Park has left Rangers in a better place

Beale hails departing chairman

AFTER a week of change behind the boardroom doors at Rangers, Michael Beale now hopes to deliver a transformative result in the glare of the Old Firm arena. Victory at Celtic Park today would be the strongest possible reason for optimism about the return of on-field success. In terms of those who guide fortunes beyond matchdays, Beale already feels Rangers are in a strong place to take forward steps.

As he prepared for his third derby in charge, the Ibrox manager delivered a warm tribute to Douglas Park’s achievements in the wake of the 72-year-old businessman stepping down as chairman on Tuesday. To Beale, Park’s role in financing and stabilising Rangers has primed the club for future growth.

He now expects a seamless transition in leadership. With John Bennett progressing from deputy chairman to the figurehead position, Beale is confident strong lines of communication are in place ahead of a summer window during which he will aim to significantly refresh the Ibrox squad.

Park’s three-year tenure wasn’t without its issues. You only need to look at recent protests — mainly aimed at managing director Stewart Robertson and sporting director Ross Wilson — to see the disaffection felt by some fans after a failure to build on the 2020-21 Premiership title. Legal rows with the SPFL were another source of rancour.

Beale (pictured) also departed for Aston Villa with Steven Gerrard midway through Park’s reign, following unhappy noises from the ex-England captain about the level of transfer spending.

Equally, though, the same chairman was still in place when Beale returned as manager last November. The 42-year-old had no reservations about making the move.

‘Firstly, I would like to congratulate Douglas on his time as chairman but also in terms of his general support and investment in this football club,’ said Beale, speaking at Rangers’ Auchenhowie training ground.

‘I think he has been fantastic for the football club. John Bennett is someone I have known as vice-chairman for a long time and I am delighted it is him that is taking on the reins from Douglas — and I trust that our relationship will stay the same and the club will move forwards.

‘Certainly, Douglas leaves us with a strong foundation in terms of not just things that have happened on the pitch but, obviously, the improvement in the infrastructure and where the club is now compared to when he started his chairmanship.

‘I think he hands the reins over to John in a better place than when he received it and that is all you can ask for. Congratulations to both — one on a job well done and one on taking the job, obviously.’

Having started his overhaul with the additions of Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell in January, Beale is already working on transfer plans for the summer. They are not affected by a new man at the top.

‘No, looking at board level, there is a buffer between that and me, which is Ross Wilson obviously,’ continued Beale. ‘I am here managing the playing staff and squad.

‘As I say, I have an open dialogue with John anyway. We spoke earlier this week and it is business as usual.

‘John was really influential in the time I was here previously, as a board member and vice-chairman, and I don’t see there being any change.’

More immediately, the question is whether Beale can enforce change on Celtic’s seemingly relentless march towards the title. Premiership form on his watch has been excellent, with 43 points taken from 45 available, but a nine-point gap to their rivals remains intact.

As such, Beale admits it’s ‘obvious’ that a victory is needed this lunchtime to create a little doubt about the destination of the trophy. He also insisted it remains Celtic’s title to ‘throw away’, repeating his assertion from January after a 2-2 draw at Ibrox.

Losing the League Cup final at Hampden the following month reminded Beale of the bitter taste of derby defeat. Now comes a first visit to Parkhead since a 1-1 draw in March 2021, when Rangers had already been crowned champions.

He was Gerrard’s first-team coach then. So, will it feel different going back as the main magnet for pressure and criticism? ‘Not really,’ he replied. ‘The expectation is big and that’s a really nice thing. But, when I was assistant, it’s not as if I went there in my flip-flops. ‘I went there with the same mentality. I was supporting Gary (McAllister) and Steven and feeling it exactly the same. I think, when you are in charge, you have a clearer head. Maybe you are a bit calmer.’ That might be a good thing. After Alfredo Morelos was sent off for diving near the end of a 2-1 win at Parkhead in December 2019, Beale was sent to the stand and landed a five-match SFA ban. He later admitted it was for calling referee Kevin Clancy’s ‘integrity into question’. Clancy is in the middle again today.

‘That was a long time ago, to be fair,’ said Beale, when reference was made to his red card. ‘We won’t go back on that.’

More positively, Beale knows the psychological rewards his players would reap from winning on Celtic’s home turf.

‘Certainly, for the newer lads, it would be a huge thing for them in terms of knowledge that they went and did well in this fixture and got a big result,’ he admitted.

‘In the last two games, I’d like to have played better, but there were still enough big opportunities for us to execute in the final third.

‘If you execute in those moments then nobody is talking about how you played. Everybody after this game talks about the result.

‘So, we’ve got to do whatever it takes to get one and certainly, when you’ve got the upper hand in this derby, whether that be in points or the one-off game, it certainly gives you a platform to move forward.’