Chris Sutton baffled by Rangers ‘disaster’ after what he read in newspapers
Chris Sutton is baffled by all the negativity and “disaster” surrounding Rangers following their defeat to Celtic in the Viaplay Cup final and has criticised Michael Beale for his lack of respect in the media.
The Gers left Hampden Park empty-handed after the 2-1 defeat to Ange Postecoglou’s side in a somewhat underwhelming performance against their Old Firm rivals.
Sutton believes Beale should have taken a leaf out of Martin O’Neill’s book by talking up his rivals before the game rather than having a go at them, and has criticised his comments [Daily Record, 2 March] about the club fighting “against the odds” admitting the Gers can’t match Celtic’s financial might.
Speaking on BT Sport, Sutton said: “Celtic win the final, and now everybody at Rangers is so deflated. It was gonna be a triumph for Rangers, and it hasn’t and now it’s a disaster.
“Is it not somewhere in between where Rangers actually are? So in terms of Michael Beale coming and having lots to say for himself, talking the team up having a pop across the city at Ange Postecoglou, taking a chance doing that because I said that he’s a rookie manager.
“I mean, he should maybe have taken a leaf out of the Martin O’Neill handbook in terms of always saying ‘Rangers is the benchmark’ and now we’re seeing stories come out in the paper this morning, ‘the odds are stacked against us’.
“I don’t understand why everything is so negative at this time for Rangers.”
Critical
Sutton is right about Beale’s comments in the media in the lead-up to the League Cup final and the Gers manager is certainly feeling all the repercussions of what he’s said.
Rather than having a pop at Sutton and Celtic, he should have talked them up, giving them a false psychological edge something managers like O’Neill and Sir Alex Ferguson did so well at in their glory days.
However, it’s hard not to forget that Beale still remains a very young manager, and he’ll need more maturity and street-smart when speaking to the media. Sunday’s cup final was arguably the biggest of his managerial career so far, so he’ll certainly take a lot of lessons.
Having a pop at your Old Firm rivals before the game probably isn’t the way to go, unless you’re actually confident about following through at beating them. A huge task and one Beale did not live up to.
Toppling Celtic next season will take some doing.
In other Rangers news, another contract decision must be made to avoid a repeat situation next season with this star.