Michael Beale does not have ‘magic wand’ to turn Rangers fortunes around – Steven Thompson
Steven Thompson is adamant Rangers manager Michael Beale doesn’t have a “magic wand” that can fix all of club’s problems, despite his fast start at the helm.
The 42-year-old made it three wins from three games on Friday evening (23 December), as his side battled to a 1-0 win against Ross County, thanks to a John Lundstram first-half goal.
With the January transfer window fast approaching, the Englishman is expected to bring fresh faces into the club, as he looks to chase down Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
But former Rangers man Thompson, speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, urged Gers fans to remain patient with Beale as he gets to grips with the huge challenge at Ibrox.
He said: “He is not going to come in with a magic wand as it’s the same group of players. It will take him time, maybe he wants to get new players in for competition for places.
“It is just not going to happen overnight, it will take him a while to get Rangers playing the way he wants them to play.
“But you can’t argue with the start he made regardless of the performance levels as three wins are three wins.”
Squad needs change
Although Beale has undertaken a brilliant start at the Glasgow club, there have been a few causes for concern which will need addressing in the January transfer window.
In his opening pair of 3-2 wins against Aberdeen and Hibernian, Rangers looked susceptible to the counterattack, and the four goals conceded over the two matches could have been more.
The lack of striking options away from Alfredo Morelos was evident against Ross County, as Fashion Sakala led the line to good effect but ultimately lacked a goalscoring threat in the final third.
Across the midfield, the Gers have looked leggy at times, with Steven Davis (37), Scott Arfield (34) and Ryan Jack (30) all entering the latter stages of their careers and not able to play midweek fixtures followed by weekend matches due to the physical demands.
With the January transfer window fast approaching, Beale will start to mould his squad to match his long-term aims at the club.
In other Rangers news, the club are now fancying their chances of major a January transfer after Fabrizio Romano’s update with a move on the cards.