Michael Beale admits he is not shying away from a Rangers title fight and says his side can keep pace with Celtic.
The Englishman is back in Glasgow but this time in the Ibrox hot-seat after being Steven Gerrard's right-hand man through their three-plus years at Rangers. And Beale has the imminent task of rekindling a Light Blues squad that struggled for consistency in the final weeks of Giovanni Van Bronckhorst's reign.
And the former coach admits he is raring to go for the challenge of reviving Rangers, and admits his long-term ambition is to bring the Scottish Premiership back to Glasgow. Yet the new boss was not shying away from a title tussle with Celtic, and despite a nine-point deficit, he believes there is a challenge yet to come from his side.
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Speaking at his first press conference as manager, He said: "We need to win 56 as soon as possible. We need to improve our cup record which obviously we slightly improved last year by winning the Scottish Cup. We need to improve the identity on the pitch, that's what I feel and it's what the players feel as well.
"At the moment, one or two players' values aren't what they were six or eight months ago. That is damaging to the players, the football club and the staff. We have to improve that, all the players have a responsibility over their own careers and it's my job to uphold them to that. I have to try and get the best out them and that will make for a stronger Rangers."
When asked about title challenge, he added: "The first thing for us to get the identity on the pitch where we want to be. We have to start moving forward and win football games. This Christmas period will have a big part in whether we can do that or not. The most important thing as always at Rangers is to win the next game.
"The goalposts will move if we keep winning games, something will happen. This time last year, I believe there was a seven-point gap in our favour so it can be turned around but the most important thing right now is not to talk too big - it's to win the next game."
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