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Michael Beale now walking a tightrope again as Rangers managerial news emerges in last 24 hours
Rangers are “keeping a close watch” on AZ Alkmaar manager Pascal Jansen as a potential replacement for Michael Beale which certainly now leaves him walking a tightrope again at Ibrox.
News outlet TEAMTalk (25 September) revealed that Jansen is also admired by Premier League sides Everton and Crystal Palace after an impressive stint in the Eredivisie with Ibrox officials keeping a close watch on his progress.
Jansen, 50, has undergone a terrific job at the club guiding Alkmaar to the Europa Conference League semi-finals last season and has started this campaign off perfectly, winning all his first five games in the Dutch Eredivisie so far.
Now his accomplishments with AZ are drawing admirers from Premier League sides and clubs in Europe while Rangers are also keeping tabs on him which certainly now ramps up the pressure on Beale who has faced such searing pressure already in recent weeks.
The Gers boss was under intense scrutiny following defeats to Celtic and PSV Eindhoven before the international break with the latter defeat meaning Rangers lost a significant £25m windfall which will have not gone down well with the Ibrox boardroom.
However, Daily Record reported on 6 September, that chairman John Bennett and other Ibrox chiefs were “ready to stand behind” Beale for the time being providing him more time to get things right with some tough fixtures ahead.
Daily Record journalist Keith Jackson also reported on the paper’s website on 6 September that Bennett “will resist calls” to remove the under-fire Gers boss “despite the outpouring of fan fury” after the 1-0 loss to Celtic on 3 September but Beale will have to “deliver an immediate upturn in results”.
Such reports will not have been helped by the rumours flying around that the Ibrox chiefs had approached former Chelsea and Brighton coach Graham Potter about replacing Beale [The Sun, 13 September], while Birmingham coach John Eustace has also been linked with the role [Daily Mail, 6 September].
Since those reports, Rangers have certainly improved results winning their last three games, including a hard-fought 1-0 win over Real Betis on 21 September.
However, the mood around Ibrox has come crashing back down again, despite their win over Motherwell on Sunday in an unconvincing and lacklustre performance which will not have delighted the Ibrox support one bit after they booed the players off after the result.
Rangers Review journalist Chris Jack wrote on Tuesday 25 September that the Rangers board “will be forced into acting” on Michael Beale’s future if he doesn’t win over fans who are currently undecided on him and it certainly seems as if Bennett and his colleagues are planning contingencies with this news emerging on AZ’s coach Jansen.
This is certainly Beale’s biggest managerial job yet but how can he do it with such noise surrounding him? It’s a difficult test but one he has no option but to do his utmost to thrive under.
If not, Rangers have already lined up one of Europe’s most promising and innovative managers on the continent and it won’t be a surprise to see Bennett take a peek at Jansen’s glamour and make a snap decision with the rest of Europe watching on.
In other Rangers news, Stephen Craigan has slammed Cyriel Dessers for his performance against Motherwell