Rangers boss Beale has support of his players as Jack Butland gives his verdict
Jack Butland says Rangers players are “fully with” Michael Beale despite the pressure on his job, and has suggested there is still a long way to go for the team’s development this season.
The former England international goalkeeper has claimed the team are still completely behind the manager despite the frustrations in the crowd after a difficult start to the season.
Rangers have seen a slight turnaround in form after beating St Johnstone and Real Betis back to back in the last week, and Butland says the team is ready to kick on.
Speaking to the Daily Record ahead of the Motherwell clash on 24 September, Butland stated: “We’re in this together and have shown a strong mentality to bounce back from a really difficult loss in the Old Firm game.
“There’s a long way to go but we’re going to grow as a team. We’re on that path and we’re on it together.
“Hopefully people can see that in the results against St Johnstone and Betis. Of course, we’re fully with the manager and he’s backing us. Things feel good now and we’re looking to continue that against Motherwell.”
Speaking about the frustrations they have faced, the goalkeeper claimed: “A result like Thursday night can do a lot for our belief. We’ve put ourselves under massive pressure this season. We want to be at the top, winning every game. So we’ve created pressure for ourselves.
“We’ve had a few disappointing results at the start of the season. We’ve learned lessons and in the last couple of games we’ve shown a change.”
The boss still has the players’ support
Whenever any manager loses their job, there are a number of factors that normally fall into place to trigger his exit. Firstly, the fans turn and that seemed to be the case at Ibrox. But the pressure may have been eased by their recent victories.
Next, the support of the player starts to fade. This is normally the key factor. So often you hear people talk about losing the dressing room and players not playing for the manager, but that most certainly does not seem to be the case for Michael Beale.
The support of his key players, with Butland perhaps chief among those after his performances this season, will mean a lot to the boss, who now will focus on getting the best out of those players in an effort to turn around their fortunes.
Butland’s quotes do show that the players are aware of the pressure they are under and are keen to perform for the Ibrox crowd, and fans will now hope they can follow up on his words with another impressive performance in the clash with Motherwell.
In other Rangers news, a highly-rated Gers youngster has agreed a loan move away from Ibrox.