Charlie Nicholas has called out Rangers fans over protests in recent weeks - as he branded Ibrox supporters "lucky".

The pundit questioned the motive behind protests from supporter groups including the Union Bears.

Branding the protests as "moaning and groaning" Nicholas insisted Rangers fans are "lucky to be where they are" but admitted they will improve under Michael Beale.

A section of supporters had held aloft a "standards" banner ahead of the League Cup final against Celtic citing the club's trophy haul in recent seasons.

Another display was raised at Ibrox accusing the board of taking the "eye off the ball" as Celtic close in on Rangers' trophy total.

And in the weekend past, the Union Bears group remained absent from their usual position after an offensive anti-police banner was refused to be allowed through the turnstiles.

Offering his take on the recent fan unrest over the Rangers predicament, Nicholas claimed a Scottish Cup win is the club's "best hope".

READ MORE: Rangers ultras' strobes 'verging on dangerous' warn Epilepsy Scotland

In his Scottish Daily Express column, Nicholas wrote: "I don't know where the Rangers fans are going with their protests.

"The bottom line is the club doesn’t have a lot of money and they are now having to pay back what was spent on stopping 10-in-a-row.

"A major reason Steven Gerrard left was that he knew there were limited funds. I do believe Rangers would have won more trophies if Gerrard had remained, but he chose to go to Aston Villa.

"The problem is that Rangers don’t have a strong budget. Their fans just need to swallow their medicine. The best they can hope for is winning the Scottish Cup again this season and then they can build again.

"What I take from Michael Beale is that there will be massive improvements. People slagged me last summer because they needed six or seven players. They need the same again come the end of the season.

"They will get rid of Alfredo Morelos and players like that and they will improve. The Rangers fans should stop their moaning and groaning because they are lucky to be where they are."