The six solutions Beale must provide

IN the blink of an eye, the fanfare around Michael Beale’s Rangers return will have dissipated to be replaced by the enduring pressure and expectation that comes as normal at Ibrox.

It may be a new managerial appointment but we know all about the harmony previously created thanks to the significant impact of Beale. Quite simply, he needs to get another tune out of the current crop in the coming weeks – but what happens after that is where the real challenge lies.

Beale should thrive on the need for instant answers, to provoke and inspire more from a team who have been underperforming and underwhelming too often this season.

The 42- year- old Londoner will switch from his training kit during the week to the responsibility of the club suit on a matchday, a weight that he will need to carry with conviction. There are fundamentals that need to be addressed by Beale and his coaching team to change a team that is conceding too many goals, not scoring enough and overall, lacking from back to front.

Getting inside the player’s heads

Giovanni van Bronckhorst was clearly not getting the best out of the players available to him. Despite this Rangers team being past the peak of its powers collectively, there was nothing near the optimum performance level being returned. A lack of a reaction to setbacks, both in- game and following a previous result. The charge sheet goes on further despite obvious highlights.

Beale is said to be a popular coach in the eyes of contemporary footballers, respected for the quality and content of his sessions. This effect needs to be paired with the familiarity of the group he will be working with. A quick win would be to provide a spark within the likes of Ryan

Kent, Alfredo Morelos and even James Tavernier. Contract issues continue to surround the former two. The captain must return refreshed and energised, free of the shackles and doubt that appeared to have bogged him down over the last couple of months.

Winning the PR game

Beale will need to address the “loyalty” comments in the wake of turning down the Wolves job. Those comments have not aged well and will provide a learning point in terms of his own personal development as a manager, the same could be said to apply to his visit for the Aberdeen game at the end of October.

As Rangers manager, the demands increase alongside the scrutiny and responsibility. That will be a step up from his time as an assistant to Steven Gerrard, including his duties as a spokesman for the club. He will be the public face in press conferences and interviews around games from different angles. The former Chelsea and Liverpool academy coach dipped his toe as the main man in west London with QPR since the start of the season but now he is now immersed in the deep end of football management at a big club.

Old Firm, new hope

Starting with a deficit of nine points behind Celtic is far from welcome but it should temper expectations regarding a title chase. There is plenty of room for aspiration in terms of reducing the arrears but it’s not going to happen soon. That will be a slow burn well into the New Year to create and maintain some momentum with hurdles along the way to be overcome.

A major question will come on January 2 when Celtic come to Ibrox. Beale was front and centre, plotting to great effect previously against Celtic, so there is optimism that he can make it happen again. Of particular interest will be how his team approaches and performs when the time comes to play at Parkhead. The last two occasions under Van Bronckhorst were woeful with a dire need for something far more substantial next time.

Results required

Hibs, Aberdeen, Ross County, Motherwell, Celtic. How’s that for a first five fixtures? Three at home, two away. Get four wins under the belt and all of a sudden, the mood changes ahead of the New Year derby with the supporters responding in kind. Beale knows all about the impact and passion of the Rangers fans who he will need to have on his side.

The catalyst for that will be the product on the pitch and winning, which is the single most important aim, especially in bread- and- butter league games.

Risk and reward

With this appointment, both Rangers and Beale are taking risks. There is plenty on the line but as always, there is so much to play for individually and collectively. It is a cliche but very true that the lows are very low at Ibrox just as the highs that come with success are exhilarating.

There will be no honeymoon period in a familiar environment as much as the new manager will have time relatively, to stamp his own authority on Ibrox and make a claim in his own right.

Beale needs backed

To have any chance of success, this team needs major changes. That won’t come cheaply, nor is any revival likely to happen instantly, but if nothing changes then nothing will change. The first step was Beale’s hiring but it is just as important that he gets the required backing.