There are some who believe Steven Gerrard left Rangers in the lurch when he upped sticks for Aston Villa a year ago. The man who worked closest with him throughout the Scouser’s three and a half years at Ibrox is having none of it. Michael Beale, now manager at QPR after quitting Glasgow for Birmingham with Gerrard, looks to the four point lead Rangers enjoyed over Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic as proof that the team which had gone the previous campaign unbeaten in clinching their long-awaited 55th title was left in good shape.
So good, in fact, he is adamant a second title in a row would have been delivered had Gerrard and Co ignored the lure of the English Premier League. That, Beale insists, is no slight on Gio van Bronckhorst, who took over and couldn’t maintain the lead as Celtic overtook them to win the league by four points.
