Michael Beale breaks silence over Ibrox visit with Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Rangers job in danger
Michael Beale has broken his silence over the shock return to Ibrox for the Rangers win over Aberdeen amid speculation over Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s future.
Steven Gerrard’s former assistant sent speculation through the roof when he returned to Glasgow for the Gers victory on 29 October, with the current boss under heavy pressure.
After the shock defeat at St. Johnstone on Sunday (6 November) that has only increased, with a feeling that the Dutchman’s days are numbered, but Beale has played down the links between his visit and the hot seat and focused on his personal connections after a swift exit a year ago.
In a clip shared on the Football Daily Twitter page on Monday (7 November) the QPR boss said: “It’s a wonderful club. I had a fantastic time there, obviously my daughter was born there as well, my family loved it.
“We left a year ago this weekend. I hadn’t had the chance to go back and I hadn’t had the chance to say goodbye to some people either.
“I’m really friendly with everyone on the board, I’ve got a lot of friends in the city in general after living there for the best part of four years, so it was a visit that was long overdue.”
Suspect
Gio could surely have done without the visit from Beale coming when it did if there was nothing in it, as it only increased the doubts over his future with the perception a replacement was being linked up in full view.
Beale must have known that, so even if he is looking to dampen the immediate speculation over him leaving Loftus Road for Ibrox it seems more than a coincidence.
However, the close links to the current board which he mentioned are likely to count against him the fanbase at the moment, with plenty of unanswered questions for the hierarchy.
How long van Bronckhorst can keep going like this only the board will know, as plenty would have expected him to have been removed by now.
Beale is connected to the glory of capturing the 55th title, but also with the suddenly exit of Gerrard, who himself is out of work again now.
It is inevitable that people will put two and two together if he is hobnobbing around Rangers just as the current manager’s reign appears to be crumbling.
It seems hard to believe that Beale wasn’t at least testing the waters at his old club to see what the situation is, and whether he might be interested now or in the future.
So unless or until the current situation is resolved with another new coach or unequivocal commitment to the current one, which would be a shock, it is impossible to rule the QPR man out.
In other Rangers news, Simon Jordan outlines the millions that must be available at the club despite the pleas of poverty.