Ceri Bowley discarded by Rangers after less than four months as Michael Beale arrives
Ceri Bowley is leaving Rangers after less than four months at the club as part of a clear out to make way for Michael Beale’s staff, The Athletic reports.
The 1st-team coach was only appointed from the City Football Group on 11 August, reuniting with Giovanni van Bronckhorst, with Ross Wilson saying at the time he was “really pleased” that the PhD-holder was joining.
But with the Dutchman sacked last Monday (21 November) and former Steven Gerrard assistant Beale now officially his successor, Bowley will follow the former manager out of the club.
Roy Makaay, Dave Vos, Arno Phillips and Yori Bosschaart were already expected to be on the way out, but the latest report now says that the exit list will stretch to six names.
The Scottish Sun reported that the “coaching guru” had got to know the former Ibrox boss during a sabatical at the Etihad in 2019.
Beale’s move from QPR is shaping up how he wants, with three of his preferred backroom appointments now expected to follow him.
Out with the old
He may be the last one in but Bowley is now following the rest of the previous regime to the exit, even if Van Bronckhorst was the first one out.
It is unfortunate for the Dutchman that his stay in Glasgow only amounts to three and a half months, but with the new man wanting to bring his own people it is not a huge shock.
There is always the possibility that an incoming manager sees the value of someone with a strong reputation and keeps them on, but Beale doesn’t appear to have thought a great deal of his predecessor’s reign, given his public courting of the job while Van Bronckhorst was still in post.
All of the staffing moves on top of the managerial change is not going to come cheap so the club need a return on investment from Beale and his new Rangers staff.
The wheels were coming off heading into the World Cup break and the board have been decisive in going all in with their former assistant.
Ross Wilson has surely put his job firmly on the line by pushing the return of Beale, so it wouldn’t now be a surprise to see the new boss backed in January, even if Van Bronckhorst might feel hard done by to have missed out on the same support.
He’s now in, so the hard work begins to arrest the worrying slide that has engulfed the club in recent months.
In other Rangers news, Beale’s integrity has been questioned by a prominent Sky Sports pundit.