Former Hearts head coach Ian Cathro believes Michael Beale’s spell with Sao Paulo in Brazil will have prepared him for life as Rangers manager and has predicted he will have no issues making big decisions at Ibrox.
Cathro endured a difficult spell in charge at Tynecastle after replacing Robbie Neilson back in the December of 2016 and was sacked after just seven months following a disappointing run of results.
Beale, who took over from Giovanni van Bronckhorst in Govan earlier this month, has, like Cathro, never played professionally and has spent the majority of his career working in the youth ranks or as a first team coach.
However, the Scot believes the Englishman can resurrect the fortunes of the Glasgow giants in the coming months despite his background and feels his stint in South America will stand him in good stead.
“I know a little bit about him,” he said. “One of the things that caught my attention was that he went and worked abroad for a period of time. That’s something that I certainly relate to (Cathro has had stints in Portugal with Rio Ave and Porto and Valencia in Spain).
“It’s admirable because it’s not easy to do, especially when there’s a different language involved. Generally, people who make decisions like that are pretty strong on the inside.
“Because that’s harder than going from one job to another in England or going from London to the north-east. It’s a bigger upheaval so it’s a bigger decision to make.
“You have to be capable of making pretty big decisions when you expose yourself to that. I admire people who make those decisions. I wish him well. I hope it goes well.”
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