Rangers: Michael Beale at Hampden today where he can set tone for clash v Celtic
Michael Beale will join Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou for a media event at Hampden Park today (21 February) where the Rangers boss can set the tone for the ViaPlay Cup final, according to The Herald’s Chris Jack.
Jack believes the media event could be the first chance for Beale to land some verbal blows on Postecoglou in what could be a fiery event.
The journalist confessed that it will be “intriguing” to see just how Beale handles the media affairs with the Celtic boss this week leading up to Sunday’s big clash.
“Beale will join Ange Postecoglou at a media event at Hampden on Tuesday. It is a chance for him to set the tone, and perhaps land the first blows in the war of words, if he opts to engage in that art,” as quoted by The Herald. (21 February)
“Postecoglou had Beale’s comments about him being ‘lucky’ on his mind for quite some time. There is no lack of respect from Ibrox to Parkhead, but it will be intriguing to see how Beale chooses to approach this week from a Press perspective.
“His efforts behind closed doors will be even more significant. He has critiqued himself – both in his work and his words – in the aftermath of Premiership fixtures that have gone to plan in terms of results but not performances and the hours on the training ground in the coming days are only half the battle.”
Tough call.
With both Rangers and Celtic flying at the moment, the outcome of the ViaPlay Cup final is going to be a tough one to call this weekend.
Beale is yet to lose as Rangers boss, winning all his games bar Celtic, where Postecoglou’s side grabbed a last-gasp equaliser in a 2-2 draw.
And with his first chance at silverware available on Sunday, Beale could be about to change the tides of Scottish football with a memorable win.
It’s been all about Celtic recently and it’s hard to argue against the job Postecoglou has done in Glasgow, however, Beale has been slowly churning away himself.
The Scottish Premiership may be too far gone now, but there is a real chance for Gers to do a domestic cup double and that starts on 26 February.
It’s going to be an interesting affair at Hampden Park in what promises to be a hotly contested final.
In other Rangers news, Kenny Miller has questioned if the club need to make a marquee signing this summer.