Rangers fans have been waiting patiently to finally catch a glimpse of Michael Beale at the helm. The newly hired manager was previously given the job opportunity on November 28. However, because of the World Cup break, the Scottish Premiership will not resume until December 15th.
The restart of Scotland’s top flight coincides with Rangers hosting Hibernian (live on Paramount+). It will be Beale’s first chance to make an impression on the Rangers faithful. The coach was previously part of Steven Gerrard’s team when the former Liverpool star was in Scotland.
Coach quickly grabbed attention of other clubs
Nevertheless, Beale departed Rangers when Gerrard took over at Aston Villa. Beale, however, did not remain an assistant coach for long. Queens Park Rangers offered Beale their head coaching job in the summer of 2022. After a strong start to the season, Beale was once again targeted by other clubs.
Wolverhampton Wanderers approached the coach for their vacant managerial role in October, yet Beale declined. The 42-year-old Englishman could not turn down Rangers though. Following his appointment at the Scottish giants, Beale was thrilled to return to his former club.
“I am hugely proud, it is a wonderful, wonderful football club, it is an institution,” stated Beale during his first interview as Rangers head coach. “For everyone that works here it is a huge privilege, but to be the manager of this football club, that is extremely special. Some wonderful people have sat in this chair prior to me, and I am hugely proud to be the person sat here now.”
Beale’s academy experience should help grow Rangers
Along with Aston Villa and Rangers, Beale also has coaching experience with the Chelsea and Liverpool academies. Perhaps his most interesting role came when he learned Portuguese to work at Brazilian powerhouse Sao Paulo FC.
Beale’s work with the aforementioned youth setups has helped the coach understand development at a club. “Your personality is so important,” said Beale while working under Gerrard a few years ago. “It’s someone’s son or daughter. It’s important you give them a fantastic interest and inspire them.”
“When young kids get out their mum or dad’s car, and they run to the pitch to start training, if after 15 minutes they don’t have the same energy, you have got it wrong. It’s the same for a professional footballer.”
The coach certainly has an interesting journey to one of the top teams in the country. Beale’s job at QPR, although short, should give Rangers fans hope looking forward. The Championship side were previously top of the league in late October after finishing 11th last season and only recruited free transfers this summer.
Rangers are currently second in the Scottish standings. Although bitter rivals Celtic sit nine points atop the top flight, Rangers fans will hope that Beale can take a bite out of the gap between the two clubs.
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