Rangers appoint Gerrard´s former coach Beale as manager

Michael Beale has been appointed as the new manager of Rangers on a three and a half year deal.

Beale replaces Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the role after the Dutch coach was sacked by the Scottish club last week.

Formerly part of Steven Gerrard’s backroom staff during the Liverpool legend’s time in charge at Ibrox in which they ended the club’s 10-year wait for a Scottish Premiership title in 2021, Beale has returned to take on the main job, leaving his post in charge at English Championship side QPR.

The 42-year-old has previously coached at Chelsea and Liverpool’s academies, as well as working in Brazil with Sao Paolo, before taking on first-team coaching roles under Gerrard at both Rangers and Aston Villa.

Beale left Villa Park to take on his first managerial role at QPR at the start of this season, where he won nine of his 21 league games in charge (D4, L8), leaving them in seventh place in the Championship.

Michael Beale is the 18th manager of Rangers with the club delighted to confirm his appointment today.

https://t.co/y2LiNsBEyI pic.twitter.com/Tb3lkrEI23

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) November 28, 2022

He turned down an approach from Premier League side Wolves in October, but has accepted the challenge of taking on the reins at Rangers, who currently sit nine points behind Celtic in the league.

“It is fantastic to be back and to see everybody this morning,” he said after being announced on Monday. “There are some new faces but some people that I know really well so it is great to see everyone.

“I am hugely proud, it is a wonderful, wonderful football club, it is an institution. For everyone that works here it is a huge privilege, but to be the manager of this football club, that is extremely special. Some wonderful people have sat in this chair prior to me, and I am hugely proud to be the person sat here now.”

Van Bronckhorst was dismissed after a disappointing start to the campaign that included being thrashed 4-0 by Celtic in September, as well as producing the worst Champions League group-stage finish in history, losing all six games with a goal difference of -20.