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Chris Jack shares Michael Beale and Gio Van Bronckhorst comparison at Rangers
Chris Jack has claimed Michael Beale cannot afford for history to repeat itself at Rangers, drawing a comparison between the current injury situation and that faced by Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the months before his sacking.
Jack claimed that, following the injuries to Danilo, Nico Raskin, Todd Cantwell and Kieran Dowell, it feels similar to the situation Van Bronckhorst found himself in during the early stages of last season.
The Dutch boss was ultimately sacked, with a defeat to Celtic setting the tone for a poor end to his tenure which was also mired by injuries leaving him with a below-par squad – does that sound familiar?
Jack wrote in his press conference analysis for Rangers Review on 20 September: “A spate of injuries undermined Giovanni van Bronckhorst throughout the first months of last season as the Dutchman was left with a group that wasn’t fit for purpose.
“Beale cannot afford for history to repeat itself and a similar fate to befall him given the situation that Rangers are in at present.
“Beale pinpointed the likes of Bailey Rice and Zak Lovelace as two of the Academy kids who might have the opportunity ‘to step up in domestic games’ but losing four members of his first team squad could not have come at a worse time for the Ibrox boss.
“Rangers also have fixtures with Motherwell, St Mirren and Aris to come during this tranche of matches. Each one is a must-win and Beale needs others in his squad to step up and assert themselves.”
Focus on results
Despite the ongoing discourse surrounding the stability of his job in Glasgow, Beale will have to brush aside any concerns and comparisons and get on with the job using the players he has available to him, he simply has no other choice.
The timing of the injuries is unfortunate for the boss, coming when he so desperately needs results to save his job after a poor start to the season, but it is not quite at a crisis stage yet. After a busy summer transfer window, the squad is well-stocked should Beale need to call upon replacements.
Turning to some of the club’s youngsters as he suggested would be a brave move, but a respectable one, although it does not seem entirely necessary unless he decides they are better suited to his game than some of the more senior players at Ibrox.
With the list of four key injuries so far, Beale may be fearing the worst, but he can cling to the hope that his squad is much deeper than the one he inherited from Van Bronckhorst.
In other Rangers news, Aaron Ramsey has revealed he is still gutted about his spell at Ibrox.