Alex McLeish believes Rangers boss Michael Beale can steal a march on Celtic as their ongoing pursuit of Ange Postecoglou's successor continues.
The former Light Blues gaffer is adamant his old side must capitalise on the 'window of opportunity' which has arisen as their Old Firm rivals attempt to regroup from the departure to Spurs by the treble winning Australian. A host of possible recruits for the Ibrox side's summer rebuild include Nottingham Forest defender Jonathan Panzo with Atalanta’s Sam Lammers and Cremonese forward Cyriel Dessers in the frame for moves to Govan. .
Former England keeper Jack Butland is already on the books with Kieran Dowell and Dijon Sterling also arriving to bolster the ranks for next season. But McLeish insists Beale must ensure Rangers are ready to burst out of the blocks for the new campaign and make the most of the upheaval in the Hoops dugout.
He said: "If I’m looking at it from Michael’s perspective, which I am because I'm a Rangers man, then you have to get off to a flier. There will be a little bit of change at Celtic with a new manager coming in. He’ll probably try and say 'don’t fix it because it’s not broken.' But can they come in and have the same qualities that Postecoglou showed in the last couple of years?
"That’s the key and that’s why it’s massively important for Rangers to get off to a flier. That is going to be difficult, but at the same time there is now a wee window with the fact that Postecoglou has left Celtic.
"Celtic have to reevaluate, rebuild – maybe not rebuild – as they have the players, they don’t have to sell anyone. They have great players. If it’s not broken, do not fix it when the new coach comes in. But it is certainly a wee window of opportunity."
McLeish was a treble winner as Rangers boss in the 2002-03 season but followed that with a barren campaign with no silverware where he points to mitigating circumstances as a host of stars departed Ibrox at the end of that season. The 64-year-old is convinced Beale is about to be put through his biggest test as a rookie manager by being judged on this summer's arrivals and he's offered an identikit of the minimum attributes required.
He said: "Recruitment is massively important. That’s Michael’s next biggest task. Bringing in athletic guys – guys with speed. Because, let’s be honest, at the top level – and you see it with the national team now and in the Premier League – everybody is very quick. Rangers need quick players but they also need quality. That’s where you have to show how good you are in recruitment.
"When we won the Treble, there was then a mass exodus. We brought in a lot of players. On names, they were tremendous. But maybe they just didn’t have the legs any more. That was kind of what thwarted us that season. Michael will now be judged on the guys who are coming in and how well they do and how good their recruitment was, so that is big for him."
Beale has already admitted it's going to be a busy transfer window as he attempts to put in place a squad which can bring an end to Celtic's domestic dominance but McLeish admits forging together a side in a matter of months is a huge task as he points to the summer of 2004 as an example of the hurdles.
He said: "It’s very difficult. If you know who you are bringing in and do the work in advance, that’s definitely key. ‘If you fast forward in my time, I spoke to David Murray and said we had to get players early.
"I was scouting Dado Prso in the semi-final of the Champions League the season before. He absolutely battered Porto, even though they went on to win it. It was no-brainer to bring in the big man. Alex Rae was a free transfer, a good quality player who you knew still had some legs in him.
"So when you do your homework early and your preparations early, it makes a difference. After the Treble, we kind of did it in a week before the start of training. It was very difficult. It is okay me saying they must get recruitment right, but sometimes they do not hit the ground running. That is the next step obviously.
"I didn't really have to come in and change much when I took over from Dick Advocaat. That could be the scenario with Celtic but if someone wants to come in and totally change things to his ideas then that could be a benefit for Rangers."
Big Eck has had no personal knowledge of Beale as a man but he revealed he saw enough of the Englishman's in his first managerial role at QPR to know witness a young boss enduring the highs and lows which are always required for any manager who's plotting a road towards greatness.
He said: "I actually went to quite a lot of QPR games because a friend of mine has a box there and he invited me to a lot of games. There was a tremendous start and then a bit of a dip but these are lessons that great men have to get before they become giants in the industry. I am sure Michael has learned a lot in those couple of years that he has been a manager."
Alex McLeish was promoting Viaplay’s live and exclusive coverage of Norway v Scotland and Scotland v Georgia. Viaplay is offering a special limited-time offer for Scottish football fans available until June 20th only. Visit viaplay.com for more information.
