment, they now need to think very carefully about who comes through the door next. Fans will be hoping it’s a player who adds talent and ignites a fire in the team.

After being knocked out of the Europa League last night, pressure continues to mount on the Rangers boss, with fans making their frustration known as boos rang out around Ibrox at full-time. After just four games in charge of Rangers, they are out of the Europa League, ninth in the league and already five points behind Celtic. For the optimists, the only way is up, but for those who don’t see the situation improving, is McInnes on a shoogly peg?

There may not be the same amount of pressure on every manager in the league, but one who has been under scrutiny since he walked through the door is Stephen Robinson at Aberdeen.

After being appointed Aberdeen boss in March, Robinson was tasked with keeping the Dons in the Premiership, which he did. But since their tussle with relegation, results haven’t quite been heading in the right direction.

Since the start of the new season, they narrowly defeated Hearts at Pittodrie; however, they looked completely off the pace and left it until stoppage time to grab both of their goals. A similar dismal performance came in Dundee on Saturday, this time resulting in a loss. Given their lack of intensity and apparent loss of confidence, relegation is already a growing concern for Dons fans, as they are yet to witness a convincing result.

Robinson has made vast changes since the start of the new campaign, mainly the 13 new signings in the summer transfer window. So, theoretically, there is little excuse for these performances, as he hasn’t inherited a poor team.

The one way I see pressure lifting off Robinson is if Aberdeen are able to create an identity for themselves and play with a fraction of style. We know the manager can instil this in squads, like he did with both Motherwell and St Mirren, so maybe he just needs some more time to bed things in. But, given the current results, changes must be made to ensure the fans remain in his corner.

The final manager who is coming under fire is Kilmarnock boss Neil McCann. Last season, McCann pulled off what looked to be the impossible — keeping Killie in the Premiership. He inherited a team that struggled with form, looked relegation-bound, and he turned them around, with some fine results towards the end of the season.

This season is shaping up to be a difficult one for the Ayrshire side, as they haven’t continued their form from last season. Currently, Killie are staring down the barrel of two defeats in a row, one of which came against Celtic, a team arguably nobody wants to face in the early stages of the season.

On the opening day, they lost out to St Johnstone in a 4-3 defeat, where they showed great flashes of play but struggled throughout the game to remain consistent. Whereas, the following weekend, when Celtic came and thrashed them 5-1 at Rugby Park, Killie looked scared to take the game to the Hoops.

It appears McCann is trialling a new formation, which may be the root of the problem for Killie. They’ve recently played a diamond formation, which isn’t taking full effect, whereas last season they played with one striker and witnessed copious joy in front of goal. So, would reverting back to the old formation, which proved successful, help turn the situation around?

As it stands, McCann is not under intense pressure, but there are rumblings that results and performances have to turn around. Tonight he manages his first Ayrshire Derby and with a place in the Quarter Finals up for grabs now would be the perfect time to revert back to winning ways.

Hopefully, all three managers can get the cogs in motion for their teams and begin to steer results in the right direction. Otherwise, they may find themselves joining a long list of former managers.