Michael Beale on Arfield contract and Rangers goalkeeper situation

Here is everything he had to say.

You used the term anxious when talking about performances recently, is that a concern given what some of these players have achieved over the last 18 months?

I think I probably have to term it a little bit better. What I mean by it was probably forcing things a little, I think they realise the situation they are in, in terms of the change of manager because things have not been going well and they hadn’t been on a good run coming out of the World Cup break and we only had that game against Bayer Leverkusen so I could feel it. Obviously, when things go against you in the game, we are not dealing with that very well. Having said that, we’ve come back from two 2-1’s very well to win the games. I know I’ve used the term but to be fair to the players, I think they just need a little bit of time and rhythm and it will disappear.

Is there any particular skill set that you think is missing in the team?

I think just the rhythm. We haven't had the centre-backs and we haven't had a stable back four. We've managed to win two very important games which shows a different side in terms of their mentality and possibly a strength within the squad that has been overlooked because the performances have not been perfect but the results have. Had it been two 2-0’s, we would only have still had six points so the reality is we’ve played two games against two of the tougher opponents and we've came out the other end with the results which is the most important thing right now. Looking ahead, we are looking to assemble. What I want to see but I what I want is or everyone to be fit and if that's not going be until the start of February, then that’s the moment I can assess the squad. If contracts should be renewed, who should stay and what areas do I think we need to improve? There are one or two things just now but I'd prefer to keep that in-house at the moment.

Do you expect that the defensive performances will improve when you have the right players back?

Yeah, I think clarity gives you the peace of mind and allows the players to perform. I think in the last couple of games, there’s been more sloppy turnovers which have hurt us. We have let in four goals, two of those coming from set plays and I thought Clarkson’s goal was a particularly good one. There are just a couple of areas we need to eradicate. We’ve had a lot of the ball in the last two games and scored six goals so there's a positive on that side.

There was a suggestion that James Tavernier travelled alone to Aberdeen, that he wasn’t 100% well. Is that something he’s been having an issue with?

I don’t want to use anything as an excuse but obviously, in the last week, Tav’s been off twice. He did travel on his own. He was a big, big doubt for the game (Aberdeen) and probably in his performance, you saw parts of that. He seems fine now. Obviously, it was Connor’s first game, Ben’s coming back but he’s had some issues. Connor’s been clean in his rehab, that's why he was able to play. Glen Kamara probably should have had an operation in the last couple of months but has played through it so there are lots of little things. Alfredo, what you won’t know is that he has had to come in from training the day before the game as well and played when he probably should have done but I want to take all the excuses to the side. They are paid really well these boys, they play for a really big football club and they're living their dream so if they're fit, they go out there and play. If everyone who had a niggle or a sore throat or runny nose didn't play, we’d struggle to put a team out. That's the situation we’re in and that's why I'd never question the mentality of the group, especially in getting those two results as some people have played when maybe if everyone is fit they probably wouldn’t have.

Is Glen’s issue something that may need to be addressed in the future?

It's manageable but when he plays, it swells up. We’ve got to be careful with the type of training. We have frozen ground at the moment so after he trains, there’s a reaction, after a game, there's a reaction. We’re managing Ryan Jack’s minutes, John Lundstram took an injection to be on the bench on Tuesday so they are all the things that when you come in, it's like Pandora’s box that you weren’t expecting but so far so good.

You said you might not be able to assess the squad until everyone is back fit and that may not be until February, how does that impact on what you're able to do in the January transfer window?

The thing is there are one or two areas that I think we wanted to strengthen anyway, that the discussions will lead around. What Rangers FC has on paper as a squad and what we are using at the moment are two different things. Everyone’s clear that we’ve got just in the attacking positions, if you don't have Kemar Roofe, then it's Ianis Hagi and Tom Lawrence. That’s gonna bring a lot to the squad. If you don't have Goldson, Helander, Souttar, Davies, that's going to bring a lot to the squid as well. Borna Barisic will be back in the next few days so again, naturally, that kicks you on as a group. I think we have 10 or 11 players unavailable so therefore the competition for places is not as strong, the heat on the person who has the shirt is maybe not as hot and all those things that add competition to a squad. I think we’ve used the bench and the squad quite well, you know the four subs the other night certainly came on and made an impact. They're chomping at the bit and we’ll see some changes again tomorrow.

Do you feel you're a little behind the curve a little bit in terms of assessing your squad because of the injuries?

Yeah, I just think that's the reality. I think that Gio lived in that in his last few weeks and I am certainly within that right now. It's no excuse, when you see the eleven picked tomorrow, it’s a strong team. It should go to Ross County and perform, to go and have a big chance of winning the game which was certainly the case with Hibs. Are we the strongest we can be now? The reality tells you with the players that are unavailable, you would like them back to add competition. We train more than we play, training three times a week to play one game so the training levels I always say if you're a good team, your training game should prepare you more than the challenges that you face at the weekend and that was certainly the case the last time I was here.

Where is Alex Lowry on the pecking order at the moment?

He’s close. I think there are areas of his game where he is outstanding as a young player and areas in his game that I’d like to see him improve. I think I have to pick and choose the right moments. When he goes in, I expect him to go in and stay in, long term to be one of the leaders moving forward. I think Alex is not too far away, what he must do - is that his teammates will pick him. When he comes to see me as he will from time to time and says, gaffer when am I gonna get a chance? Well, would your teammates pick you? That’s a big thing for a young player, they train every day and they have to earn the right of their teammates as well and I think at the moment he is really headed in the right direction. He hasn't played much this season under the previous management team but for me, he is the future of Rangers. As time passes and the group settles, you will see more of Alex Lowry, but only if he deserves it and the place that he’s got to deserve it is every day at training.

(Image: NQ)

Are you looking for more from Alfredo in terms of his fitness as well as his performances?

Of course. When Alfredo is at it, there's not a lot of difference as to how he looks on the eye in terms of his physical shape. He always has been that way. I'm reminded of when he was scoring winners against Porto and teams like that, it's how he looks. I just think Alfredo’s been out of rhythm. He’s been out with an injury, a quite serious one at the back end of last season which trailed into this one. He’s been in and out of the team and at the moment, he’s probably playing when he is one of those playing through the pain barrier for the team so I'm never going to question in terms of his mentality when he's here because there are things where you could question him for, as he has been, but certainly not for commitment when I see him day in, day out. In terms of whether is he in tune, Is he here fully? Is he training well? Is he playing to the maximum he can at the moment? I think he is. Whether he is in form or not, I think that’s for everyone else’s opinion.

Is he also carrying a specific injury and are you able to share that?

No, I’ve got to manage it. If everyone came out, I wouldn't have enough. The results are important for the football club, it’s a busy schedule so we’ve all got to bite on the gum shield and go. He (Morelos) is someone who came in from training the day before the Aberdeen game and if it was someone else, he wouldn’t have played.

Will Antonio Colak be back tomorrow?

No. He’s had a slight calf problem and he’s not ready, we thought he would be but he will return for the 28th (Motherwell) and hopefully if everything goes to plan and so will Kemar Roofe.

How tough is it that you can’t rotate the team as much as you’d like in this busy schedule?

There will be five changes tomorrow.

Can you tell us who they are?

No.

READ MORE: Connor Goldson return offers Rangers glimmer of hope of title comeback

Will Connor be able to play back-to-back games?

Yeah, I think so. It’s important we don’t take a risk. We have Leon who was sick for a few days so he’s back available. Obviously, James has been playing, Ben’s now ready to play. We played the game on Tuesday and it’s just about recovering from the travel and today we’ve done barely enough just to get them breathing and come back in. We’ve got quite a long time till tomorrow night’s game. We’re aware that it’s the second away game in three days, it’s there to challenge us but we’re looking forward to it. I think the feel-good feeling of scoring so late in the game and winning the game the other night, the adrenalin will get us through the next game but we’re certainly looking forward to it.

Is Ben Davies fit?

Yeah.

Are you able to clarify when Borna Barisic will be back and were you concerned with reports saying he was exhausted mentally and physically after the World Cup?

We can look at that in two ways because obviously he only played in the one game but he has been training non-stop for that period as well and there’s a big burden when you play for your country and you’re travelling. The emotion inside that camp, getting to the semi-final and losing so I think you’ve got to factor that all in. I wanted to give him a few days afterwards because there were a couple of things back home, commitments for the whole squad that they had to go to. He had a commitment with the full national team and then he had a commitment in his home town as well. It’s important I don’t take that away from him. He’s an expectant father as well, his fiancee’s expecting so there are a lot of things in the background. We’re going to give him a couple of days. He’ll be back in Boxing Day and be ready come Motherwell on the 28th if selected. There’s a young Scottish full-back doing quite well at the moment in our team so let’s not kick him out of the team before he deserves to lose his shirt.

Is Scott Arfield a player you would like to see here beyond his current deal?

Scotty, firstly, is a player that will probably come back to Rangers in the future anyway because I think Scott Arfield is someone in his second career wherever he goes down the coaching route, he’s someone we want to keep close to the club. Firstly, he’s an outstanding person, super optimistic with that lovely bright face and everything about him is super positive. Scotty is someone I loved working with before. He’s been frustrated and he took the frustration out in the right way the other day. Could’ve scored four, I think if we hadn’t won the game we’d be sitting here saying, ‘Oh, that miss from Alfredo in the first half and those two big misses from Scotty.’ Listen, he’s chomping at the bit to go. He knows I trust him, he knows in this building right now he’s super important to me and the rest of the squad. What will happen in the future, let’s see. I think, just to draw a line under the thing with the contract is form is going to play a big part. Health and form are going to play a big part in the decisions we make between now and the end of the season and also what we can do in the market and who’s available. Money’s one thing, players availability is another and also I want to see what happens when Tom Lawrence, Hagi and Roofe are fit. Can they stay consistently fit? What difference does that make to our squad in the attacking positions and the midfield positions then I’ll see what’s out there. I think, at the moment, having come into the job the games are coming thick and fast, the fixture list is quite exciting but obviously, for me, it’s also challenging. Let’s get through tomorrow and then we can enjoy our turkey and enjoy Christmas day.

Are you that direct with your players as if to say, ‘If you want to be here beyond your contract you need to show it on the pitch?’

Yeah. If you said to me, ‘Would you like a player six years under contract or six months under contract?’ I prefer the six-month one. They tend not to be injured, they tend to be really focused and they tend to be at the best of their abilities. I’ve said that to young boys coming through in an academy to be a first-team assistant to now being a manager. When a player’s got something to prove, I like players in that moment. It’s a team game, certainly, you try to fuel the individuals and a change of manager means that the conversations that were maybe on the table are different now. There’s a difference of opinion, it’s different eyes, it’s a new set of staff. It’s not just my eyes and also we have 50 plus thousand every week that can make a judgement as well and I think they want to see certain things. I think, for me as a manager coming in, I’ve got to prove my worth and there are a good few players in our squad that are the same.

Allan McGregor has come in for some criticism with the goals conceded against Aberdeen, are you happy with your goalkeepers or do you plan to strengthen in January?

I won’t be strengthening the goalkeeper position next month. When the ball goes into the goal everyone looks at the goalkeeper but Allan McGregor saved this club time and time again. He made a big save last week against Hibs that kept the score where we needed it and got us to half time. I thought the second strike from Leighton Clarkson was an excellent goal. The first one, he’s gone to the goalie’s side but the goalie has obviously moved. I have no issue with Allan. Jon McLaughlin at the start of the season did very well and makes a mistake in a high-profile game but I trust him and Robby, moving forward, he knows I’ve got a lot of faith in him. In the last month before leaving here he played away at Alashkert and he played at home against Celtic and was excellent in both games. He was Man of the Match in probably both games so I think we’re in a healthy place but I do get it that when the ball goes in everyone looks at the goalkeeper.

Are you happy with Robby McCrorie as back up or are you tempted to send him out on loan in January to get game time?

A little bit of both. I want massive competition in the building. We’ll get a break after this New Year period when we’ll have more training. It’ll open out for 10 days or so and I’m hoping to pitch people against each other. What I try to do in quite an unstable time in terms of the back four is try to keep the players that I know in the team quite stable. In some positions, there is a fair chance to fight for the jersey and in others, I just want to go with what I know, just for the minute just to get through the fixture list. It’s not an area where I’ll look to strengthen because I don’t feel that we need to right now.

Will you look to try and get players close to Malik Tillman so he can flourish?

He's a bit of a hybrid player, Malik so at Bayern Munich II he played sometimes as a striker, sometimes as a number 10. I've used him more in midfield running on because I think he's an extra attacker that arrives in the box. Late in the game the other day I had to do something just to completely scramble the game, scramble what Aberdeen were going to try to do and obviously try to get a response out of my team. For 15-20 minutes in the second half, I didn't recognise us. I thought when the goal went in, everyone started forcing it. We had loads of passing errors so I just decided I was making four changes. I thought the boys who came on helped. We played with four people behind the striker and Scott and Malik were close together. I think with the goal, if Malik doesn't decide to play and create something we draw that game. I'm thankful to him for it and that's the mentality I want him to have, same with Ryan Kent. I want them to go where they need to go to get the ball. I want them to have as many touches as possible and have the freedom to be the difference maker. I think tactically now, it sounds really easy when everyone is moving around the tactic board but what I try to do is have players that can scramble what the other team are doing defensively. Malik, Razza and Scotty with his running can do that so it's nice to have those options.

You were very calm when the winning goal was scored, can you give us an insight into your thoughts at that time?

I didn't enjoy the second half. I never saw it coming. I didn't see us playing in the way that we played in that 20 minutes so I probably had to do some things and say some things to people that I didn't want to say. That I had to go somewhere with them that I didn't really want to go. I wouldn't say I was angry, I was just disappointed because for 10 to 15 minutes we played how we wanted to play close together. We passed and ran, we caused disruption and we scored two goals. We started the game like that, we started the game just how we ended it. We should've been 2-0 up with Alfredo, we created big chances with Scott Arfield. Malik played a fantastic reverse pass and he should score. There was another one, a volley in the box the keeper saves and parries it. For me, it was just a shake of the head really and the calmness was, 'Just why are not playing this way for longer periods in the game?' But I get it, I've come back into a squad that's not playing with the same rhythm as the squad I left so it's going to take time. Even back then when we were beating teams like Porto I was always nit-picking. When we won the league unbeaten I remember I was like a bear with a sore head for two months because we hadn't won more trophies. We're searching for something as a coach and as a team that's maybe not always there. I was just a little bit frustrated with the overall performance. Certainly, not the mentality of the team to keep going. You saw with the celebrations, the outburst of emotion that they've got at the moment.