Sinclair Armstrong claims Michael Beale changed his life as Rangers sack pressure increases
Queens Park Rangers striker Sinclair Armstrong has given a glowing review of Rangers boss Michael Beale amid mounting job pressure, as he claims he changed his life.
Beale gave a then 19-year-old Armstrong his QPR debut during his spell at the club before moving to Ibrox and helped to change his mindset as he adapted to being a professional footballer.
The glowing endorsement of Beale has emerged during a time when he is facing huge pressure on his job after a week in which his Gers side lost 5-1 to PSV followed by a 1-0 defeat to bitter rivals Celtic at home.
Speaking to The Sun, the QPR forward revealed: “He was the man that gave me my debut and changed my life. It changed my life in the sense that when I left my house or went to a shopping centre, I got recognised.
“He probably changed my mindset. I was young, 19, and up against players with loads more experience and I probably thought I was better being with the Under-23s or going out on loan.
“I have learned that if you are good enough, you are old enough. Some of the shots I was taking, I wasn’t hitting them with the vim I am now. So I probably didn’t believe in myself then as I do now.”
Armstrong touched on the mood at QPR when Beale departed to join Rangers; “When he went, most of the lads were upset because the style of football we were playing was attractive and even though we were losing towards the end of his time, we were still battering teams.
“We were first in the division and it probably went downhill from there. So for him to leave was upsetting.”
His players still think of him fondly
When a manager is sacked at any football club, it is often a combination of fans, players, and finally the board who make the decision to let them go. Beale appears to have lost the majority of the fans, but going by the way his former players speak of him, he will still have the dressing room on his side.
There are no guarantees that the Rangers dressing room look at the Englishman as admirably as his QPR one did, but having a good relationship with the players is always a good sign of a manager’s ability to get the best out of them.
Hopes will remain at Ibrox that Beale can overturn his side’s awful start to the season, and if Armstrong’s comments are anything to go by, the players will be supporting their boss and fighting for him as they look to turn around their recent results and save his job.
It will be a tricky end to the season for the Gers boss, but a turnaround is still on the cards, despite how unlikely that may seem as things stand with the pressure on his job mounting.
In other Rangers news, a European club are awaiting Rangers’ decision on a new signing.