Anthony Onifade

Thu 14 September 2023 13:10, UK

A number of on-field factors have led to Michael Beale’s intense sack pressure at Rangers but their current problems in attack could ultimately leave him facing the chop.

Daily Record reported on 6 September, that chairman John Bennett and other Ibrox chiefs are “ready to stand behind” Beale for now despite disappointing results so far this campaign.

Daily Record journalist Keith Jackson also reported on the paper’s website on 6 September that Bennett “will resist calls” to remove the under-fire Gers boss “despite the outpouring of fan fury” after the 1-0 loss to Celtic on Sunday (3 September), but Beale will have to “deliver an immediate upturn in results”.

Much of that pressure has been down to the misfiring attack as Beale continues to tinker with an attack he did “surgery” on during the summer transfer window, bringing in Danilo, Cyriel Dessers, Sam Lammers and Abdallah Sima in big-money deals to replace Fashion Sakala, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos.

Daily Record journalist Ben Banks, writing in his article (12 September), shared that the noise is growing louder surrounding Beale’s future at Ibrox and one of the solutions to quiet down the noise will be to solve the Dessers “mystery” up-front in who should start alongside him on a permanent basis.

Banks wrote: “Out of the nine competitive matches so far this term, eight different Rangers forward lines have been put out.

“Only the front three pairing of Sam Lammers, Cyriel Dessers and Danilo have had back-to-back matches as Beale tinkers in an area he has performed major surgery on.

“They might not have ended their Rangers careers in the best manner, but Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos certainly showed their worth in blue and Fashion Sakala who has also departed had his uses, too.

“Dessers has been used frequently as a focal point but who plays up either side of him is a mystery week to week at this stage.”

Rangers fans will certainly be incredibly disappointed at the manner of recent results at Ibrox especially after Beale was backed so heavily in the transfer market with as many as nine signings made.

It’s also been reported that the Gers had sounded out former Brighton and Chelsea manager Graham Potter (The Sun, 13 September).

Writing on their official website (13 September), the UK news outlet reported that the Ibrox club approached the former Chelsea and Brighton manager’s representatives about taking the manager’s job.

But Potter turned the approach down as he waited on the right job after his horror spell at Stamford Bridge.

Such reports highlight how much pressure Beale is under and the number of specific attacking signings made this summer certainly suggested that Beale had plans in place to ensure an immediate start to the campaign.

However, after four games, Rangers look absolutely far from matching those ambitions with Beale’s new attacking quartet still trying to find their feat which is understandable, but the stats don’t make for good reading at all via FBref.

Rangers have had 80 shots in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, which is considerably 20 more than the next-highest in Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic. Beale’s men are creating chances but are worryingly aimless with their shooting.

They have scored only six times from those 80 shots – Celtic have eight from their 60 – which certainly shows how their Old Firm rivals are even toppling them in a small statistic. 31.3% of Rangers’ shots so far have found the target and that stat is again laid bare especially given the attacking signings Beale made and the controversial exits he sanctioned – most crucially, in Fashion Sakala.

Who starts with Dessers up front in Rangers’ 4-3-1-2 formation? Kemar Roofe started the game against Celtic and could have grabbed a critical goal for the Gers had it not been for a controversial VAR decision in the lead-up to the goal. Sam Lammers and Danilo have impressed in flashes but still need a lot of improvement if they are to be Rangers regulars.

This is a conundrum Beale must solve fairly rapidly, starting against St Johnstone on Saturday 16 September because the Gers face some critical games coming up, also in Europe.

Certainly, the old saying goes “defence wins titles” but right now Beale needs immediate short-term wins to save his job and the only way that can happen is if he gets his attacking stars to gel or he may be staring down the barrel of another boardroom sack decision.

In other Rangers news, one senior Ibrox star could be forced to empty his locker very soon after a decision had been made on Beale’s future.