THE title of hide and seek champion isn't quite the one that Michael Beale set his sights on when he returned to Glasgow.
And he knows that securing the silverware he has been tasked with delivering at Ibrox will be no child's play as he attempts to take another step on the road to Hampden.
Beale, born and bred in Bromley, has called many places home from home during a career that has taken him the length of England and as far afield as Sao Paulo. This part of the world holds a special draw for the 42-year-old and his family, though.
The commute to the Rangers Training Centre on the outskirts of Milngavie is never a grind and the work that is undertaken inside is a pleasure rather than a chore. Beale has found the equilibrium between his professional and private life and values the situation that he finds himself in back in familiar surroundings.
There were times during his stints at Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers where the detachment from his wife and young family would undoubtedly have taken a toll on Beale. His return to Ibrox offered opportunities on the park but his own feelings, and the happiness of those closest to him, were a driving force when he decided to leave London once again in December.
"I live in a really nice part of the country," Beale said. "I’m a bit of a hide and seek champion as you wouldn’t be able to find me outside of my job.
"I like that because it enables me to go to the countryside and spend time with my family. It’s great having young children. They tend to take your mind away from things a little bit.
"But the rest of it – I love being here. I’m a football obsessive. I like being in the club It’s what drives me.
"I don’t see what I do as work. I think if you can do that in life then you are very lucky.
"I think anyone who’s a football player or manager needs to remind themselves of that when we are moaning about travelling, staying in nice hotels and playing football matches which are fantastic events. A lot of people would love to be in our position.
"That’s never lost on me. I’m living what I wanted to live as a young boy so I’m a very fortunate person."
The football world may be a unique environment but the demands placed on Beale and his players at home are the same as those who follow them across the country and support them from the stands.
Beale is rightly lauded as a tactical visionary and he is a coach that improves players, that has helped produce winning teams. Yet man management has been just as important a factor in his first weeks at Ibrox and that will continue to be key as he rebuilds Rangers in the coming months.
He has had to keep the spirits of injured stars high and will soon have to let others down gently as he ends their Rangers careers. In recent days, the conversations with Ridvan Yilmaz regarding the tragic events in his homeland have been difficult for a very different reason as Beale looks after his squad as people as well as players.
"I think obviously the exposure that it gives you and the demands on your time is important," Beale said. "So I think you have to have your ideas for football very much aligned with your staff and the club because you don’t want to be fighting that. There are a lot of things that come to you as a manager that you don’t see – a lot of personal things.
"We spoke there about Ridvan and we’ve had players who’ve had set-backs with injuries – long-term – and others that are out of contract.
"So you have to manage all of that. You need a really good staff around you and you need to be aligned as a club, which we are.
"In terms of he football side, I thought I was a good fit for this club because obviously I’d worked here before and I knew a lot of the people.
"The job hasn’t surprised me in any way. The three game weeks – where I have to do three press conferences and three post match press conferences - that becomes a little bit tired because you answer a lot of the same questions.
"But outside of that I’m loving the job. It’s nice to be living back in Scotland. I’m enjoying working in the league.
"As I said previously, there are a lot of good managers and good players in the league. I’m enjoying being back and being part of it."
The four years that Beale spent here previously were amongst the most cherished of his career. As Rangers restored their reputation on the continent, an emotional and historic 55th league flag ensured a legacy was left at Ibrox.
As Beale attempts to add to that second time around, the man that was the driving force for those glories searches for his route back into the game. Links to the Poland position came to nothing for Steven Gerrard and Leeds United are the latest side to be credited with an interest in the former Rangers boss.
"I haven’t spoken to him recently," Beale said. "He looks like he’s enjoying some time with the family.
"When you consider the amount of sacrifice he’s had over the years it’s probably the right thing to do. I think Steven is going to go on and become a real big success as a manager.
"Having spent time with him, I think there’s been some unfair things thrown at him. I worked underneath him him not alongside him.
"He was the boss, then Gary (McAllister) then myself. It worked really well for four years at two clubs.
"I expect Steven and his staff to go on and have a successful future. There’s a lot of speculation in the air but no one will be more happier than me when Steven gets back in."
If Gerrard opts to tune in and watch his former club in action this weekend, he will have a Scottish Cup clash with Partick Thistle to help him pass a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon.
The cup silverware eluded Gerrard during his time at Ibrox and Beale is now defending the trophy that Giovanni van Bronckhorst lifted last May. The man in charge has changed again at Ibrox but the demand and expectations never have and never will.
"Listen, you never know how many years you have got left in the game, regardless of where you are in your career," Beale said. "We are club that thinks we can win, thinks we can get to cup finals and we have got one to look forward to and we want to add to that with another one.
"When you get there, you want to be picking up the trophy as well. When you are at this club, it is relentless. Since I have come back, we have played 12 games and won 11 and we just need to keep winning."
