ST MIRREN boss Ian Murray suspects the Scott Allan saga has become so poisonous that it would be better for his old club Hibs to back down and agree a deal with Championship rivals Rangers.

Former Hibees captain Murray quit Easter Road under freedom of contract in 2005 to move to Ibrox and recalls the bad blood that created.

However, it is nothing compared to the bitter battle that has developed over Allan with the midfielder receiving death threats on social media in the wake of the Edinburgh club kicking out two offers and stating that he will not be sold under any circumstances.

Allan has submitted a transfer request and Murray, who will lead his Saints side into battle with both clubs on league duty this term, suspects his position has become so impossible at Hibs that it is probably best to now let the transfer go through.

“Football fans are biased, everybody is,” said Murray. “You are biased towards your own people and your own club.

“Scott has grown up a Rangers fan. When I was a little boy, I was a Hibs fan and I wanted to play for Hibs.

“It wouldn’t have mattered who wanted to sign me. If Barcelona were competing with Hibs, I would have signed for Hibs. No question about it.

“Scott has grown up watching Rangers and supporting Rangers and now has the chance to sign for Rangers. This chance might never come round again for him.

“Of course, I can see the flip side. All Hibs fans are asking for is for him to wait it out for one year, but, unfortunately, that is not the way it works in football.

“In a year’s time, who is to say Rangers will still want Scott Allan? Who is to say he will not have suffered an injury?

“The fans are upset and the club is upset. I am looking at it as an outsider, but it looks to me that it would probably be better for everyone to move on and get it done.

“The ill feeling towards him now is going to be astronomical. He is going to have to play an incredible standard of football week in, week out because fingers will be pointed at him the minute things go wrong for the team at Hibs.

“If he leaves the club, those fingers will only be pointed at him twice a season when he goes back to Easter Road. He will handle that.”

Murray enjoyed a second spell at Hibs after returning north from Norwich City in 2008 and understands the depth of feeling that will exist towards Allan should he somehow force a move to Rangers.

“There is no question that there was bad feeling when I went back to Hibs after joining Rangers,” he said. “The Hibs and Rangers thing is going to boil on forever. It has happened since day dot, from what I can remember.

“Everyone is different, but I think the majority of footballers can deal with abuse inside the grounds. If you are 18 or 19, I think it would be difficult, but it really didn’t bother me in the slightest when I went back to Hibs.

“Scott might be different, but he seems a confident guy and I wouldn’t imagine it would be a problem. He might even thrive on it because some certainly do.

“How many times has Kenny Miller gone back to Easter Road and scored a goal? It wouldn’t faze Leigh Griffiths if he got stick for scoring against Hibs for Celtic.

“If Scott goes to Rangers, he is going to get a lot of stick at Easter Road.”