Further appointments still to come after Michael Beale brings three top assistants to Rangers
Michael Beale has finally been announced as the new Rangers manager but there are more changes on the way, according to Sky Sports.
The ex-QPR boss was unveiled as the 18th man in charge of the Light Blues on Monday evening (28 November), and is due to bring his three trusted lieutenants Damian Matthew, Harry Watling and Neil Banfield with him.
And Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s staff are being cleared out en mass to make room for the new regime, including Ceri Bowley who only arrived in August.
But according to the Sky Sports report immediately following the official Beale news on Monday night there are “further appointments expected” at Ibrox.
Having already stumped up the close to £5million to remove Van Bronckhorst and his staff [Glasgow World], the Gers will have also paid QPR £1.5million in compensation for the new boss.
Add in the costs for Matthew, Watling and Banfield and this has already proven to be a costly endeavour, and with more to come this amounts to a serious overhaul that the hierarchy are going to need to see a significant return on.
Decisive
Only time will tell if this switch is the answer to the club’s problems, but the board can’t be accused of not committing to their decision.
If Beale gets the Rangers squad performing more like they did when he was last on the training ground with them than they have for the past few months then it will have been a solid investment.
And if that includes some SPFL victories over arch rivals Celtic, starting with the 2 January Hoops visit to Ibrox, then him and his staff will likely be deemed worth every penny.
Van Bronckhorst proved to be an admirable cup manager in his year in charge, winning the Scottish Cup, reaching the Europa League final, and securing his only Old Firm victory in knockout competition.
But standards in the league have slipped badly since Steven Gerrard, and with him Beale, left for Aston Villa so the brains of the previous operation has been brought back to restore former glories.
It is a serious step up from assistant to the top job, and with only 22 games in charge of QPR under his belt he has given himself a major challenge early in his managerial career.
If he can pull it off he, Ross Wilson, and Douglas Park, will reap the rewards, and while discontent about those in charge amongst the supporters has been widespread in recent months that is ultimately what they will be hoping for as well right now.
In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton has already poured scorn on the new man in charge’s message to the Bears fans.