George Overhill

Wed 7 December 2022 13:30, UK

Martin O’Neill has told Rangers manager Michael Beale to “learn something” about making big public statements but refused to criticise him.

The new man in charge at Ibrox has upset plenty of observers by leaving QPR to return to Glasgow, weeks after professing his loyalty to the project at Loftus Road.

But amid backing for the 42-year-old’s position from host Jim White, former Celtic manager O’Neill acknowledged that he too has walked out on a club before, and has also been harshly sacked, so took a magnanimous position on the controversial move.

Speaking live on talkSPORT White said of Beale: “In the time that I’ve known him, he means what he says and says what he means. At the end of the day Queens Park Rangers will say, ‘Well not on that occasion’.”

O’Neill responded by citing his decision to leave Norwich City in 1995, saying: “Who am I to be moralising about anything at all?”

He went on: “Sometimes you make big public statements and end up changing your mind. So the best thing to do is don’t make those statements if you can, maybe learn something from it.

“In terms of him going to Rangers now, it’s a massive football club, they are behind Celtic at this moment.”

As Simon Jordan knowingly nodded along the Northern Irishman added: “He was a coach there and coaching is one thing but managing a football club is a totally different thing.

“He knows the players at Rangers and that’s a plus to begin with.”

As O’Neill mentioned that it had bothered him how he left Carrow Road previously, White suggested: “And this will bother Beale.”

The former Hoops boss said: “He’s left Queens Park Rangers when he said he was going to be staying on. That’s his choice.”

In answer to the question of loyalty, to the amusement of both White and Jordan, he then recounted his sacking at Nottingham Forest to make the point: “Sometimes it works both ways.”

“Exactly, it’s a two-way street isn’t it?” said White.

Mitigation

While Jordan let rip with his criticism of Beale it is possibly instructive that the actual manager in the studio with him decided to take the opposite approach.

Despite the Old Firm rivalry O’Neill tends to be a pretty considered man when giving his opinions, and he is right to point out that virtually all managers will have left a contract early either by choice or not.

So loyalty often doesn’t get very far in football, if one side of an agreement perceives there to be better on offer.

At the same time, Beale made a rod for his own back by being so vociferous about his QPR role if he always knew that the Rangers job would hold an irresistible pull.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst was already under pressure by the 22 October when he turned down Wolves, and it was only a week before he rocked up at Ibrox to do the rounds ahead of what proved to be his return.

So he must have had an inkling that there might be an opening, in which case making his stance at Loftus Road so clear was a clumsy move that was bound to make him look bad.

Another manager will do something similar eventually and the focus will gradually move on to other characters, but for now he has to take his medicine about making the move, and ensure that it was worth it by getting results on the pitch with the Bears players.

In other Rangers news, a first January arrival is being lined up for Beale with discussions already begun.