Every word of Michael Beale's first Rangers press conference

Why was this job impossible to turn down?

Firstly the relationships that were built and the feeling that was built with the staff and players behind the scenes, for the three-and-a-half years here. The size of the club, the expectation, it’s everything you’d want as a manager. That was the big reason. Obviously, my family situation, living here my children loving it and my daughter being born here. There were a lot of things coming together that made this a wonderful opportunity for me.

What have the players been like during these first few days?

There’s been a lot of honesty. We spoke together as a group and I spoke to a lot of players individually. They’ve been fantastic, it’s like I’ve never been away in terms of a coach working with them. I’m now coming back as a manager. It’s slightly different but on the training pitch, we fit together really well. There are some new faces I’m excited to work with. The first few days couldn’t have gone any better for me personally.

Can you understand why some QPR fans feel betrayed?

Completely, at the time I spoke with honesty in that moment. It was a wonderful opportunity so I was very honest about my feelings towards QPR the club, owners and the direction they were going. This came out of nowhere and I had the decision to make. This is a wonderful football, it’s an institution. They were the Europa League finalists just six months ago. It was an opportunity I didn’t want to turn down and one I couldn’t turn down. I wanted to come back and work with the board and players here and unite that with the fans and move forward. I apologise for disappointing the people down there [at QPR] I think it’s a really good project, but this one was one I wasn’t willing to walk away from.

Ross, looking ahead to January are there any assurances regarding resources in the window?

RW: We spoke about that over the interview process last week. Michael first and foremost wanted to assess what we have here. Probably about three-quarters of the squad he knows very well. He will get to grips with where the boys are today as well as familiarising himself with the new players as well. If Michael wants to do something in the market from the board’s point of view we will try to back that up as much as we possibly can, as always.

What will a Michael Beale Rangers team look like?

I think it’s got to be on the front foot. We want to play like the big team, be exciting to watch. I think the first thing, it has to be exciting to play in on a daily basis, it’s got to be about this group now. This group is slightly different to the one last time I was here. We’ve got to take the ball and we’ve got to attack. I’d like to see us run forward a little bit more off the ball and play a little bit closer together. I’m really excited to work with this group and I think the squad is really strong. I think we will see a little variety. I’m not going to sit here now and tell you everything on my third or fourth day. The fans should look forward to seeing the team play on the 15th of December.

How’s the atmosphere been in the first few days and what’s the atmosphere been like?

The boys have been fantastic towards me and the staff. There’s obviously new staff members and it’s very much a management team. They’ve been very positive around the place, there’s obviously a few familiar faces and relationships that were built over a long time previously. I’m delighted to be back working with them and not just in the playing staff, it's the support staff as well. It was nice to see a lot of faces and I’ve fitted back in very well. It’s now about working every day to improve.

Have you sought assurances given the job you inherit?

No, because that’s par for the course. As a manager, you come in and fans want results. I like to call pressure expectation, it’s a privilege to have expectations on you, for people to expect the club to be winning. I like working in that environment. We’ve just got to improve in terms of the areas I think the team can improve in. There was a real good feel-good factor at the club over the last 18 months. We’re sat here today and everything seems broken. I don’t think that’s the case. That’s why I’m here with so much energy and desire to do well with these players and I’ve told them that, so it starts on the training pitch.

Did you look at this job with some trepidation given the length of Gio’s tenure?

No, I'm just excited to come back and work. The last two managers were two fantastic coaches and international captains. When Steven left we’d lost 1 in 52 in the league, and we’d just won a league unbeaten. Gio’s taken that on and won a cup and got them to the Europa League final which for a Scottish team is a huge achievement. I think this squad has players who are used to winning football matches and it’s important I continue taking that forwards and putting my own stamp on it. I’m extremely positive about what the future holds for Rangers football club.

When you sat down with Ross and the board to agree to become manager, what long-term targets were set for you?

We need to win 56 as soon as possible. We need to improve our cup record which we slightly improved last year by winning the Scottish Cup and we need to improve our identity on the pitch. That’s what I feel and that’s what the group of players feel as well. I think at the moment one or two players' value is not the reality what it was six or eight months ago. That’s damaging to the players, the football club and the staff so we have to improve that. The players in the building have got a lot of responsibility as well towards their own careers. It’s my job to uphold them to that and my job to try and get the best out of them. Getting the best out of the individual will make a strong team and a strong Rangers and I’m excited to get working with the boys.

Do you think it’s realistic to stage a title challenge this season?

I think the first thing to do is to get the identity on the pitch where we want it. The energy on the pitch and the right players on the pitch and start winning football games. This Christmas period will have a big part in whether we can do that or not. The most important thing now is to win the next game which is always the job here as the manager of Rangers. Win the next game and see where it takes us. I think the goalposts will move if we keep winning games then obviously something will happen. This time last year, not too late after this I believe there was a seven-point gap in our favour so it can be turned around but the most important thing right now is not to talk too big, it’s to win the next game.

There’s a criticism this season that the team don’t look as fit, is there anything a manager can do or does that need to wait until pre-season?

I think we can work strongly on cohesion in my ideas which will be slightly different from the previous manager. We move around together in a certain way and that can look very collective in terms of the energy on the pitch and that’s something we’re working at. It’s fair to say we’ve got some key injuries at the moment, we need to get them back fit because they’ll certainly make us stronger. We don’t want to use that as an excuse right now but it will certainly make us stronger over time when they get back and then we’ll look at that. Gio and his staff did what they thought was best in their time at the club and now I’ve got to take it on with myself and do what I think’s right for this group of players now.

Can you tell us a little bit about the staff you’ve brought in?

Neil Banfield joins and Damien Matthew and Harry Watling all joined from QPR with me. Neil spent 21 years with Arsenal, eight years as first-team coach with Arsene Wenger. Damien Matthew joins from QPR where he was assistant coach. He was a former player with Chelsea, Burnley, Crystal Palace and former England under-21. Spent lots of time as an assistant and first-team coach at Charlton with a lot of players that came through there. He’s a real developer. Harry Watling is a younger coach who’s a first-team coach that worked at Chelsea, West Ham, Millwall and was coaching in America. Just today we announced Jack Ade joining us as Head of Performance. Jack’s come from Liverpool where he’s spent the last eight years. Prior to that, he had periods at Newcastle and Tottenham as well so they’re staff who are hugely experienced with working with a vibrant young squad and helping those players on their personal journeys. I’m delighted with the staff. There might be an addition later on but we’ll see how we go for the moment.

What does success look like for you in the short term?

I think getting my ideas across, and collaborating with the players in terms of what’s the best fit for us now to make a really strong Rangers in the coming weeks. These next 10 days are hugely important on the training pitch to get ready for the game against Hibs and then winning the first games. Showing a new face and a new positivity around the building, around the club, around the way we’re playing. Aligning the ideas of the board through myself and the management team to the players and ultimately to the fans. It's got to be aligned and we’ve got to be together because when we are we’re a very strong club.

Do you feel you have to win a cup at least?

We have to try and win everything. We have to try and go for everything.

Why Rangers and not Wolves?

The feeling and relationship I had with this club. The city, the feeling, where I live. I had a wonderful time here previously. It was a really big experience. There are a lot of players in the dressing room who understand my ideas because we worked together previously. I really enjoyed working with the staff and it was the perfect moment when it was given to me. It was the right moment for me to come back. I think sometimes the vision of the people behind the scenes drives all the decision-making. The way you want to play drives the decision-making in terms of recruitment, the way we train. I believe in that, so that's why I have come back. I want to be part of it. I was chomping at the bit to get back up the road and get back involved.

Do you believe you can get a tune out of Alfredo Morelos?

If he performs how he trained today then yes. In the time I was here previously under Steven, he managed him fantastically well and Alfredo broke the European goalscoring record for the club and he helped us achieve what we wanted to achieve which is to win the league. It's not just Alfredo, it's can we get Kemar Roofe back as well? Because that's two strikers we have not had firing. In the coming month we will have Ianis Hagi and Tom Lawrence as well and all of a sudden we will have a much stronger squad and a much stronger Rangers. I look forward to the day when all those guys are training in front of me.

How important are the traditions of the club with the suit being worn on matchdays?

I'm looking forward to that, I've been reminded of that a few times but I didn't need reminding if I'm honest. I know the traditions and it's a traditional football club. It's an institution. As we modernise football I think that some of the traditions are really important. The players are hearing this first, they are going back to wearing suits on matchday as well when we are at home. I think it's important we live in the traditions of the football club and this is a club where you fit into those traditions and try to enhance them as you go on. So, it's a hugely proud moment for me and my family. It will all become very real, very quickly. I look forward to all of that. The 15th of December is a date I'm counting down to.

Does there need to be radical surgery to the squad or can you keep up the small changes that characterised the Gerrard era?

I'm in the assessing stage at the moment. I'm looking at the eyes and the energy of the squad at the moment. I need to be really honest with everybody about where they are in the squad and ensure there is clarity. And then we are always looking to improve. We have to because of the demands placed on it. We are always looking at the transfer market and there's a lot of interesting players out there. If you look at the last couple of years with Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey coming to the club as pretty much unknowns for very low fees and we have done well in the player trading in terms of them going on the conveyor belt always in the background. And so at this moment in time, if everyone is fit, it's a very strong Rangers squad and then with every window, you look to edge it on by looking at what bits are needed.

How would you compare your style to Gerrard and what have you learned from him?

Steven has been a huge influence on me as a person because he has very high standards and very high morals. In the three and a half years I worked with him he brought me on a lot and enabled me to sit in a position like this. He brought me on a lot in terms of management and leadership. I added a different part of the team in terms of the training pitch and working with Jordan Milson, Scott Mason, Tom Culshaw and Gary McAllister. I don't want to compare myself to anybody. Steven is going to go on to be a fantastic manager with his staff. This is a new journey for me now and there will be subtle differences. Neither of us was overly close to the players in terms of being friends but they knew we cared for them every single day and built strong feelings. That's the way you have to go. I'm going to be very hands-on as a coach on the pitch because that's my skillset.

How do you compare this squad to the one you left behind?

It's different. We've had some young boys do very well and leave. That's very important to remain sustainable. We know the finances in Scotland are not enough to sustain such a big club so we have to do well in Europe and you have to win domestically. We have to trade players in and out to make a strong club. What I will say is it's slightly different with the squad. I'm excited to get the attacking players to operate with my ideas because I think they are capable of doing more. That's on the players first. The players go and play so it's important they take responsibility and play together.

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