The decidedly mixed reaction to Michael Beale’s appointment as Rangers manager last night showed that the Englishman has much to do in the weeks and months ahead to convince supporters he is the right man to lead the Ibrox club forward.
Beale is certainly held in high regard by followers of the Glasgow giants having helped Steven Gerrard to land their first Scottish title since 2011 – and stop Celtic from completing 10-In-A-Row in the process – last year.
He has, rightly or wrongly, been portrayed as the brains behind that historic victory in recent days as he has emerged as the front runner to replace the hapless Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Some were ecstatic.
Yet, many still remain highly sceptical that a 42-year-old coach who has only been a manager in his own right for a matter of months can cope with such a high-profile and pressurised position at such a difficult time.
Beale’s expertise on the training ground is renowned. But it is one thing putting on a productive session for his players, it is quite another being barracked by tens of thousands of disgruntled fans following a draw or a defeat that has enabled their rampant city rivals to pull further ahead.
Gerrard could, having been both the Liverpool and England captain during his distinguished playing days, handle being the figurehead of Rangers. He was, outwardly at least, unaffected by the criticism which came his way following a bad result. He was a big personality who commanded, and received, respect from all he encountered.
Can his erstwhile colleague, who has never been exposed to the sort of relentless public scrutiny which will come his way in his new role, keep his cool amid all of the hysteria? He has to show he has a thick skin as much as keen football mind.
No disrespect to Queens Park Rangers, the English Championship club who Beale joined from Aston Villa back in June, but being in the hotseat at Rangers will be an altogether more claustrophobic experience.
Beale is hardly taking over a group of players who are on form and flying high at home and abroad either. They are currently nine points adrift of Celtic in the cinch Premiership after winning just two of the last five league games they played. They are a low on confidence after a demoralising Champions League campaign.
He is inheriting an injury-ravaged squad. Many of the players who are fit are not at their best. Others have played far too much. A few are ageing and are nearing retirement. Some look as if they do not particularly want to be there and are hankering after a move away.
Pep Guardiola would have struggled to go on a winning run with the resources that Van Bronckhorst had at his disposal towards the end of his troubled tenure.
It is going to take more, much, much more, than a rousing pre-match team talk and a shrewd game plan to resurrect Rangers’ ailing title challenge and prevail in the cup competitions.
There has been a great deal of back-of-a-fag packet accountancy done when examining the Ibrox club’s finances this season. The hierarchy has disputed many of the sums which have been bandied about. They deserve credit for posting a profit in their latest annual results after years of heavy losses.
But the board will have to loosen the purse strings to a far greater extent during the January transfer window than they did in the summer if Celtic are to be caught and overtaken in the Premiership in 2023.
Ange Postecoglou had a far younger and much stronger squad than Giovanni van Bronckhorst when last season ended. He had good options in most positions on the park. But he still went out and lavished just shy of £20m on 11 new recruits. His counterpart, in stark contrast, spent little over £10m on six players.
Postecoglou has brought in defender Yuki Kobayashi from Vissel Kobe in Japan during the World Cup break and looks poised to add Canadian internationalist Alistair Johnston from Montreal in the coming weeks.
So Beale has to be handed money if he is to be a success. The squad is in need of an overhaul. Certain individuals require to be offloaded and others who are of a sufficient standard brought on board. And not at the end of the 2022/23 campaign either.
The new manager’s record in the transfer market is unproven. In the modern game, recruitment is left to sporting directors and it is Ross Wilson who oversees that side of the operation. But can the new manager utilise the contacts he has built up around the globe to unearth a few gems? It would be beneficial to him if he could.
Good coaches make players better. Can Beale get more out of Ryan Kent, Rabbi Matondo, Alfredo Morelos, Fashion Sakala and Malik Tillman when domestic football resumes following the Qatar 2022 final next month? Time will tell.
But if the former Chelsea and Liverpool youth coach, Sao Paolo assistant and QPR manager can work his magic at Auchenhowie and get more out of individuals who have underperformed it will help his cause no end.
He could do with getting a few bodies back as well. Filip Helander, Connor Goldson, Leon King, John Souttar, Ridvan Yilmaz, Tom Lawrence and Ianis Hagi have been sorely missed. Van Bronckhorst made mistakes. But he did not have his troubles to seek.
Michael Beale will have the full backing of a support who are desperate to see a return to winning ways when Rangers host Hibernian in the Premiership on Thursday, December 15.
However, he must show exactly why Ibrox club’s custodians were so eager to make him the 18th manager in their history thereafter or he will suffer the same fate as his predecessor.
