Kenny Miller warns Michael Beale work at Rangers could be ‘completely undone’ v Motherwell
Kenny Miller has warned Michael Beale that all of his and Rangers’ hard work could be completely undone if they fail to build on Thursday’s victory over Real Betis by beating Motherwell at Ibrox.
Miller shared a mantra used by Walter Smith – when you’re at Rangers, you’re only ever a draw away from being questioned. This rings true once again here, with Beale in need of a winning run to win the favour of the crowd.
The former Rangers man also claimed that Sunday’s clash at Ibrox is already the biggest game of the season because it’s the next game. And the same story will continue every week until Beale wins back his favour.
The Gers boss has eased the pressure a little by following up a 2-0 win over St Johnstone with a 1-0 triumph over Betis in the Europa League on Thursday (21 September) but Miller warned there is much left to do.
Writing in his Daily Record column before the Motherwell clash on Sunday (24 September), Miller shared: “It’s something the great man, Walter Smith, used to say a lot. When you’re at Rangers, you’re only ever a draw away from being questioned.
“That result [against Real Betis] should tell the players that if they reach their top level domestically – no one can live with them. Now they have to back up the Betis victory by winning the next four domestic games.
“That’s why you’re at the club. You need to be competing on four fronts, at home and in Europe. Now? Motherwell on Sunday is the biggest game of the season. Simply because it’s the next one.
“That’s how you have to approach it. It’s like Walter would say. Right now, Rangers are only one draw away from falling too far back. And then all the good work on Thursday night is completely undone. That’s the nature of the beast in Glasgow and the situation Michael and his players are in. He and his staff understand that.”
Need to get that winning feeling back
The victory in midweek over Real Betis, paired with last weekend’s strong win against St Johnstone, has brought a bit of good feeling back to Ibrox in a time where plenty of negativity was the overriding atmosphere around the club.
Beale may have eased some of the pressure on him, but it would all come flooding back if Rangers now fail to overcome Motherwell at Ibrox. That is the nature of his job for the foreseeable future – every game becomes a must-win for the boss.
If he can bring some winning feeling back to Ibrox, it will do the club a world of good, as it will for his own belief and confidence as pressure is now beginning to ease off. If the team can find their flow, they have shown they can be a formidable force for any opponent.
It is still early in the season, anything could still happen on either side of Glasgow in terms of the title and trophy fight. Rangers now need to position themselves as well as they can to pounce on any errors, however unlikely, from their Old Firm rivals.
In other Rangers news, one highly rated Gers prospect is set to join a British club on loan.