Official Rangers partner reacts to Friday Michael Beale development with Sunderland potentially ‘in bother’
If Michael Beale hasn’t learned from his time at Rangers then Sunderland are “in bother” as he closes in on the job at the Stadium of Light, according to Heart & Hand podcast.
The official Light Blues partner reacted via Twitter to the news from Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie on 15 December that the Black Cats are in “advanced talks” with the former Ibrox boss to take over following the sacking of Tony Mobray, and he is “expecting” Beale to be appointed.
Beale was himself sacked by Rangers on 1 October after a miserable start to the season followed a disastrous summer overhaul in the transfer market, as he left the club inside a year having failed to win a trophy.
Heart & Hand wrote: “If he’s learned from his time with us, who knows. If he hasn’t, they’re in bother.”
Landed on his feet
It has to come as somewhat of a surprise that Beale appears to be on his way into a decent-sized job this soon after leaving Ibrox given his work this season is increasingly being shown up by Philippe Clement.
It wouldn’t be entirely fair to characterise everything that Englishman did at Rangers as a catastrophe as there were some signs last term that he was building towards something.
But he comprehensively dismantled that notion with his summer recruitment and start to the current campaign as he failed to take advantage of any uncertainty caused by a managerial change at Celtic and looked to have taken the team backwards.
If there is one thing he can do it is talk a good game and he looks to have got Sunderland under his spell back in the English Championship, having bolted from QPR last year for Ibrox after just 22 games.
That had been his first job in management so, this early in his career as a number one, it probably is still a learning process, and he is indeed going to need to have indeed learned after coming unstuck in Scotland.
To most Rangers supporters there won’t have been much in his tenure at the club as a whole that would suggest a another side would be that quick to give him a third chance within 18 months.
He is in danger of developing a reputation for starting well and then fading badly so will need to avoid a repeat that at Sunderland.
The Light Blues haven’t looked back since bringing in Clement as his successor as, while limitations within the squad have remained evident, the title appears to be back on, there is a chance for a first trophy on Sunday vs Aberdeen and the win in Spain was reminiscent of the glorious Thursday nights under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, so perhaps things are finally looking up.
In other Rangers news, Chris Jack fears a “no-brainer” Gers transfer is in danger of being hijacked.