Appointing John Eustace could be a gamble worth taking amid Michael Beale sack decision at Rangers
It seems as if a case of manager’s dominoes spanning from the United States through to England could be set to fall and land all the way at Ibrox in Glasgow, as Rangers consider the future of Michael Beale.
After a poor start to the season, question marks are now beginning to surface over the future of Beale with the Gers. Having been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, losing the second leg of their play-off tie 5-1 to PSV in the Netherlands, Rangers lost the first Old Firm derby of the season 1-0 at home to Celtic to increase the pressure on Beale.
With the international break currently ongoing, Beale has been offered the opportunity to breathe. However, football moves quickly, and before the 43-year-old knows it, he will be taking his team to Perth to face off with St Johnstone on Saturday 16 September.
All of a sudden, every match will feel like a cup final, and the recent speculation in the media won’t be easing the manager’s nerves.
As reported online in The Guardian (8 September), Wayne Rooney has been identified as a potential candidate to take over from John Eustace, should he depart Birmingham City, and somehow, this has a knock-on effect on Beale.
This is because should Eustace leave the Championship outfit – even though this is not reportedly close to happening at the moment – he will be in contention to replace the under-pressure Rangers boss, should the club decide to sack him.
And if all the pieces were to fall into place, and the board were to make this move, it could be labelled a stroke of genius.
Having succeeded Lee Bowyer in the summer of 2022 and signed a three-year contract with the Blues, Eustace has so far impressed in the West Midlands.
After keeping Birmingham City in the Championship last season, finishing 17th with 53 points, the boss has so far overseen an undefeated start to their current league campaign. They sit fourth in the division after five matches, winning three of their games and drawing the other two.
Of course, this is not a lot to go off, and replacing Beale with Eustace could be seen as a gamble at this point in time.
But it might be just what is needed at Ibrox after such an underwhelming start to the season. Sometimes the biggest gambles pay off in football.
In other Rangers news, fans will love what one player at the club did after his tough start to life in Glasgow.