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Barry Ferguson defends Michael Beale in message to Rangers stars who 'can't hide' anymore
Rangers players “can’t hide” behind Michael Beale anymore and have no more excuses not to step up to the challenge at Ibrox, according to Barry Ferguson.
Speaking to Go Radio (20 September), Ferguson defended the Gers boss for the poor form at Ibrox so far this season, pointing to the players who have had enough time now to bed in and have an impact.
Ferguson urges the Rangers stars to start producing on the pitch, suggesting Beale can do very little once the players cross the white line.
Ferguson said, as quoted by the Daily Record: “I get the manager signs the players and coaches them, picks the starting XI, but the players can’t hide behind the manager. Once you cross that white line, it’s on you to produce the goods.
“You can’t play well all the time, I totally get that, but one thing is that if you are not playing well, you try and grind results out. As I said, there’s no excuses now.
“They’ve been here long enough. They understand the expectations and demands of playing with Rangers and now need to start producing the goods on the pitch.”
Truth
Plenty of criticism has been levelled at Michael Beale for Rangers’ less-than-impressive start to life in the Scottish top-flight and Europe this season.
While the new players, specifically Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers, have also taken their fair share, the onus must be on the players to start producing on the pitch.
Bar lacing up a pair of boots himself, Beale can’t have a direct impact on the game. Tactical changes and substitutions are, of course, a managers’ bread and butter, but many of the players themselves just haven’t been up to the required standard.
Their 2-0 victory over St Johnstone did enough to alleviate some pressure on Beale’s job, and many believe the Englishman is not under as much pressure as it seems. Ally McCoist claimed on talkSPORT (20 September) that he “wouldn’t imagine” Beale is under too much pressure, but the noise among the Ibrox faithful is saying something quite different.
Thursday’s clash against Real Betis (21 September) is unlikely to be the final nail in Beale’s coffin either, bar some horrendous result, but it does provide his men the chance to “start producing the goods on the pitch”.
As Ferguson notes, all the signings have had plenty of time to get used to the Ibrox crowd in both domestic and European settings. Betis’ visit will not be new to the players, and a good performance will be needed to take the pressure off them.
In other Rangers news, Chris Jack has shared an injury update on two Ibrox regulars, with the pair missing up to a month of action.