Michael Beale must ‘pull something out of the bag’ to stop ‘swell’ of Rangers fans discontent
Michael Beale must produce a good performance for Rangers as his “precarious” situation at Ibrox could see the fans “be on him again”, according to Craig Moore.
Speaking on the Go Football Radio Show (26 September), the former Rangers defender suggested that even if the Gers continue their unbeaten streak, the Ibrox faithful could be quick to continue their criticism of the boss unless a solid performance is seen.
The Gers have not lost, or conceded a goal, since their 1-0 Old Firm defeat on 3 September, but performances on the pitch have been lacklustre, fueling continued fan discontent.
Moore said: “Michael is in a precarious position that he has the swell of the support against him. He needs to pull something out of the bag for me.
“He can go on a run but that one poor performance or that one defeat, they are going to be on him again.”
Shift the narrative
The manager of very few clubs in world football would be under this much pressure following three consecutive victories and clean sheets, but standards have been slipping and performances have been subpar.
The Ibrox faithful, understandably, expect more, and the likes of Beale and Kemar Roofe have shown sympathy for fans’ discontent and pointed to poor performances as something that must change.
“Every game, there’s a demand to play with style,” Roofe said, as quoted by The Sun (26 September). “Every game, there’s a demand to look good, to please the fans and to entertain them. Yes, football is a results-driven business, but it’s also an entertainment business.”
In fairness to Beale, the results have been there. The 1-0 Europa League victory at home to Real Betis has probably been the Gers’ most memorable fixture this season, and even then it is unlikely to go down as an Ibrox classic.
Rangers fans are fed up with constantly chasing Celtic, and Beale slipping at the first hurdle in suffering a poor defeat to them started this wave of discontent. Their best chance of silverware this season is the Viaplay Cup, with Thursday’s (28 September) quarter-final clash against Livingston being Beale’s next chance to “pull something out of the bag”.
Defeat there will push Beale to the edge of the cliff, and likely see him fall off it.
In other Rangers news, an official Rangers partner was thrilled with what a Gers loanee did this week.