Michael Beale disaster waiting to happen at Rangers as pundit baffled by decision on Ibrox duo
We’re delighted to welcome Tam McManus as our exclusive Rangers columnist as each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Ibrox…
Tam McManus believes Michael Beale’s rotation policy for his goalkeepers is a disaster waiting to happen with the Rangers manager currently getting away with his baffling strategy.
Since replacing Giovanni van Bronckhorst in November, Beale has regularly chopped and changed Allan McGregor and Jon McLaughlin in goals, with both goalkeepers being culpable of errors in matches.
It was McLaughlin’s turn to have a shocker last week when the 35-year-old made a mess of a cross prior to Jordan White’s goal for Ross County at Ibrox.
Rangers went on to win the game 2-1 and McManus feels as though Beale is going to keep getting away with rotating the goalkeepers until it comes back to bite him in a big match.
“All the fans I speak to now are perplexed by the rotation of the goalkeeper,” McManus told Ibrox News.
“Neither goalkeeper is able to get any rhythm in their performances.
“You saw it on Saturday when McLaughlin came for a cross and didn’t get there so Jordan White headed it in at a crucial time in the game to make it 1-1.
“I don’t think Michael Beale himself is sure who the number one is so he’s having to rotate them. He needs to make his mind up.
“I think Allan McGregor is still a top goalkeeper but Allan will probably retire in the summer. If you think Jon McLaughlin is your number one going forward then you need to play him every week but maybe Beale doesn’t think that at the minute.
“It’s a strange one because it’s not costing them at the minute. But if they make a big error in the cup final, for example, the manager will have to take a lot of criticism.
“He’s getting away with it at the minute because they keep on winning.”
Rangers face Partick at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup on Sunday before taking on Livingston away at Almondvale on 18 February.
After that, Beale faces his second Old Firm derby as the Gers’ manager when his side play Celtic in the Viaplay Cup final at Hampden Park on 26 February.
In other Rangers news, the Ibrox bank is set for a cash boost after a document emerged on Wednesday.