Former QPR star Paul Parker has urged Michael Beale to break his silence on the prospect of an emotional move back to Rangers and let the Loftus Road legions know if he’s up for an Ibrox return.
The 42-year-old former Light Blues coach is odds-on to succeed axed Giovanni van Bronckhorst and return to his old stomping ground where he played a key role in helping Steven Gerrard lead the club to their first Scottish Premiership title in a decade. That meant Celtic missed out on an historic league crown in a row.
Beale followed Gerrard to Aston Villa from Glasgow a year ago before going out on his own in the summer when he took his first senior managerial role at QPR. And R’s director of football Les Ferdinand revealed this week, in an exclusive interview with Record Sport, that he wouldn’t stand in Beale’s way if he wanted to return to Rangers.
But Ferdinand’s former QPR team-mate Parker wants Beale to make his intentions clear as speculation hots up that he will be the man to step into Van Bronckhorst’s shoes. Beale turned down an approach from Wolves earlier this season, saying “it wasn’t the right moment” and “I have been all-in here and I have asked other people to be all-in so I can't be the first person to run away from the ship.”
Since those talks with the Midlands club, QPR have been on a miserable run of four defeats and a draw after a flying start which saw them top the Championship under Beale. And Parker - who spent four years with the west London club before a big money move to Manchester United after Italia 90 - told Record Sport : “QPR supporters really need some clarity on what Michael is thinking if Rangers come calling.
“The club has been looking for continuity since they were relegated from the Premier League (in 2015) and the last thing they need is a manager who is sticking his hand up for every job that becomes available. Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand the attraction of Rangers if that’s who they choose to go for.
“I thought he made the right decision not to go to Wolves but there was so much speculation around that time and QPR haven’t won a game since. I felt this break for the World Cup would have given them the opportunity to regroup and get ready to go again but now the Rangers link has come up.
“That’s why I feel it’s really important for the fans to know where they stand in terms of the manager and for Michael to come out and make a statement and put it all to bed. Does he want to stay and see this through with QPR?
“Look, he had great success in Scotland alongside Steven Gerrard at Glasgow Rangers. He might feel the opportunity to go back there as his own man is too good. The Wolves job would have been in a more competitive league but then there is the uncertainty as a Premier League boss - you could be out of a job in six months.
“At Rangers, the main priority is to be better than Celtic and he might feel he could do that and there is also the attraction of European football. I understand all of that and the appeal but I just feel it’s important from a QPR point of view that we know what his feelings are on it.”
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