Mcleish knows the benefits of family values for managers
Alex Mcleish has had a hugely-successful managerial career. He believes that would never have happened without the support of his family.
So he was delighted to hear that Michael Beale is bringing his wife, Roxanne, and their children Henry, Mason and Alba, north of the border.
Big Eck reckons that can help the Englishman towards Rangers challenging for honours in the new year.
As well as his time at Ibrox – when Mcleish became the last Light Blues manager to win the Treble – he had stints as boss with Scotland, Motherwell, Hibs, Birmingham City, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Genk in Belgium, and Zamalek in Egypt.
He always made sure he had family around him.
“You have to adapt to the situation you’re in, but we always had a plan that we would live where I worked,” said Mcleish.
“We stayed in Aberdeen when I played there, but when I joined Motherwell, we bought a house in Lanarkshire.
“When I became Hibs’ manager, we moved lock, stock and barrel to Edinburgh, and then I relocated to Glasgow when I got the Rangers job.
“The family also went with me to the Midlands.
“By the time I spent a year in Belgium, our kids were grown up. But I still took Jill with me, and we got an apartment there, which allowed the family to visit us occasionally.
“I always found it beneficial having them with me.
“We used to worry that the children’s education would be disrupted by moving around, but they adapted more quickly than the adults did!
“Football can be allconsuming for managers at the best of times because the game can be 24/7.
“So it helped me to go home to the brood after work and listen to what had happened to them that day. You want to be there as your children grow up.
“Having them all together also meant it was one less thing to worry about. If they’d stayed behind, I would have missed them, and been concerned about how they were getting along.
“I found that having them with me helped me concentrate on football at the right time.
“It gave me inner peace having everyone under the same roof. I found that comforting and even just wee things, like sleeping in your own bed instead of living in a hotel, made a difference.
“So I’m glad to hear Michael is bringing his family north.
“Coaches who move on their own can find it hard to switch off from the day job. They’ll be living in a flat with only their coaches for company.
“Having your nearest and dearest with you means that you’ve no option but to park football occasionally, which is no bad thing.
“That’s especially the case when you’re at a club like Rangers, where you’re expected to win every week.”