New boss Beale promises to put his stamp on tactics at Rangers
Englishman out to restore strong identity to his team at Ibrox
The job comes with huge responsibility towards the fans. It’s an institution but I am supremely confident
MICHAEL BEALE insists Rangers will establish a strong identity during his tenure as he aims to return his beleaguered squad back to the summit of Scottish football.
The Englishman was a key member of Steven Gerrard’s backroom staff during the last title win, capping off a period where Rangers showed incremental growth as a team technically and tactically.
It was a journey that took them to within a whisker of European glory under Giovanni van Bronckhorst but the Dutchman’s success quickly fizzled out, leaving them nine points adrift of Celtic in the Premiership amid a failure to replicate the clear game model that marked the Gerrard era.
Beale is delighted to be back at a club close to his heart but given the situation he faces, with a squad significantly behind closest rivals Celtic, optimism will only take him so far.
His first order of business will be to reshape the team back into a more cohesive unit. That will take training ground graft and crystal clear communication.
Luckily these elements happen to be the 42- year- old’s forte and while he’s in no doubt about the scale of the challenge ahead, his confidence is crystal clear.
He said: “The job comes with huge responsibility towards the fans. It’s an institution but I am supremely confident. The transition from firstteam coach to manager has been very smooth.
“I had a lot of highlights and great experiences from my time here before and it gives me great confidence with regards to the journey I am on now. We need to get an identity into the players and recruitment has to fall into line with how we want to play.
“I feel like I have been a manager for a lot longer than I actually have. We will be hands- on, we need to make the group stronger. The players have been great. I think 85 per cent were probably recruited during the previous spell I had with the club.
“I know why they joined Rangers. I have been alongside them and I watch them achieve a lot of what they wanted to achieve. I know they’ve had disappointments too.
“It’s about being collectively very strong and creating the kind of identity we want. That identity has to speak to fans.
“I have an understanding of what you want to see on the pitch and it’s important we implement that fast. It’s got to be exciting. The training is vitally important. I think we can see improvements.
“The players go and play so I need to give them that identity and that clarity on their roles. I need to look at them and make sure I’m seeing the right things in their eyes as well.
“We’ve won a cup in the last 18 months, we also reached a European final, so it’s important we don’t listen to all the background noise. It’s important we get to work and we create a strong identity on the pitch. I’m hugely excited to get started.
“We have a warm- up this weekend, but then it’s Hibs and that’s the most important thing. I’m still learning about the new players and I’m talking to the players who have been here a while.”
Despite his “supremely confident” attitude to his new post, Beale tempered expectations as he insisted he was keen to avoid “bold statements” having just returned to Glasgow.
But he rallied support as he predicted a successful future at the club, vowing to “take the handbrake off” and provoking a reaction from his Ibrox squad.
And he left no doubt about his desire for the club to get on the front foot and attack under his stewardship.
He beamed: “We’re Rangers and we shouldn’t change for anybody”.
He continued: “I am excited about the future. I don’t want to make any bold statements, I just want the team to go on and perform strongly in the coming weeks. I can’t wait to be back at Ibrox, it will be a hugely proud moment for me and my family.
“But I just want to see a reaction from the team. The future in my eyes is extremely positive. I want to see real cohesion and togetherness. I want to take the handbrake off.
“I want us to really go for it in every game. We’re Rangers and we shouldn’t change for anybody.
“We should have a strong identity on the pitch and every time we play we should try and force that on our opponents. We shouldn’t take a backwards step against anybody, certainly not at Ibrox.”