When Michael Beale first turned up at Rangers he got three years to help wrestle power back from Celtic.
If he’s now appointed as the club’s new manager, he won’t be given the same amount of time to repeat the trick. Giovanni van Bronckhorst is proof of that. Because, after winning a Scottish Cup and taking Rangers to a European Final, he was sacked after just 12 months.
This is a different job to the one Steven Gerrard took five years ago with Beale alongside him. For me, the demands and expectations are now back to what they were before the financial implosion and the club’s demotion down to Scotland’s bottom league. If Michael gets the job, which looks likely, seasons without trophies will not be accepted. In his first two years with Steven, there was no silverware. Very few Rangers managers have survived going two campaigns without winning anything, but it was about building something, so they were given time and there was progress in each season.
That culminated in getting title number 55 and stopping Celtic’s 10-in-a-row bid. It was a huge achievement, especially given how far ahead Brendan Rodgers’ side were at that time. But it’s a whole different ball game now. On the face of it, Michael would be a good appointment as Gio’s replacement. There’s already a relationship there between him, the board and the sporting director.
Michael also knows the players. He’s developed a lot of them and got the best out of them when alongside Steven. Whenever someone new comes into the club you hear the line: ‘I didn’t realise how big the club is’. Obviously that won’t happen with Michael. Unlike a lot of managers, he will know exactly what he’s walking into.
He’s well aware of those huge demands and the massive expectations at Rangers. But it’s a club that, since he left, has regressed in terms of the playing staff. And he’ll be going in against an opponent who is on the rise.
That’s not too different to the challenge he faced when he first arrived with Steven. Because Rodgers’ Celtic were absolutely dominating the domestic game. That league title had to be won back. And it took three years. It won’t take the same amount of work to do that again. It’s not as big a task as it was in 2018.
I can’t sit here and say I know Michael inside out or we’re best friends, but I’ve met him a few times and we did a podcast together recently. And what I do know is that he’s a smart guy. He’ll be under no illusions about this job.
He’s been a coach for 20-plus years, so knows the difference between being a coach and being the manager. He’s had five months at QPR and it’s gone pretty well. I know about their record in the last six games or so, but that’s him just getting a taste of how tough a league the Championship is. He had them top of the league not so long ago and he’s got them right where they need to be to challenge for the play-offs which, for QPR, would be punching above their weight.
So he’s had a good start to his managerial career. At the same time, he’ll know that the Rangers job is like no other. He’s seen the pressures involved up here. It’s different when all of that is suddenly on your shoulders. There’s an AGM coming up and he’ll be front and centre. He’ll get asked difficult questions about how he’s going to turn this around.
He has to front up and deal with that, and I think he’s ready for it. I always felt that when he and Steven left for Aston Villa, Michael would be the next manager of Glasgow Rangers. Michael was always going to be a good fit, because he’s proved that he can get the best out of this group of players.
And if he goes in there this week, that will be one of his priorities. Because this squad is better than what it has shown so far. He’s already had the buy-in and response from them in the past and he’ll need that again to hit the ground running.
I get the point that familiarity can breed contempt at times. Some people will argue that these players maybe need to hear a new voice. A few of them might not even have enjoyed the Gerrard and Beale regime.
But what I’d say is that Steven showed very good management and made a very good decision in bringing Michael Beale with him. And now, whoever Michael brings in with him will be equally important.
Because he can’t be the ONLY voice these players hear from now on. He will need a staff who challenge him and the players, and who bring a different energy. Like he did under Steven, they must add value to the whole set-up.
That will be huge for Michael and a big sign of how this Rangers team moves forward. Most importantly, Michael is very good at what he does – and that’s coaching players. He’ll give Rangers a style of play, which fans have been crying out for.
Under Steven they had an identity and Michael was a big part of that. Is he the guy to go and lead Glasgow Rangers? Listen, only time will tell. But having spoken to him and listened to him a lot, he talks very well. He talks sense.
He’s got the right personality. And he’ll need that to go up against Ange Postecoglou and try to repeat what he did in 2021 and get that league trophy back to Ibrox. This season, the cups are crucial, but I want to stress that the league isn’t done yet.
Nine points is a big gap but Michael won’t look at that. All he can control is getting this group of players to perform better. If he can do that by 10 or 15 per cent, they’ll immediately win more games of football.
If he can strengthen with a few additions in January, the league won’t be over. It won’t be easy for Michael but nothing is handed out in November. With the Old Firm game at Ibrox coming up, that gap can be reduced. So it’s far from being done. But if he’s confirmed for the job, he has a huge amount of work on his plate to make it possible.
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