There are few decisions that Michael Beale will make without the support of his staff, the backing of his players or the sounding board of the Ibrox hierarchy.
While so many around him lost their heads last Sunday, Beale kept his. He found himself in a difficult situation but made the easy call as he did the right thing at the right time.
The act of sportsmanship - as he ordered Rangers to allow Partick Thistle to score an equaliser in their Scottish Cup clash - was widely praised around the game. Counterpart Ian McCall was appreciative and the words and actions have painted his club in a positive light.
Beale may be new to the Ibrox office in his own right but he is well aware of the unique world of Scottish football, fully cognisant of what the narratives and the agendas would have been had Rangers emerged victorious thanks to a Malik Tillman goal that was scored in a whirlwind of confusion and emotion.
The fall-out in the days since proves that Beale was spot on. His explanation will surely have won over the critics within his own support and the leadership shown in the heat of battle was a mark of the man that is now the figurehead of an institution as well as the coach of a team.
“The vision of the club and the strength and direction from above are really important when you’re making tough decisions so you’re not making them on your own," Beale said.
"Last weekend I had to make that decision very, very quickly and think very clearly about this club and what it should stand for and what I believe in in terms of player development. That’s all there.
"It was clear as anything at the time. You only have to watch the video back and look at Kemar and Antonio to realise that they knew that ball was supposed to come back.
"Could the ref have been clearer in that situation? Maybe. But I don’t want to put him under pressure either.
"I just think it was a big misunderstanding that’s been cleared up by that act. When the fans go back and look at it, it was a better world the next day for us having done that and won the game.
"People can say what they want if we had gone on to lose. We didn’t deserve to win then. When we went 2-1 up it wasn’t our goal. We weren’t 2-1 up, it was only 1-1.
"With 20 minutes to go did I have full confidence that we would go on to win that game? I would say that any Rangers manager in history at level pegging with 20 minutes to go at home to Partick in a cup tie would expect their team to go on to win.
"That wasn’t a difficult decision. I didn’t get any pleasure out of doing it but it was the right thing to do. It was clear to everybody apart from the one person who didn’t see what happened. And he wasn’t aware."
That role as the main man at Ibrox was one that Beale saw Steven Gerrard fulfill with distinction during his first stint in Glasgow. Now he leads in his own style and he makes the big decisions as he sees fit, albeit with plenty of figures around him to ask for advice.
Situations like the one that unfolded against Thistle are rare, although it was a case of deja vu for Kemar Roofe as he backed Beale's call having been in a similar drama during his days at Leeds United. Beale had to act on his instincts and the benefit if hindsight hasn't altered his opinion on the path that he chose.
"Things come at you that you don’t expect, like at the weekend," Beale said. "I didn’t go to the stadium expecting that. I went to the stadium to see Nico Raskin make his debut, for Todd Cantwell to have another good game, for Ianis Hagi, for Antonio Colak.
"That is why I felt so flat afterwards. These things come at you and you get a split second to make a decision that you know is going to be the talking point for the next few days. At that moment you have to be true to your football club and what you believe in.
"It is clear, for me it is clear that Malik didn’t know what was going on. Afterwards, everyone when they see it, it is clear.
"Could I have said something to him? Or the referee have said something to him? One of their players who had come on just before that, he runs in the corridor behind our back four so even our team are unsure. If you look at the people around it – for us, Kemar Roofe and Antonio – they know.
"The only one that didn’t, because he was on the floor and didn’t see the ball kicked out, was Malik. Could the referee have blown his whistle? He can’t, it is against the rules of the game.
"Could he have blown the whistle? Maybe but he can’t because it is in the rules of the game."
The classy gesture to allow Thistle to score was greeted by a chorus of boos around Ibrox as a passionate, emotional home crowd didn't realise the full situation and hadn't yet had the chance to hear the rationale behind Beale's thinking.
Victory ensured Rangers took another step towards a successful defence of the Scottish Cup and the Viaplay Cup with Celtic next week offers the opportunity for Beale to deliver his first piece of silverware as a manager.
That is the barometer by which every boss is measured at Ibrox. Beale has other ways and means of gauging his approval rating and knows every win and every performance will help feed into a feelgood factor that must continue to grow.
"There are two things," "Beale said. "In life you judge yourself on what your aims and goals are and then the outside world judges you regardless. I’m aware that I’m a manager of one club in a city where there are two humongous clubs.
"Fifty percent don't like you already which is fine. That’s par for the course when you sign up for that. I’ve got my own things that I want to achieve between now and the end of the season.
"Harmony is one of them. That’s why that decision we made collectively last weekend was a difficult one because you know at that time in the stadium you know it’s not going to create harmony.
"We want to create that harmony inside the club and by the end of the season for the fans to be proud of their team. The first half of the season was particularly difficult.
"That’s all still to be decided. I don’t look at the unbeaten run. Although we’re advancing in the cups we’re not getting any closer to where I want us to ultimately be, even though we’re winning as much as we can.”
Events on the field provided enough headlines and talking points last weekend. In the hours after it, another story was added to the agenda, though, as McCall was sacked by the Firhill board.
Beale has messaged his friend to offer his sympathies at the situation. Every boss must ultimately be selfish but it is hard not to feel sorry for McCall at the way he was treated.
“I thought it was bizarre that they came out and said that he had lost his job before the game, or they had made their mind up before the game," Beale said. "So obviously it was nothing to do with that performance. If I go off that performance it is surprising but obviously I haven’t seen the rest of what’s gone on.
“Whoever owns Partick Thistle and their board listen it’s their football club. I can’t judge that. I’m just glad that the outcome on our side was how it was because if it wasn’t I think a lot of other things would be aimed at us.
“I think it is clear. I get that emotions are running high. But if it’s because some things have happened in the past then no, come on, we can only behave how we want to behave.”
