Tam McManus: Media ‘delighted’ after Rangers allow Fashion Sakala controversy to occur
Tam McManus has suggested Michael Beale won’t be happy with Fashion Sakala’s latest comments ahead of Rangers’ Viaplay Cup final against Celtic.
The Zambian has caused a stir in the media in the past couple of days, having referred to Celtic as the “other mob” in his pre-match press conference.
His comments didn’t stop there with the 25-year-old suggesting Rangers are a “far better club” and that Steven Gerrard would’ve prevented Ange Postecoglou’s title win (Football Scotland, 23 February).
McManus has claimed the Light Blues’ manager along with his teammates, won’t be particularly delighted with his comments.
“Media must have been delighted Rangers put him up to speak. Not so sure his manager and teammates will be,” said McManus (Twitter, 24 February).
Fuel to the fire
It does seem a little bit surprising for Sakala to be the player launched in front of the media pack ahead of such a game. James Tavernier or Ryan Jack would seem like the more obvious candidates to answer questions from the press. Sakala almost certainly means no malice with his comments. However, they were always going to be blown out of proportion due to the nature of the fixture.
Any slight dig at either side is a talking point and builds the tension and excitement ahead of the game. Sakala will now need to do his talking on the pitch. The Zambian has been in fine form since Beale returned to the club and will be looking to cause The Hoops yet more problems.
He got on the scoresheet at Parkhead last season and has excelled in a more central role under the new manager. This is a real opportunity for the Gers to lay down a marker to their Old Firm rivals heading into a vital stage of the season.
In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton has piled the pressure on Beale ahead of the game and claims he hasn’t backed up all his talk since arriving at Ibrox.