Chris Sutton moots ‘biggest issue’ for Michael Beale from Celtic defeat as ‘security risk’ pundit returns to Rangers
Michael Beale’s “biggest issue” from the 1-0 defeat to Celtic was the 25,000 Rangers fans giving his team “absolute pelters” at the final whistle, according to Chris Sutton.
The pundit said on the It’s All Kicking Off podcast for the Daily Mail (4 September) that, on his return to Ibrox after a couple of years away having been deemed a “security risk” for “telling the truth”, the outcome of the latest Old Firm derby was a “problem” for the Light Blues boss.
Not only does Beale have the result to deal with in Sutton’s view, but a host of new signings that have not yet “clicked”, on top a major disappointment in Europe having been “absolutely smashed” by PSV.
Sutton said of his return to Ibrox (39m 25s): “Interesting. Good to go back after a couple of years in the wilderness… it wasn’t through choice, I was deemed a security risk, can you believe that?”
When co-host Ian Ladyman suggested Sutton was a “big, gentle bear” the ex-Hoops man replied: “I don’t think calling me a gentle bear would go down well with the Celtic support, Bears are Rangers support. Wrong wording.”
He went on: “If honesty makes you a security risk then heaven help us all.”
On the game he added: “It was a problem for Michael Beale, whichever manager lost the game it was going to be an issue. More so for Michael Beale I think with the nature of them going out of the Champions League, absolutely smashed by PSV, and [having] brought in a lot of players who haven’t quite clicked at this moment in time.
“Celtic have a lot of players to come back in, a lot of injury problems, and ended up deservedly winning the game, so it’s a problem for Michael Beale.
“His biggest issue is there were 25,000 supporters at the end of the game who gave the Rangers team absolute pelters when they came off. And you think four league games in, out of the Champions League, albeit they’re in the Europa, they’re under the pump.”
Bad start
Sutton’s view on his previous absence from Ibrox aside it is unfortunately difficult to argue with his assessment of Beale’s situation after Sunday.
Steven Gerrard’s former assistant had talked up a reaction from the Champions League qualification failure for the Celtic clash, and failed to deliver.
Don Robertson deciding to overturn his on-field decision to allow play to continue in the lead up for Kemar Roofe’s disallowed strike certainly didn’t help, but this was still a game Rangers should have been winning.
At home, in front of a packed Ibrox of only Rangers supporters, against a Celtic side still getting to grips with Brendan Rodgers’ return and missing players through injury, this was the ideal opportunity for a morale-boosting win.
That would have dealt a blow to the Hoops, steadied the ship after the Eindhoven trip, and given his new arrivals the confidence they needed by going top of the table.
Instead, all of that was squandered through more errors, and Beale’s record has now extended to one win in six against Celtic.
That simply can’t afford to continue no matter what mitigating factors there always seem to be, as, so far, his overall CV as Ibrox boss has seen him regularly come up short in the biggest games.
In other Rangers news, a BBC pundit slammed a “dobber” who harassed a Gers star as online footage emerged.