Michael Beale may face ‘scrutiny’ for lack of Scottish Rangers selections despite ‘massive’ result under ‘intense pressure’
Michael Beale secured a “massive” win in midweek against Real Betis but the Rangers boss could “come under scrutiny” for a lack of Scottish players in his line up, according to Dean Jones.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT (23 September) the former Eurosport journalist suggested a starting XI without any Scottish players in it could open the door for issues, but allowed for the fact that the Gers boss is dealing with injuries and simply has to win right now.
Rangers face Motherwell on Sunday (24 September) looking to make it three wins on the bounce since returning from the international break, where the manager faced a fortnight of questions over his job after another loss to Celtic.
Jones said: “A massive win for Beale, and even though the football was not outstanding, the commitment, dedication and outcome to the occasion was. Betis are a good La Liga side, so winning should breed confidence.
“He can come under scrutiny for a lack of Scottish players in the starting XI, but at the end of the day, he’s dealing with big injury problems, he’s under intense pressure to pick up wins, and he has gone and delivered.
“I think this is a big step forward as it’s the start of a three-match run of games at Ibrox that can rejuvenate everybody and bring new belief to what can be possible this season.”
Needs must
Longer-term and, assuming he lasts, later this season it is certainly a valid question for Beale to contend with when it comes to a lack of Scottish involvement.
There is an argument to be made that most teams benefit from at least some local representation, but ultimately the main currency for both managers and fans is winning.
John Souttar losing his place to Ben Davies for the past two matches came as somewhat of a surprise, especially seeing as the Englishman was mooted to be one the club were willing to let go in the summer if he hadn’t been intent on staying, but since he came back into the line up it is been two wins from two.
Prior to that Souttar was the primary representation from Scotland, with Ryan Jack in and out of the side, and otherwise it is likely to take extensive absences to get the likes of Robby McCrorie or Scott Wright into the team.
But while those outside the club may express concern about that situation it is only really an issue for Rangers right now if they aren’t winning.
Beale knows he has to keep stringing results together or he might be out of a job, so he will probably stick to what has been working for the most part, while allowing for a certain amount of rotation.
Wherever they may be from it is the players who are most likely to get the result on the day that has to remain the manager’s primary concern when naming his side.
In other Rangers news, Beale’s recent decision with one non-Scottish ace has also been questioned, amid an accusation that he is “playing” with the player’s mind.