Ex-Rangers loanee Dom Ball shares honest verdict on Michael Beale return to Ibrox
Former Rangers and QPR midfielder Dom Ball believes Michael Beale “can’t say no” if Rangers offer him the chance to become their manager, he told Daily Record.
The 27-year-old has sampled life at both Loftus Road and the Ibrox and believes the pulling power of the Scottish giants will prove too big for the 42-year-old to ignore.
The ongoing tug-of-war for Beale’s services comes after the sacking of Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who led the Gers through a dire campaign and left them nine points behind league leaders Celtic.
In an interview with Daily Record, the former Spurs trainee, who joined the Gers in 2016 under Mark Warburton, expressed how the lure of the Scottish club was far greater than what QPR could promise.
He said: “The QPR fans will be very disappointed but I know myself, once you’ve been at Rangers you realise that it’s a club that’s hard to turndown.
“Once you see the size and passion of the fanbase and just how great a club it is – and the potential it has – you can’t say no.
“That potential is even greater now than when I was there when Rangers were in the Championship.
“OK they didn’t do great in the Champions League this year but it’s still the highest level in club football. If Mick does move it can only be because he feel it’s a better fit than the Wolves job.
“The big question he’ll be asking himself right now is, ‘Do I need to be a bit more patient and stay and learn a bit more at QPR? It’s my first job, do I back myself to stay and hope the opportunity comes around again once I’m really ready?’
“It’s a tough one for him. As for Rangers, changing manager is always a gamble, but from what I know of Mick Beale I can’t see it being anything other than a good move for the club.”
Risk for Beale
Although Beale is clearly a tightly touted manager and has a great career ahead of him, a move north of the border comes with huge risks.
After just 21 games in charge of QPR in the Championship, this is an extremely early move to a club with the stature which Rangers holds.
Beale hasn’t faced the trials and tribulations of a bad run of form, he’s never been put under immense pressure with his job on the line as a coach, and he hasn’t learnt how to deal with a huge fanbase such as Rangers.
All of these things considered though, Beale does hold every quality a great manager needs.
He was supposedly the brains behind the Steven Gerrard era at the Ibrox and at Villa Park, and he has carried himself very impressively since taking the job at Loftus Road.
It is likely that the lure of European football will prove too much for the Englishman to ignore as fans await his decision in heightened anticipation.
In other news, Spotted: 3-time league-winning manager seen following Rangers on social media amid Ibrox links.