Michael Beale has spent the last couple of days saying all the right things.
And I have to admit, it’s making me excited to see what his plans for Rangers look like in the flesh. On day one, shortly after completing his deal to become manager, he talked about ‘taking the hand break off’ and I think I speak for a lot of supporters in saying that was music to the ear. To me, that means he wants his side to get right back onto the front foot. I’ve seen clips from the first few days of training and it certainly all seems geared towards an aggressive, high intensity approach.
The full backs are going to be bombing forward, there’s going to be loads of interchanging in midfield and bodies in the box. And that’s what Rangers fans want to see. I expect it to be similar to the style of play under Steven Gerrard which was so enjoyable to watch. Open, free flowing, attack minded football within a clearly defined structure. And. as much as I hate to admit it, in the last few months under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, it became a struggle to see what the team was actually setting out to achieve.
The big question is, can he make that happen with the players he has at his disposal? Because it doesn’t matter what philosophy or playing style any new manager wants to implement - whether he stands or falls is almost always determined by the quality of players inside his dressing room.
So it was interesting to hear him bigging up the squad on his first day too. He says, in his eyes, they are proven winners because of what they have already achieved together over the last couple of years. Fair enough. I also genuinely believe there are good players at Rangers. No doubt about it.
But I look back at the last six months and I worry about the state they have got themselves into. Too many of them were guilty of letting the last manager down. The drop off in standards is the main reason Gio is out of a job. So, if Beale is to succeed where the last man failed, then first and foremost he’ll be relying on these guys to get the finger out, pronto!
And, getting more out of some previous key performers is only the start of it. Because the squad he’s taking over now is weaker than the one he left just 12 months ago. Without Nathan Patterson, Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey the talent level has dropped significantly. That‘s a fact - you only need to look at the results and performances for the proof.
And, let’s be honest here, the recruitment has not been great in terms of replacing like with like. I’m sure he’ll have noticed that already - so his next big job will be working out what to do about it. I’ve already heard it said that there won’t be much money for him to spend in January and that’s another immediate concern.
If that’s the case then I’m sure he must have stipulated that there will be more made available in the summer. If he’s going to turn things around then he has to do it by bringing in quality reinforcements over the course of the next three windows. It would be stupid for anyone to think he can walk in the door and start demanding tens of millions of pounds to spend. That’s not going to happen.
But what money he is given must be spent wisely. And that’s where the recruitment side of things comes into play. Look, there is a place in the modern day game for the role of the director of football. I get that. But the final say when it comes to identifying signing targets must always be made by the manager as it’s his neck that’s on the block.
And let me be blunt here, I’m not convinced that was the case with Gio. The statement he made on Monday set some alarm bells ringing when he talked about the ‘difficult circumstances’ inside the club. If he was saying that the funds weren’t there or that he had little or no control over how they were being spent, then that’s a huge concern.
I’m sure Beale won’t make the same mistake. He certainly seems like a man who knows what he wants and who won’t allow himself to be dictated to. He’s had five months in the English Championship which is a breeding ground for talented players so I’m sure he’ll have his eye on a few of them.