“This group has received a few blows to the head. We can clearly hear it coming from outside.
Rangers manager Michael Beale
It has been difficult for Rangers manager Michael Beale to maintain composure and focus in the face of the discouraging chatter that has surrounded his team in the early going of the season.
When you put yourself in the Englishman’s shoes, there isn’t much room for even the smallest errors. You’re at a place where anything less than winning, and frequently winning well, will elicit more criticism than just an echo of it.
Beale had received a lot of support in the transfer market heading into his first full season in charge at Ibrox to try to close the gap on Celtic, which had shrunk from nine points at his arrival to seven by the time Ange Postecoglou’s treble was complete.
Big games cost Beale, and they even in the early stages of this season threatened to cause more turbulence. The season’s first day of play? At Kilmarnock, lose. Rejoin the Champions League once more? To PSV Eindhoven, go. earliest Old Firm match? Ibrox was quiet when the 1-0 Celtic victory was announced.
All of these elements worked together to increase the attention on Thursday’s victory over Real Betis in the Europa League. Will it silence the sceptics much, and does it herald a period of stability?
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Beale spoke candidly about what had happened while he was in the press room at Ibrox and sat behind the microphone. A team that easily could have been two goals behind without Jack Butland and would have been up after two minutes but for Rabbi Matondo’s careless right foot.
Was this the kind of ferocious football that got Rangers to the Europa League final in 2022 under Giovanni van Bronckhorst? No, but they did find a resolve and a resolution in those trying times, moments of trepidation, and missed opportunities that have marred the Ibrox club’s start to the season.
We had some major moments in the first half, like Rabbi escaping. You wonder if we’ll still be here discussing that moment when he passes,” Beale added.
“We didn’t have enough ball confidence. At halftime, we had a conversation about it. We didn’t settle with the ball until around the 35th minute. That happens time and time again. We were considerably better throughout the second half.
It all comes down to confidence and taking risks. We’ve come up short in significant games much too frequently. We hit the post and the bar tonight in a close game against a solid team, had a one-on-one, and scored. In the end, we deserved to triumph.
‘Nothing’s been done. There is only one performance. I found a lot to be pleased with and a lot to work on.
A pivotal moment?
The rumblings in Rugby Park’s away end began as soon as Kilmarnock’s Brad Lyons scooped home the ball on August 5 to punish a helpless Rangers.
As supporters searched for an answer, a thorough examination of Beale’s acquisitions was sparked.
Six games without a loss would come after, but the lack of unity and innovation in some of those instances did nothing to allay worries.
That defeat at home in the Old Firm match was then swiftly followed by a devastating failure in Eindhoven. Was this massive assembling of a brand-new squad actually superior to the club that was disbanded last season?
Three summer acquisitions started in a routine 2-0 victory over St. Johnstone on Saturday in Perth, and the outcome on Thursday, which featured three more newcomers, will be Beale’s first significant victory of the season and likely the biggest of his career so far.
According to former Rangers captain Lee McCulloch, “this could be the turning point for him.” He will be the stadium’s happiest spectator. He must have felt the stress and heard everything.
There has undoubtedly been pressure, according to Rangers supporter Tommy McInytre of the This Is Ibrox podcast, who spoke to BBC Scotland.
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“I believe that he has lived with it when you have the run of results that he has had and the run of subpar performances side by side with that. I’m not sure if the players have always aided him with the performances or if he has always helped himself.
“I believe there may be some momentum at this point. But in the end, events like this won’t characterise Michael Beale. Rangers can draw encouragement from this, but it won’t lessen the pressure at home. Now, we need to see that streak of reliability.
Big games continue to occur.
In his post-game analysis, Beale mentioned the need to continue to get better, and he was correct.
Rangers played much better in the second half and had a great finish. They struck just as Betis’ weakness was beginning to show itself after being mercilessly exposed by Barcelona in a 5-0 drubbing over the weekend.
The Ibrox team was on the attack and had an xG of 2.33 compared to Betis’ 0.80. They also made more attempts, had more shots on goal, and had more touches in the opponent’s penalty area.
