Michael Beale now doomed for Rangers sack as Ibrox chiefs make their move
Michael Beale’s exit from Rangers now looks all but set after the club’s attempts to woo Graham Potter back to management.
According to The Sun (13 September), the former Brighton and Chelsea boss rejected an offer to enter the dugout in Glasgow, a clear indication that Ibrox chiefs have made their decision on Beale.
The newspaper claims that Rangers are to “explore their options” in terms of a new manager, but Potter rejected the offer in search of “the right job”.
Where does this leave Beale? On remarkably thin ice.
The motions are clearly in place among the Ibrox hierarchy to remove Beale and get a new manager in charge. The Old Firm defeat and the poor display against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League qualifier second-leg seems to be enough to convince the likes of John Bennett.
Arguments to remove or to keep Beale have their merit. It is still very early in the season. Rangers often struggle to beat Celtic in the Old Firm, with the Gers winning just two of their nine previous encounters [FBRef].
Champions League group stage qualification would have given Rangers a nice cash injection and a place at the table of Europe’s elite football clubs, but the Europa League, which Rangers will contest this season, provides a significantly higher chance of success, as seen with their recent final appearance in 2021/22.
The Gers also had a relatively tough start to the season, facing multiple high-pressure Champions League qualifiers and Celtic – the pressure was on Beale the moment he stepped through the doors of the Rangers Training Centre on the first day of pre-season.
Much criticism has been aimed at his perceived inability to make the influx of new signings click. Derek Ferguson said of Beale, as said on the Open Goal podcast (7 September) that Rangers’ “best players, [aren’t played] in the positions where we can get the best out of them” while “there’s loads of questions to be answered. [Beale] got to find a side that he thinks is his strongest side and work with them.”
It can take time to integrate new signings, especially nine of them, but expectations at Ibrox are, as always, high.
Alternately, many claim that the sooner Beale leaves, the better. Getting a new manager in as soon as possible gives them a better chance and more time to put their stamp on the club and make them perform.
Gary Keown suggested in his Scottish Mail column (10 September) that Beale “has to leave first for anyone to take the job on” and that “giving Beale more time is only delaying the inevitable”.
The “inevitable” may be soon on the horizon.
The fans have seemingly turned on his too. The echoes of boos across Ibrox after their 1-0 loss to Celtic’ side would have felt loudest to Beale and felt like music to Brendan Rodgers.
Beale will feel frustrated to lose his job no matter what, especially with a series of winnable and lower-pressure fixtures in Rangers’ near future. This could provide the perfect opportunity to turn things around – if he is still there to get the chance.
But, regardless of anyone’s views on whether the boss should stay or go, the writing looks to be on the wall for Beale. The Rangers hierarchy does not want another season of chasing Celtic and hoping for them to slip up, but despite backing the Englishman with a heavy summer window, he could see the exit door soon.
In other Rangers news, Chris Jack has lowered his expectations for a new Ibrox signing.