Michael Beale believes former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard will bounce back from Aston Villa sack
Michael Beale has predicted former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard will bounce back from the upset of being sacked at Aston Villa and downplayed rumours he was the instrumental factor in Englishman’s success.
The former Gers manager experienced a successful three-and-a-half year in Scotland, collecting a Premiership title for the Ibrox trophy room before moving to manage Aston Villa.
Beale worked as part of Gerrard’s coaching staff during his tenure at Rangers, as well as at Villa Park, but was quick to silence any speculation that he was the brains behind the operation, as reported by Football Scotland on Friday (10 February).
Beale said: “I haven’t spoken to him recently. He looks like he’s enjoying time with the family which when you consider the sacrifices he’s had over the years it is probably the right thing to do.
“I think Steven will go on to be a real big success as a manager having spent time with him.
“There’s been unfair things thrown at him. I worked underneath him, not alongside him. He was the boss. It was him then Gary then myself and it worked really well for four years at two clubs.
“I expect Steven and his staff to go on and have a successful future. There’s a lot of speculation in the air but no one would be happier than me when Steven gets back in.”
Heir to the throne
It has become quite plain to see that Beale really was an instrumental cog in Gerrard’s day-to-day coaching plans, and he may well have relied upon him a little too much during his stints at Rangers and Aston Villa.
That isn’t to say that Gerrard can’t become a top manager with the right tweaks to his coaching style, but he must go back to the drawing board to look at how he can improve on the tactical side of proceedings.
Ever since Beale left Gerrard at Villa Park and went to manage QPR, the slide began, with Gerrard’s stock declining massively and Beale’s rising at a rapid rate.
It was rather poetic that he eventually was crowned as Gers manager when Giovanni van Bronckhorst was sacked earlier this season after previously working behind the scenes.
You can’t help but feel that Beale has the ability to go onto greater things than Gerrard in their respective managerial careers.
In other Rangers news, the Ibrox bank is set for a cash boost after a document emerged on Wednesday.