Michael Beale refuses to consider his position in face of fan wrath - 'I care too much for the club'
The Englishman has steered clear of the online and radiowaves rancour in which he has been in the crosshairs across the international window. And even if he appears to have lost the confidence of a great swathe of the Ibrox side’s fanbase, his deep connection to the club means he remains fully committed to the turnaround he was appointed last November to effect.
Beale maintains he feels under no extra pressure going into his team’s Perth assignment against St Johnstone on Saturday, despite the encounter being the first since the Celtic loss almost a fortnight ago. It was an outcome that capped a nightmare week in it coming only days after the 5-1 loss away to PSV Eindhoven that crushed hopes of Champions League qualification.
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Hide Ad“No, no, never,” said Beale when asked if he had ever considered walking away during the break. “I care too much for the club and I know the work that is going on behind the scenes. I think it is far too early. It was the first game I’ve lost at home. I get the background noise because of the way the PSV game went as well. But, nah, it wasn’t in my mind.”
What could ensue if his team lose a third straight game in facing up to the McDiarmid Park side isn’t on Beale’s mind either, it would appear. ‘I’ve felt pressure from the moment I’ve come in, or expectation since I've come in. Every single game at Rangers,” the 43-year-old said. “I hear ‘this is a big game’ or ‘that’s not a big game’. They’re all worth three points. There’s not been anything but big games since I’ve been here.
"We’re glass half-empty in terms of every game you can’t lose this or drop that. I don’t feel any different going there. Naturally after a defeat you want the team to win and get the wheels in motion again. If I look at games of football on chances and opportunities to score and not concede … we’ve conceded two goals in the league and I think we’ve given both goals up, to be honest. We’ve got the best defensive record in the league with the least shots on goal.
“You’ve got to stick to your process, you’ve got to believe in your people and believe in the way you’re going. You don’t throw everything out. You make adjustments, for sure. You back the players you’ve brought in and you need to back the squad. This is the squad now that will lead us to the next window.
“Up until then there’s a lot of league games to be played, there’s a Europa League campaign in which we need to qualify from our group and there’s a League Cup to win. My focus is massively on that. I wanted this opportunity to come to Rangers. I know how big this club is. I know how big the expectation and the speculation is. I know how big every emotion is. For me, in my first year as a manager, that’s a huge privilege going into my second season.”
Beale will have to do without playmaker Todd Cantwell for the match against St Johnstone and most likely until mid-October, with the 25-year-old sidelined due to a knee injury.