Michael Beale on Morelos' Rangers celebration and Neil McCann 'regret'

Here is everything he had to say.

Was it a pleasing one to look back on and analyse last night?

The game with Ross County comes thick and fast so we’ll just focus on that now but it was pleasing. It’s probably been coming to be honest in terms of the performance. At different moments in the games, we’ve played well in every one. I thought that was the most complete performance so far at a really difficult away ground. I’ve had some bad days there being involved with Rangers so I was delighted. I thought it was going to be a tricky game but we played ever so well.

Is that the performance you want to see going forward?

Each game is different and we have different problems to solve. At home, to St Johnstone, it was a more possession-based game and you’re beating a team that’s maybe putting a few behind the ball. Yesterday Hearts tried to go for us and most of our good play came from our pressing and regaining so it was completely different. To say that we can use that performance every game, it’s not true because in another game teams will maybe sit off us and not try to be as expansive. I thought Hearts’ style and our style clashed and we were stronger on the night.

How pleasing is it to have the options you have available to you?

I’m delighted. I’m really happy with the two boys we brought into the club but also the return of players from injury and a little bit of familiarity with the style. You’re seeing it come out more and more in every game. It’s what I sort of predicted would happen that if we got players fit, all of a sudden we would look stronger because competition would go up. It’s pleasing but we’ve got another game on Saturday and I just want to focus on that now.

Are you still waiting on clearance for Nicolas Raskin to be available?

Yeah, hopefully, that’ll come through. I know they’ve got a backlog so hopefully, a few nagging emails and they’ll push that to the front. Obviously after the transfer window, there’s quite a few players coming in but he’s an exciting one to have. We’ve got him forever, not just Saturday. I know there’ll be people desperate to watch him but a little bit like Todd, we’ve got to respect that we’ve already got a good team and they’ve got to come in and earn their way to play in it as well. That’s what should happen.

Has the increased number of substitutions been a help to you?

I do like the five subs. It gives you, as a coach, lots of options. Certainly, if you’re on the bench you feel like you’re closer to getting on because of the amount you can make. You can also make a bit of a pig's ear of it as well if you’re not careful. You can mess a game up but I like it. I think players over the next few years in all clubs are going to be used to playing 70 minutes and coming out which they don’t like. The three that I brought off last night weren’t exactly over the moon about coming off but I think it’s important that you feed the squad and you show the competition’s there. I think competition in training every day, it raises the training level. The levels we have in our 10v10s or whatever we do in training goes up and ultimately that pushes the performance levels. That’s what I remember us building towards when I was here previously and it’s what I’ve tried to do since coming back in is add competition.

Have you decided where you want to use Todd Cantwell and did you tell Raskin about Tynecastle which can be a cauldron at times?

Raskin was at the game last night watching so that was a nice introduction for him to see. I thought it was good that Todd came out. I did something similar with Malik a couple of weeks ago at Kilmarnock. I think some games in Scotland, if you’re new to it or younger, the game will open up as it goes on. I thought Todd Cantwell looked excellent when he came on last night but I definitely thought it was the right team that we picked to start. I wanted to play with a lot of speed in the final third. I wanted Ryan Kent to do a very specific job defensively and I thought he was outstanding. That goes amiss with Ryan. People talk about goals and assists but they don’t see how important he is to the structure of the team. I thought he was particularly strong last night in the way that he got around the holding midfielder of Hearts. With Todd, Todd is very similar to Ryan, very similar to Ianis, very similar to Malik. He’s got a lot of hybrid qualities and can play in different areas. We like that type of player. When we’re defending we want to defend always in formation, when we’re attacking we want to let people go and be a little bit free and I think that will hopefully make Todd enjoy his football. I think he’s clearly a very good player, it’s just obviously trying to integrate him into our team. I think it’s important as well that players realise we’ve got different types of players. I thought Fashion Sakala was very important to the game last night and that’s different to when you’re playing at home when you maybe need a Todd to open a door. Away from home, there’s a bit more space and you maybe need someone like Fashion. It’s important we’ve got all types in the building.

Can you give us a squad update?

Ianis will be back training today. We gave him a couple of days off after the weekend because he had quite a few heavy days going into it and then he played at the weekend. It was important to give him a couple of down days as he was never going to be involved in last night's squad. He will train for a couple of days now and we will see [for the weekend]. Kemar Roofe is back outside with the team, albeit unopposed but that is a really good sign. We might look at him for the weekend if we have to but if not we will push for next week. That is really pleasing news.

Update on John Souttar?

He is in individual training at the moment. He is going great guns. He had a little bit of a reaction last week. He was very close to being in the squad and then you are thinking he has not had a lot of fitness there. There is no need to push as our squad is quite strong and we have good cover. I do not want to be rushing anyone unless I need to. It was different when I brought Connor Goldson and Ben Davies back in the team. I rushed those two because I needed them.

In terms of individual players, you seem to have rejuvenated some of them. Glen Kamara did well last night. How do you keep them up to that standard?

I think competition is important. Goals and aims are important. I try to give them a lot of clarity. I never ask them to do something that I don’t think they can do. When I ask them to go and play, I ask Glen to go and be himself. When Todd came into the club, I asked him to be himself. He is best when he is able to be a bit free and go and pick up certain areas. I do not know if there has been an up kick in individual performances the players have just had a lot of clarity and I think collectively when Rangers have done well and beat teams in Europe and done well domestically, it has not been the individuals it has been the group. I thought last night was a good team performance and it is hard to pick one standout.

The defence is doing really well. Is that something you consider with regards to re-introducing John Souttar?

Connor and Ben have a good partnership. It is all well and good doing it on the training pitch but it is genuinely built on the field and having some tough and good moments together. I did not really want to mess around with that. Borna [Barisic] has come back from the World Cup and I thought some of his crossing last night was outstanding. James Tavernier also had his strongest defensive performance for a while. It just shows that the relationships on the pitch are important. Any team that is successful in any league probably has six or seven players playing 90 per cent of the games. I think if you look at teams that do well and go runs. That is the case. Earlier in the season, the previous manager and I have not had that. That gives the team a strong foundation and then you can try things from a confident place. I think when a team is doing well then it is easy to make two or three changes when you are not doing so well. I think we are in a place just now that is pleasing. I think we still have a long way to go if I am honest.

Is Fashion flexible?

I was around Fashion when we signed him. He played in a front two in Belgium and was very exciting. He played for a team who didn’t have a lot of possession so he was able to run in big spaces. He then comes to play for Rangers in a game that is completely different. That is going to take a bit of time. I always think he is very very dangerous, he is a very game-effective player. Does he take part in all the possession, does he take part in a beauty contest? Maybe not but is he very effective running in big spaces and over 90 minutes will he get chances to score or assist? Every game of football Fashion plays in that way. Whenever there is a game with spaces he is very effective. In our squad he is essential and I expect Rabbi Matondo to be very similar as well when he is back and fit.

Kamara and Lunstram fully fit now?

We definitely have our legs back I think. That has come through a tough schedule. We have our legs back and I think our understanding and our cohesion helps that as well. I was very disappointed with the last 20 minutes against St Johnstone. I changed the shape and after that I thought we looked dreadful out of possession. We went back to what we knew last night and we have our legs back. We have a collective understanding, I think it is the two things intertwined.

READ MORE: Rangers' convincing Hearts win showed Michael Beale's blueprint

How do you manage player frustration about not eating into the gap?

They can only do their job, can’t they? And I think they are doing it very well at this moment in time. I haven’t spoken to them to ask if they are frustrated, I have just spoken to them about playing the next game. I think last night people outside of the game and outside of the club were waiting for us to slip up last night. It was important that we laid down a marker and we did. That is all we can do. We go to Ross County then we can park the league for a minute because we have a really important cup game after that and then we have a tricky one away at Livingston. We have had some tricky away games back to back, so I think all we can do is focus on the next game. I think the competition in the building is what is driving the team on at the moment. We are not looking too far ahead other than the next game and trying to improve on very specific areas of each game. Last night was a step forward but I do think we owe our home fans a good performance as well. It has been a while. Probably the Aberdeen game where we put in a really strong performance. In terms of frustration, the frustration is probably there since before I came to the club. I haven’t lived that frustration. I can only play the games that are in front of me now.

Can you give us some clarity on Tillman?

I have a bit more clarity than what I can give out, obviously. It is a bit like in the transfer window when you guys are saying I am contradicting myself. I can only say so much. At the moment those three guys are playing fantastically well along with Fashion and it is hard for the other attackers because they have been relentless in terms of goals, assists and the chances they are making. I like all three of them a lot. I think they know that. Things are really calm at the moment but what I would say, if the three of them weren’t there then I think we are able to play without them at the moment. We have Todd Cantwell, Nicolas Raskin, Tom Lawrence, Kemar Roofe, Antonio Colak. We seem in quite a good place at the moment.

(Image: NQ)

Alfredo took a bit of stick last night from an ex-Rangers player, called him an "idiot" and said he was inciting the Hearts supporters. How do you feel about that?

I won't agree with that. I think the Hearts supporters were maybe trying to incite Alfredo for the whole 90-plus minutes. If we are going to say that players can't celebrate goals now, we might as well stop the game. There was a long stoppage for that goal and I think he went and celebrated - he was what, 20-plus yards from them? I think a lot is made about those sort of things in Scotland that is not made down south. I have never known this to be a big thing. When we score our second goal and our first goal we are two yards from their fans. We have got to celebrate the goal. What do you want us to do, not celebrate and then everyone say he's moody and wants away because he doesn't celebrate? I think Neil is obviously on the radio, he's passionate, he played for both clubs, he's trying to be impartial and he's said what he has said. I think he will regret that more than maybe Alfredo celebrating.

Do you want Alfredo to continue to celebrate like that?

I want him to really celebrate goals, I want the whole team to. It's the hardest thing in football to do. We are a team that when it is not going well we get everything thrown at us and when we are winning and winning away from home in front of a rival that's playing behind us in the league - they were unbeaten in ten games coming in - it was a big performance. I want people to play with passion, I want them to celebrate goals. It's not inciting, he wasn't right up in front of their face - if you look at it back he was at least 20 yards from the byline. I think VAR sort of stops you from celebrating and he's celebrated after. I think it is much ado about nothing. We should probably be talking about some of the abuse that comes the other way in our stadiums not so much the players celebrating goals.

What has clicked for Alfredo recently?

Just playing regularly and enjoying his football. We are creating a lot of chances. I think he could probably have a few more goals if I'm honest and that has probably driven him. That's two away at Kilmarnock and then two away at Hearts in the last couple of difficult away games. I'm over the moon with Alfredo at the moment, he's no bother to me around the building. So far, so good. Antonio is waiting on the sidelines, he's not 100 per cent fit but it's difficult when a centre-forward is in such good form - it's not really an area you would voluntarily rotate so it's difficult for Tony. Earlier in the season the reverse was true and Tony was scoring a lot so it is a good place to be in.

What are you expecting from Ross County?

The young player there, Yan Dhanda I had at Liverpool. He is in fine form at the moment, scored in the last couple of games. I think that Malky does a really good job, I think his team try to play the right way. He has used the loan market and the free market really well in the past couple of years and brought some interesting players into the league. It must've been really difficult for him to lose Charles Cook and Hungbo at the end of last season but he seems to have recruited well. They have always given us a difficult game at Ibrox - I remember some difficult moments against them and what I would say about Malky is he always sets his team up to try to win the game. They have got a different type of battle from now to the end of the season than we've got but it is important we put on a strong home performance. There will be changes to our team to keep refreshing it. I am looking forward to it. It is important we recover well because obviously they played on Tuesday and we played late last night so we get one day less to recover.

Are you seeing improvements every week to get to where you are looking to be?

That needs to be a regular, last night in terms of our energy and desire out of possession. Sometimes we get seduced by having the ball and we forget that our counter-pressing and our defensive work is really, really the foundation to this team's success domestically and in Europe the last few seasons. I won't stop staying on them until I see that becoming habits again rather than in isolated moments. I thought that was the key to last night's performance - that pressing and that running together and harassing Hearts meant they couldn't get out. We got them into their half and we kept them there. We attacked through the middle, round the sides, if we lost it we counter-pressed again - the centre backs locked down. They had quite a lot of pace on the pitch but they never got any joy because maybe Snodgrass couldn't get his eyes up to use his fantastic passing because we was in and around him. I thought we really suffocated Hearts for large periods of the game and then I suppose the only thing for me was can we score more? Because Zander Clark has a particularly good game last night but also we missed some big chances as well and that's the same as St Johnstone so it's probably been the same in every game I've been here that we have missed big chances to maybe to the perception outside to be a lot nicer than maybe it has been. Inside we know we have got a lot of work to do.