Michael Beale in Morelos defence and new signings vow- Rangers Q+A

Here is everything he had to say.

How’s the mood in the camp after conceding late in the Old Firm game?

Afterwards, the changing room wasn’t great if I’m honest. Obviously, we felt a lot of frustration because overall, outside the first 30 minutes, we were playing a big rival and we didn’t give up any chances until we conceded. Even then, there’s a lot of regret in the way that we conceded but, in the main, it was a really positive performance. When the dust settles I think we’re content enough with the performance but knowing we can do more over time. I think that’s the big thing for us is every week trying to get better and stronger as we go.

What do you think you’ve learned from the group of players you’ve got here so far?

I think since Ben and Connor have been back together we’ve looked a lot stronger. Borna’s come back in and performed well. In the last month, we’ve seen a young boy Adam Devine showcasing himself as well so that’s good. John Souttar is back in training today which is really positive. Leon King’s doing well. So all of a sudden that looks a lot more positive. We’ve rotated the midfielders a lot because we’ve needed to. John [Lundstram] has been playing and training with injections. We’ve had to ease off a notch on him. He gets a whack in the second half and is still in pain for quite a while after the game. Glen [Kamara] has had issues and Jacko too. So in terms of the squad, everybody seems in a more healthy place. Antonio and Kemar have had another week and all of a sudden we go out to training today and we have three number 9s. It looks a lot stronger than it did a few weeks ago. Alfredo, to his credit, because I know there’s a lot written and said about him, he’s managed to play in the last two or three games where maybe another player wouldn’t. What I can see is that everyone’s committed and all in. As we get people back, the form will come. They need a bit of a kick in terms of belief which is what I said to them at half time in the game. I thought they performed well in a game where they probably surprised one or two people who were sharpening their pencils to write something else. I thought we performed well in the game. We were disappointed not to win it.

Have you been disappointed with the criticism of Alfredo?

I don’t read it all. I sense it and all I can do is go off his energy here in the building. His situation is not ideal as well. If people want to go for him about his form... but I see a different boy inside. I’m probably the only person other than him who knows what he’s going through physically at the minute to get himself fit and sustained fit because he’s playing with one or two knocks. Alfredo’s a big boy, he’s been taking this for three or four years now. I actually think it’s quite tame compared to how it was when I first came to Scotland.

Have you been bemused that four days after the game the back pages are still dominated by VAR?

We all wanted it, now we’ve got it and we’re not sure if we want it or not. I think that’s where we’re at. At the time, I didn't see it until after the game so I wasn’t sure at the time whether it was or wasn’t. I saw one player for them appeal for it, not everybody, and then you read the law and the law says one thing and it’s how that law is then perceived. The officials on the day perceived it a certain way. I thought John and the officials that were there had a good game. For an Old Firm game, I thought they managed the game really well. He didn’t bang cards out early. I thought it was a cracking game, two teams went head-to-head for the full 90 minutes and I thought John and the other officials managed the game very well. I actually thought that when the game ended. There are always some things you think that go for you or against you but when you read the rule it seems like they got it to the letter.

Do you think it’s just people trying to use their elbows to try and influence the operators of VAR?

No, I just think it’s what happens. The fallout after a derby... something has got to be a reason why people didn’t play well. Did you not play well? Did the other team play well? All these things go into it. I’m a manager that wants to try and stay away from that. I realise there’s the human element involved, even when you go to VAR it’s still a human on the other side and they’ve got to make a call there whether it is or isn’t in relation to the laws. I don’t think anyone’s saying in this room now or any manager knows the laws as well as the officials. Some of the laws seem to change and we’re told them but it’s not our day-in-day-out job to know it. With the handballs, I suppose the whole of world football is a little bit unsure at times but when you see what’s actually written then I think they got the decision right.

How pleased are you to see John Souttar back in training?

Really pleased. Obviously, we spoke about him last week. When he played that game earlier in the season he was probably too honest when he played at Livingston because he was in pain going into the game and, ultimately, it’s cost him a little bit of his Rangers career. Hopefully, now he’s back. We took a little bit longer to try to get to the bottom of some of the issues that he’s had and we’re hopeful that we have. I think the proof will be in the coming months with John if he can stay fit because if he is I think he’s a very good player. Even today his first session back in the group he’s shown one or two things that were very pleasing. He was signed here as a Scottish international that knew the league, he’s come in at a good age. We thought his best days were in front of him and hopefully, that is the case now.

We do you expect to see him playing for the first team?

I think by the end of the month. I think very similar to Ianis [Hagi]. Ianis is in training now, contact, which is a big thing when you’re coming off an injury like that and obviously John’s just gone straight back into contact as it’s a different type of injury. Let’s give them a good couple of weeks, we’ve got a busy schedule before that but if earmarked around the St Johnstone game at the end of the month we won’t be too far out for both of those boys.

Will they be like two January signings for you?

Yeah, because you’re going to get onto January signings now. They won’t be the only two I would say.

Are you close to any signings at the moment?

We’ve spoken to two or three players. Our phone’s not stopped really, there are a lot of players interested in coming here. I’ve got to make sure they’re the right ones. I’m a little bit fussy. I want to sit in front of a player and I want to look into his eyes. It’s alright doing something over Zoom. My schedule’s been pretty packed out up until that game last Monday. This week’s been spent meeting people face-to-face and getting a feel for them, telling them exactly what I want, not the other way around in terms of what they’re expecting. It’s what I’m expecting from them and the role that I want them to play coming in because when we’re recruiting I’m recruiting players for a really specific role. It’s not just about a collection of players coming in. I want to recruit a player that comes in and does a really specific job for us in the squad because I think that’s what we need right now. I said when I first came in the job I didn’t think it was as broken as people were making out. I think the only thing that can improve that are performances on the pitch and I think three or four of the right additions can pull everything together in the right direction.

Are you hopeful you can get these players in fairly soon?

Yeah, I think so. We’ve obviously got this game this week and then we’ve got a free week into the semi-final with Aberdeen. Two really big games for us but in that time there’s no midweek game so it does give me more time to do things. Then the negotiation part takes place, doesn’t it? So I’m not so much involved in that. That’s for the agents and the football clubs that are involved but I would say that the two or three that I’ve spoken to are very keen to come sooner rather than later and the same on our side. Let’s see, there won’t be anyone in before this weekend.

There seem to be more players entering the final year of their contract, is that a modern football player thing?

I think it’s two ways. The player will want the best contract for himself. It’s different cases for each player. If it’s a player that’s a main starter, obviously, there’s a bit of a negotiation going on and there’s a bit of honesty. There’s been a lot of change in the club recently so if you put yourself in the shoes of the player and the club, are you going to commit to another three-year contract not knowing who the new manager is and the way things are going to go? I think that’s only natural. There are one or two that are at a different stages of their career and they have to keep showing what they’ve done previously that they can do that moving forward. All those conversations will happen in the coming days and weeks. I think, for us as a staff coming in, we came into a club with a lot of injuries. We had a heavy schedule over the Christmas period and we’ve now come out the other side of that and barring five minutes in the derby it would’ve been perfect. I think we’re in a positive place moving forward. Now it’s me deciding who we should move forward with and then if it’s one or two of the players that are out of contract, can we give them an offer based on where we think they’re going and their value in the future? Or their age if they want to sign, so those conversations will happen now if they haven’t happened already.

There has been some criticism of James Tavernier, not just from the game at the weekend but also at different points this season, where do you stand on this?

Listen, I think he took a high-pressure penalty at a big moment in the game and scored. I think [Daizen] Maeda got the better of him for the first goal and there were a few mistakes in both goals. I thought Maeda started the game well and at times I thought Tavernier did well. That is what happens when you are playing against good players, at times in games you have to tussle through it. James has my full backing. He has a young one now [Adam Devine] who is wanting to play and I like James when he has someone breathing down his neck as I think we saw the best of him when Nathan Patterson was chasing him down. I am sure we will get a reaction out of Adam as I thought he did really well in three or four games. Likewise, when Ridvan Yilmaz is back fit then Borna Barisic has got to want that competition. Everyone does, not just James. The reality is we haven’t had that much, and players have not be worried whether they are going to be playing or not.

Will there be any loan deals in January?

No loans this month. I will explain why. We do not need anyone to come in this clubs for six months or for the short term. We do not want that. We want more certainty as I think there has been too much uncertainty with players. I want to take that uncertainty away in terms of the clarity and the standard in how we want to play. There are also situations with people that over the next three of four weeks I hope we get to end of with the majority of them. Anyone coming in now will be with a view to them being a really important players for Rangers over the next two or three seasons. I think it is really important.

What characteristics do you look for in a Rangers player?

There are two things, on the pitch and off it in terms of are they the right person to come into our environment. There are a lot of good players out there, but will they be the right fit? They have to come to fulfil a very specific role and know what they are doing. I don’t really like changing people so if I see someone outside who looks good, I think the easiest way to transfer talent is to put the same things around people. You might see someone come in who is a ready-made player or there might be one or two that make you think, that is an interesting one. Rangers have done things like that before, when there is a player brought in with him promise, but you will definitely be able to see how a player fits into our team. I think in terms of being around the building, and with the players I want to work with, I am a development coach. That is where I come from, and I am all about development and growth as taking on yourself. I only want people in here young, hungry and vibrant to take this club forward. Ultimately, you have to take yourself forward. That is what we have to do inside the building, people who want to improve themselves. So the individual first and then that builds into the whole team. That is a little bit around the conversation and that is why it is better to meet someone and get to know them across a table and get to know where they are going in life. I think when I sat someone, the football part in my mind, in terms of what they are going to do in the pitch, is already in place. Then it is all about if I can get a connection with them. We work in a unique way each where each player has a member of staff who works closely with them as a guide and drives them every day. However, the person that has to own it is the player and I need to see that. I do not want anyone who is on the top of their mountain and is coming to Rangers to sort of sit at the top of the mountain. I want people who are still climbing it and are hungry. Basically, I want a player version of what the management team is, which is a group that has to prove a lot.

Are all the names coming in players who you were previously aware of?

Yeah, the club would have had lists and would have been working in a certain way as all clubs do. Our recruitment side is very strong in terms of if I want to go and recruit a player I can and get them in-house. I do not need to go through lots of contacts. I like to get my own feeling and I like to take a gamble. I believe in development and helping people perform. I do not think any team in Scotland buys the finished product. I think we have to work upwards with players. The players that come into this club will be chosen by myself along with the recommendations of the recruitment staff. No player will come into Rangers without the manager's say so. In my previous time at the club that never happened either.

(Image: NQ)

How is John Lundstram?

He will be fit for the game at the weekend. It was a really sore one he took, and he did it against Hibernian. He got caught in the ribs and it really flared up as he had problems breathing in the days after. He has not been able to do much training between games. He took an injection and then took a whack the other day. Naturally, knowing John, he has that tough scouser mentality and he wanted to continue. After the game, he was in a lot of pain. It was a big moment in the game the other day and it has not been spoken about. John is the fittest player in our midfield, and he has been playing the most so to lose him was not ideal. We then concede without him on the pitch which was frustrating, but he will be back for this weekend.

How does it feel to be named manager of the month?

I had not even been thinking about it before it was announced. It is nice; however, it is not the award that I want us to have but listen the credit goes to the players. I have changed a lot in terms of the playing style since coming in as well as the way we train and the intensity. The players have had to take on a lot and I have chopped and changed the team a lot to get to give opportunities. It was not me who scored in the 96th minute at Aberdeen, it was Scott Arfield. If that doesn’t go in, then I am probably not getting the sward so fair play to the players. It is a nice one but not something I want to dwell on too much.

Update on Filip Helander?

He is a fantastic player who for whatever reason in the last year and a half has been unable to show it. I thought when he was fit, he was always an excellent player for the club. I do not think anyone wants to be injured and Filip certainly doesn’t. I think on a personal level while he has been out his wife has given birth to twins which is lovely for him as a dad. We get on really well and at this moment in time he has to focus on his rehab and if he gets through that and is fit at 29 then he has a great future ahead him. We have to remember that he came from Serie A and was a full international before the injury. We have to remember than when people are injured sometimes the perception is that people are happy to be injured. I can tell you that he is not, and he is in rehab every day.

What is the latest on Nnamdi Ofoborh?

His situation is still with a specialist as you can imagine with that sort of situation the public and the staff here are not experts. You have to seek specialist advice and get more than one opinion. He has been able to do some physical activity but the care and the duty in this one is really big. There is no news officially on it and it is still in the background. I am up to speed with it all but there is a bit of privacy with one as well.

Update on Tom Lawerence?

Tom was away seeing a specialist yesterday to just get an idea of what comes next. He has had a little bit of discomfort so I know we had said he might be on his way back at the end of this month but that might now be in jeopardy. When players come back from rehab, we had Connor Goldson come back three weeks ahead of schedule and sometimes there are delays for other players. There is no good or bad news with Tom as he is where he is. We still need to get an update on that one.

Have you been speaking to a midfielder this week and is it a different type of midfielder you are looking to add to the squad?

I am looking to raise the technical ability across the squad as you always do, and I am looking for someone dynamic and athletic. I am also looking for someone who I think can come and play in front of our crowd and relish that opportunity. If you are trying to get something specific out of me then you won’t. I am trying to look at players in all positions who are good enough to play so this month so there is a world of opportunities.