Rangers squad give Michael Beale ‘Slap in the face’ after results under Philippe Clement – Craig Moore
Craig Moore has accused the Rangers squad of slapping Michael Beale in the face with their recent performances under Philippe Clement.
The Gers have won six of the seven games since Clement replaced Beale as manager last month, conceding just three goals and staying unbeaten as they closed the gap on Celtic at the top of the table.
And while speaking to Go Radio (14 November), Moore claimed their performances are a “slap in the face” to the former boss because they’re showing a willingness to work they didn’t show under him which essentially cost him his job.
Rangers, you can see clear signs of improvement but what I would say is they haven’t been playing amazing football,” he said.
“The difference, which for me is a bit of a slap in the face for Michael Beale, is energy, desire, willingness to work.. That clearly wasn’t the situation in the backend of Michael Beale’s time.
“That should be a given. With a new manager coming in, the clean slate, normal situation with the new manager. Rangers have found an energy and a mentality that has enabled them to go on and win games of football.
“At this moment in time it’s not been by playing amazing football. It’s being professional and getting the job done. I think that can only grow as the season kicks on, and I think it will be a title race.”
Nonsense
This is a crazy conclusion to come to for Rangers considering the way the team was performing for Beale at the start of his tenure too.
Beale barely lost a game as manager in the first months as boss unless it was against Celtic, and nobody accused the players of doing that under Giovanni van Bronckhorst – rather they just accepted that his time had run it’s course.
It was the same for Beale, and Clement has taken over a squad with fresh ideas and standards and found a way to maximise their quality early on.
Moore is right that the football hasn’t always been fantastic for us in recent weeks, but that will come. Clement needs time to deliver his ideas and execute them, so anyone expecting perfection already is lost.
But there is a clear improvement and a clear upwards trajectory with the standards and style being implemented, and the fact the players are responding to it can only be a good thing.
In other Rangers news, Kris Boyd is wrong about what he said on this star man at Ibrox.