Michael Beale hopes Rangers take note of their Pittodrie reality check as he warned any repeat of their dismal Dons display will scupper next season’s title bid.
The Ibrox side were hoping for a morale-boosting win ahead of next Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi shoot-out with Celtic. But instead the Londoner and his team were left nursing fresh frustration as Gers’ six-and-a-half year unbeaten record against Aberdeen in the Granite City was allowed to crumble. Beale has no doubt his team will get themselves up for the task of halting Ange Postecoglou’s treble-chasers next week.
But he’s worried about what lies further ahead if his “wasteful” side don’t sharpen up. The Ibrox boss said: “I think it’s the reality of Scottish football for some of these players. Aberdeen look like they are back to their old selves [when they were] under Derek McInnes. They are quite front foot, quite aggressive in the way they play.
“You could see what it meant to them at the end, but that’s fine. It’s a rivalry and you could see what it meant to them to get the win. And I think it’s a warning sign to us going into next year.
“We have gone away from home and blown quite a few teams away. But next year this sort of result will be hugely damaging to us.
“It’s an eye opener for one or two players and the lesson for the team is that when you get the chances we had today you have to take them. In any game of football against any opponent, but certainly here.”
Goals from Liam Scales and Bojan Miovski consigned Gers to just their third defeat since Beale’s November appointment. But the loss was the first time in 23 games under Steven Gerrard’s former No.2 they have failed to score.
Fashion Sakala wasted a glorious chance went put clean through on Kelle Roos during the first half but there were other wasted opportunities that irked Beale.
“In every game we play we have missed more chances than we have taken,” he said. Regardless of how many goals we have scored, we are a team that has been quite wasteful and you would always say that it is better to create chances, that is a good sign.
“But you have to take them. As an away team today, how dominant we were at times, we have to take our chances. We started the game quite well. Big chances, a fantastic clearance from Alfredo Morelos off the line early in the game and then a really good team move and we see Fashion Sakala go through one on one with the goalie.
“Borna Barisic hits the post then Nico Raskin gets in and shoots when maybe he should give the ball to Malik Tillman for a simple tap in. We have to take our medicine and go down the road and push it to one side to focus on next week.”
Rangers last remaining hopes of avoiding a barren season now rest with next Sunday’s Hampden showdown. And Beale is hopeful he’ll have injured stars Connor Goldson and Ryan Kent back available.
He said: “Next week will just take care of itself. It’s a huge game, it’s a derby. Our team will be different by one or two players as well. But it’s a completely different way the game will be played. You’re hoping one or two will be back. I will know more by later in the week."
