Rangers: Michael Beale is new manager - what can Ibrox expect?

Michael Beale was a key ally for Steven Gerrard in the former England captain's spell as Rangers manager

When Steven Gerrard assembled his backroom staff on his arrival at Ibrox, Gary McAllister was the notable appointment by Rangers' rookie manager.

An elegant midfielder who had captained Scotland and starred in Liverpool's treble-winning season of 2001, McAllister also had experience as a manager with Leeds United and Coventry.

The arrival of first-team coach Michael Beale went under the radar by contrast, but during his three years in Scotland there was more than the odd whisper that he was an integral part of Rangers' resurgence.

"A lot of people won't have a clue what Michael Beale does on the training pitch, but what he does is really quite special," said Peter Lovenkrands, who worked alongside him at Rangers.

His influence in his first spell at Rangers clearly makes Ibrox's powerbrokers think the ex-Chelsea, Liverpool and Sao Paulo coach is the man to revive their fortunes after he was lured from QPR to succeed Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

So how did the 42-year-old become one of the game's most respected coaches and what are the skills that set him apart? This is his story.

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From church halls to Chelsea

Playing on the streets of a south London council estate as a kid, Beale dreamed of making it in the professional game. But the Charlton Athletic academy product's hopes ended at the age of 21.

Trials in his homeland, the United States and the Netherlands - where he was introduced to a new way of playing - followed, before he began an unconventional route into coaching six months later.

With leftover funds from his playing days, Beale decided to invest in the Brazilian Soccer Schools franchise, which aims to teach young kids the art of futsal. Think of it as Brazil's answer to five-a-side football, but played with a smaller, low-bounce ball to enhance close control and technical ability.

Beale ran the programme in a Bromley church hall and, while business did not start too well, it sparked his love and passion for developing youth at grassroots level before leading to a role at Chelsea.

"Your personality is so important," he told Coaches Voice. "It's someone's son or daughter. It's important you give them a fantastic interest and inspire them.

"When young kids get out their mum or dad's car, and they run to the pitch to start training, if after 15 minutes they don't have the same energy, you have got it wrong. It's the same for a professional footballer."

A 10-year spell at Chelsea began on a part-time basis in 2003 before ending as a full-time youth coach having spent time working under Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Guus Hiddink, while developing players such as Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham.

That resulted in a move to Liverpool, where Beale oversaw the Under-16s before progressing in 2014 to the Under-23s. A staggering 18 members of his squad made first-team debuts in the space of two years, including current regulars Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones.

Beale (second from right) worked closely with Anfield manager Jurgen Klopp (far left) during his time at Liverpool

Cruyff, Sir Bobby & Sao Paulo

Beale's fascination with foreign football stems from a 1990s obsession with Serie A and the show that televised it, Football Italia - as well as Johan Cruyff who he says is "the most important man in the history of the game".

But his biggest influence has always been Sir Bobby Robson, not only because of his success and personality, but for his willingness to coach abroad in Eindhoven, Lisbon and Barcelona.

Given that, Beale's decision to become assistant at Sao Paulo in 2017 - a club he describes as the "Manchester United or Liverpool of South America" - was too good to turn down.

An eight-month spell in Brazil saw him develop his coaching "by 50%" under Rogerio Ceni - football's highest-scoring goalkeeper with 131 goals - and work with players such as centre-back Eder Militao, who joined Real Madrid from Porto in 2019 in a deal worth more than £40m.

A brief return to Liverpool followed - at a time when Gerrard was Under-18 coach - before Rangers made their move for the Anfield icon a year later.

"One morning, he [Gerrard] called me," Beale says. "I didn't even know the number. He asked if I fancied meeting up for a coffee. I'd already heard a rumour that he was going to Rangers.

"Just the previous day, someone at Liverpool had said he was going to ask me to go with him. I'd laughed it off. Now it was happening."

Gerrard later confirmed he had been eyeing up his coaching team long before his Ibrox appointment, and someone with Beale's knowledge and experience was always going to be a part of that.

"What I'll never do is try to do someone else's job when they are better than me at doing it," Gerrard told The Robbie Fowler Podcast.

"It would take me 15 to 20 years to become as good as Michael Beale as an on-pitch coach, delivering sessions on a daily basis, so I let Mick be Mick because he's the expert."

'The brains behind it all'

The responsibility Gerrard gave to his right-hand man to plan and deliver sessions was hugely appreciated by Beale, and that time on the training pitch created a lasting impact on the players he has coached.

Former Rangers forward Kyle Lafferty said on Open Goal that Beale was "the brains behind it all", while Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said "you knew straight away he was a top coach".

Ex-Ibrox midfielders Andy Halliday and Greg Docherty have also given glowing endorsements, with Halliday telling The Athletic "he is probably the best coach I've worked under" and Docherty adding that he is the most "devoted" person to football he has ever seen.

But it is not just the players who share that admiration. Former Rangers reserve team manager Lovenkrands was so in awe of Beale's work that he wished he was a player again.

"What he does with the players on the pitch is phenomenal," the Dane told BBC Scotland.

"I remember he was giving me sessions to take down because I was doing the reserves; he wanted us to copy it. I was loving it. I actually wanted to take part in the training.

"He's so on the ball. He's so good at what he does. The players love it. His preparation for each game is fantastic to watch."

Beale followed Gerrard to Aston Villa following his appointment as their manager before taking his first managerial role at QPR.

He has made such an impression at the Championship club that Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers wanted to make him their manager earlier this season.

After little more than 20 league matches as a manager on his CV, Beale's appointment may have some risk attached to it.

Rangers will hope the man who was underestimated but flourished the first time he arrived at Ibrox repeats the feat on his second coming.

A version of this article was first published in March 2021

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