With Rangers’ slender chances of winning the cinch Premiership having ended with defeat to Celtic at Parkhead earlier this month, Michael Beale has half an eye on next season at the moment.
He has been struck by the lack of stability in the team he inherited when he returned to Ibrox back in November in the past five months, by the constant debate in the media and among supporters over the goalkeeper, centre back and striker positions in particular.
The Englishman - whose only two signings since taking charge, Todd Cantwell and Nico Raskin, have both made an immediate impact – intends to end that constant background noise with his recruitment in the next transfer window.
“We’re going to have a really busy summer,” he said. “I suppose the look on my face in the first few days of pre-season will tell everybody how successful I have been. I am trying to make this team stronger, younger. I want more consistency, room to grow.”
Yet, Beale’s immediate priority is making sure that Rangers have far greater solidity at the back in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic at Hampden this afternoon and avoid the gaffes which gifted their city rivals two goals in the 3-2 defeat they suffered three weeks ago.
A failed Ben Davies clearance and a mishit John Souttar passback in the second-half allowed Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota respectively to net and ultimately cost them a result in the league encounter. He knows they can ill afford any repeat of those lapses in concentration today.
But he believes the defending champions can eradicate their unforced errors and progress to the final by going on the offensive against adversaries who have flourished in the past couple of seasons by adopting a positive, attacking approach regardless of the occasion or the opposition.
“We have made some big mistakes for goals in key moments in big games which you can’t do,” he said. “The defenders in those moments have to be more assured in the decisions that they are making.
“Good players play forward. Good players try to play forward, be positive. If you try to be positive fewer mistakes can happen. So in those moments my advice to players will be to be bold, be positive.
“Mistakes in football will happen, but if they happen because your mindset is super-positive and that you are trying to play forward and do the right thing then . . .”
Beale continued: “One of the big mistakes in that last game was that three or four players turned down the opportunity to play forward and we sort of played ourselves into trouble. You can’t do it in big games.
“Think of the game at Ibrox in December. The first goal we concede we are passing sideways and backwards when we can play forward. And again, away to Celtic in the last game. Those big moments will always separate the games.
“They are a very front foot, attacking football team. Fortune favours the brave, and they’ve been like that. We’ve tried to be equally as brave back and now it is about what sticks.
“As a coach, you have to collaborate with your players because they are the ones that play the game. So you have to get your team coached in a way so that they are thinking collectively when they are on the pitch. There is a lot of cohesion in how you attack and defend.”
The loss in the East End of Glasgow stretched Rangers’ winless run in the Old Firm fixture to four games; they have not come out on top against Celtic since their extra-time triumph in the Scottish Cup semi-final 12 months ago.
Beale, though, is unconcerned about pundits’ claims the Premiership leaders have a psychological edge over his team or the pressure there is on him to end the barren streak.
“They like the sound of their own voice,” he said. “We had nine games unbeaten against them when I was here before. It turns. It’s a derby. The games have been close enough. Since January, they have been won and lost in isolated incidents.
“In the last game I thought we were unfortunate, I thought we did a lot of things well. But there were other things that were in our hands - we made big mistakes and when the chances came for us, we weren’t decisive enough.
“These ex-players are asked and they have to say something. Everybody has got an opinion. It’s not me having a dig at anyone, everyone has got an opinion and they’re entitled to it. I don’t tend to agree.”
Beale added: “I’ve been next to a manager here for three and a half years and I saw how fierce it can be on both sides in terms of praise and criticism. I can’t help the opinions of people outside because half of the city don’t like me anyway and the other half only like me if I win – that’s the reality.
“It’s the reality for myself, for Ange (Postecoglou). It was the reality for Gio (van Bronckhorst), Neil Lennon, Steven Gerrard, Martin O’Neill, Walter Smith. That’s been the way. You know when you come into this job. I’m not panicking about it.”
