Rangers boss Michael Beale has entered very dangerous territory, in a collective loss of faith in the manager and his revamped squad following the defeat to Celtic, according to Mark Wilson of the Daily Mail.
The journalist shared his view that the boos from the stands during and after the game were more than just the standard reaction to an Old Firm loss, and more of a display of the lack of faith in Beale.
Beale has insisted his side will be able to win back their doubters, but out of the nine players signed this summer, only one can really claim to have had a positive impact so far, Jack Butland, which tells you all you need to know about the standard of play.
Writing for the newspaper’s website on 5 August, Wilson shared: “Beale was roundly booed for his decision to substitute Kemar Roofe midway through the second half of Sunday’s dispiriting loss against a patched-up Celtic.
“Then, when the full-time whistle sounded, fury poured from the stands.
“This wasn’t just a reaction to another Old Firm defeat. Its sheer intensity felt more like a collective loss of faith in a manager and his recently revamped squad. Nine games into the new season, Beale has entered very dangerous territory.”
He then delivered his verdict on the new arrivals at Ibrox: “Of the nine players signed this summer, only Jack Butland can claim to have made a decisively positive early impression.”
A difficult road to recovery
The road to redemption among the Rangers fans is likely to be a long one for Beale. One he may not be afforded the time to traverse. As seen with Giovanni van Bronckhorst, a defeat in a crucial Old Firm game can often spell the beginning of the end, even if that end isn’t immediate.
This was a huge week in Beale’s early Rangers career, where his side faced a visit to PSV in the Champions League and then Celtic at Ibrox, and neither ended the way the boss needed them to.
Rangers visited Eindhoven coming off the back of a 0-0 draw in the first leg, meaning even a draw would see the game come down to the lottery of penalties, while a win would see them through. The side were thoroughly dismantled and lost 5-1.
Then came the visit from their Old Firm rivals, and another poor showing from a Rangers side that already look lost for ideas and invention. That’s when the manager begins to take the blame.
It will be a difficult turnaround for Beale, but he needs results and needs them quickly if he wishes to keep his job.
In other Rangers news, there was one positive to take from a miserable day at Ibrox.
