Michael Beale on Rangers transfer kitty and McCrorie set for chance

Here is everything he had to say.

Is everyone fit after the international break?

We’ll be missing Nico Raskin still. He’ll return to training at the start of next week. He’s racing ahead with his rehab but it’s too early for him. Young Leon King’s is still missing and I think that’s it. Everyone else is available.

Is it a short-term thing with Nico?

It was an issue that came up within the 24 hours before the Motherwell game, a problem with his thigh. He’s had a couple of weeks now but he’s still not ready. He’s been out doing some light jogging. He’s telling me he’s ready to train on Monday so we’ll see on Monday.

How do you rate his chances of making the Celtic game?

Dundee United first, that’s at the forefront of our mind and next week I think he’ll be available. So will Leon King so we’ll get two more back for the next game but they’re not available this week.

Can it give Ryan Jack a shot in the arm being involved in the Scotland squad following the win over Spain?

For everybody in Scottish football, I thought it was a really top night. It was an excellent game and I thought it was a fantastic performance so well done to Steve and all the players. I thought it was a shot in the arm the country needed and it started off that campaign ever so well. Congratulations and I’m sure the return game’s going to be a really interesting one now. Obviously, Spain is a fantastic footballing nation and it was a big result. To get the two wins was fantastic for him.

Does it feel like April could be season-defining?

What I would say is we’ve just got to deal with each game, it’s what we have done since I’ve come in. This will be the 20th game this weekend and we have to respect each game that’s in front of us. We want to get three points this weekend against Dundee United. We’re respecting their position in the league as well. We’re playing against Jim Goodwin again so it’s a manager that knows us well and that’s enough for us to think about right now.

Did you spend the international break productively?

Yeah, really well. A mixture of giving the boys a couple of days and then working on things in training. There were some players that needed to do more than others who haven’t played so much. For boys like John Souttar, Ridvan Yilmaz and Ianis Hagi, it’s been a really good two weeks in terms of getting a lot of volume in their legs. Rabbi Matondo’s another one that’s now fit and pushing for a place in the squad as well so that’s good. It was a really positive time. The last couple of days we’ve trained ever so well and we’re looking forward to tomorrow.

Has there been any progress concerning players’ futures?

There’s been a lot of work the last couple of weeks speaking to players in-house and also us sitting down and looking towards the recruitment of next year as well. Unfortunately for you guys, I’m not telling you anything today but we have been talking and as soon we’ve got something to share we will share it. I think the most important thing is we have those conversations in-house and they remain private until everyone’s on the same page.

Have your confidence levels changed regarding the futures of Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent?

Nothing’s changed in relation to them. They’re both training well and they’re both available for selection. Again, with both of those boys, you’re more than welcome to ask me every week and get the same answer. We’ve spoken to them and it’s still ongoing.

Was it good to see Ryan Jack involved in the Cyprus game?

Fantastic. I thought for him personally being back in the Scotland squad was a reward for the really good work he’s done in the last three or four months. He’s played regularly, he’s been a strong performer for us and if you are in a big club playing well then the national team’s there. Steve’s always picked him and trusted him and I think that midfield for Scotland at the moment is particularly strong. They made changes in the second game and won both so for the national team it's good but first and foremost for Ryan and Rangers it’s a huge positive.

What does it say that he’s managed to get himself in that midfield?

It shows that the manager trusts him and every manager that’s worked with Ryan has always seen those qualities. It’s not just sometimes the things you see on the pitch, it’s how someone is around the training ground. In training here, he’s someone you can see loves his football and drives standards in training and other players feed off that. I’m delighted for him.

A landmark day for Allan McGregor, how would you assess his contribution?

Allan McGregor’s contribution to Rangers over two spells has been absolutely huge. If he plays tomorrow and gets to 500 appearances, the trophies that he’s won and just some of the performances he’s put in over the years has been fantastic. There are too many big saves to name but I remember one away at Slavia Prague in particular in the time I worked with him which was an unbelievable save in the Europa League. This is someone that is first in in the morning, he’s got a lot of rituals he goes through and I’m hoping the younger players in and around him, which they’re all younger than him, it rubs off on them. There are no secrets really when you see people like him and Steven Davis and the longevity they’ve had in their careers at a high level, the secrets of how they prepare and look after themselves before getting on the pitch and the way they recover. We’ve been very fortunate to have those two players in and around the club for a number of years.

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Have you made your mind up about his future?

Everybody that’s out of contract at the moment that we’re communicating otherwise, their contracts will run out at the back end of May. I don’t want to give you the same generic answers but that’s where I’m at with it at the minute. That will all stay private until we’re willing to disclose anything different.

Have you spoken to Fashion Sakala since returning from international duty after his Instagram post?

Yeah, it's strange, isn't it? Because he scored and got two assists, so they must be a tough crowd like Ibrox. Fashion’s a smiley happy lad. It was an interesting thing that he put out because I wasn't aware of it, that he was having that. I haven't seen the games. I saw the goal he scored and he got a nasty bump in that and actually had to train a couple of days since he's come back unopposed. He is available for tomorrow but he’s the same smiley, happy self. It just shows you, he's someone that's played in Europe for seven years now so when he goes back to play for Zambia, the eyes are on him. But I believe he and Patson Daka did really well last week for the national team and again they won their game. He’ll be okay.

Is he someone who won’t let that outside noise affect him on a match day?

No, I don't think so. I think he's in fine form for us. He's with a coach that really likes him. He's played regularly since I've come back into the club and he's rewarded me and the team and himself with some really big performances, especially away from Ibrox, in some important games.

Are you still waiting for a marquee performance?

Yeah, I think in the last six league games we've scored 18/19 goals. In that period, we've been away to Motherwell, we've been away to Hearts, been away to Hibs and we've got some big games coming up, so the opportunities are there for us. Football's never perfect, but we are striving for stronger performances each week. I think in the last month I didn't really want the international break to come. I thought we played really well in the last three or four games and certainly could have scored more goals. So when you're scoring threes and fours and you're coming off frustrated that you've not scored three or four more, that shows you what the team's capable of. So if they can reach those heights regularly, then we'll be in a good place.

Have you not given up hope it could be a really special end to the season?

No, listen, we just have to play every game in front of us. Our first thought's now Dundee and we have to give that the respect that game deserves and the three points. We haven't played for a couple of weeks so we're hungry to play and one place I do feel that I would like to see us play better is at Ibrox. I do feel that our strongest performances since I've come back to the club have been away from home. That's maybe because the style of the game and the spaces, so we're constantly working on the problems that different teams will challenge us. But I am looking for a performance at home, certainly and tomorrow gives us an opportunity to do that. I think it will be another tough game because Dundee have got a lot riding on this fixture as well.

If Allan McGregor calls it quits could you see a coaching role for him?

Yeah, he plays a lot of golf though, so maybe he sees himself joining a different type of schedule. All those things are open. All those things are actively being discussed behind the scenes. Me and Allan have got a fantastic relationship. I think you can't force coaching upon any player, regardless of how big their career is. It’s completely different, I don't get home until it turns dark and the players seem to be getting away from the training ground when it's light, so there's a certainly difference in terms of your schedule that you're used to and it's it is different playing to coaching. But if it's an avenue that he wants to go down, like a lot of our senior players, we actively, would like them to do that and we would help them, whether that's in the Academy or at the top end of the club. So I would say every avenue is open for Allan at the moment. He's concentrating on playing. I think he'd say that himself.

Do you see a pathway to the first team for anyone looking to be Allan McGregor?

We have to have pathways open here. What I would say is there's a huge demand and in most big clubs when there's a huge demand not everybody can play in those clubs. Young Robby has been injured pretty much the majority of my time here. He played in a behind-closed-doors game on Wednesday and that was his first game since prior to Christmas, probably December, November time. So when Robby's ready, I'll be giving him an opportunity to see if he can stake a claim to be a starting goalie here moving forward in the future.

There was an incident at the Rangers and Celtic Women’s game, what are your thoughts on that?

I didn't see it live, and I know that with the SFA and Rangers there’s an ongoing discussion around it. All I would say about Craig, it's is out of character for him. I think everyone that knows him in Scotland and knows his career and him as a man, it's out of character. The SFA, the club and Craig they're away having discussions about it.

Is there something about playing at Ibrox and the extra pressure that brings?

No, I think we love going and playing at Ibrox, it's an iconic stadium and it's a pleasure to go and play there. I just think at home, obviously, you're waiting for that first goal. You're trying to force that first goal early in the game and teams come and naturally are a little bit more cautious. Maybe in their home stadiums with their fans on their back they force them forward and it gives up some more spaces. I felt the last two or three times we've gone away from home, teams have generally thought they could beat us head-on, and it's made for really interesting games. I don't know if you're always going to get that home, certainly in domestic competition so we have to keep finding the way. Whether a team come and press us or they sort of do half and half or they drop off, we have to find the ways and different players are needed for different games. Some players excel in one type of the game and maybe from time to time people will go, ‘How come he's not playing this game when he played well in that game?’ Because the games different and what you need and that's the nice variety in the squad. I do feel that now we’ve got the majority of attacking players fit I do have a real good variety in terms of who I can select, and that's still without a Kemar Roofe and Tom Lawrence that will come back and add to that in the future hopefully.

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Do you have a good problem trying to fit Malik Tillman and Todd Cantwell in the same team?

Yeah, you definitely fit them in the same team if they deserve it with their training because at the moment it's hard to pick squads. You’re saying you have to pick it off the level of your training and your performances, so if they're both training well and in form, then you find a way to play those two players because they're two fantastic players and they've got a really good relationship off the pitch. In time I'd love to see that coming out more and more in big games because you'd like to think they're the future of Rangers.

Has Craig [McPherson] shown any remorse since the incident?

I haven't spoken to him about it. That’s away with the SFA and they've cited him and their discussions are ongoing. It would be unfair for me to comment more on that because I haven't spoken to him in person.

Is there still time for players to change your mind with the games coming up?

Of course, yeah, the goalposts always moving if you like, but what I would say is that our decisions have been made and we're very clear on decisions. We're very aligned. My relationship with Ross [Wilson] is really strong. We're completely aligned in the decisions that we want to make. It's now we're in the process of communicating it and we're respectful that we have 10 games to go, hopefully, 11 in the season, so when that's communicated outwards, there's a lot of moving parts in that. There's people's feelings, there's their careers, there's their futures and everything. But in terms of are we clear on our decisions? Yeah, we're clear. I've been clear. For a number of weeks, it's just when it's the right moment to communicate that outwards.

Do you have to realign your wage budget?

No, there's no restrictions on budget. There is money to spend in the summer. It's a good amount, I think for a Rangers manager compared to what I've seen in previous years. I'm really, really positive about the summer, but at the moment we're still playing this season. There's things to play for. I appreciate that everyone wants us to communicate outwards, which players we're signing, which players are going. It doesn't work like that. We've got to get this season played first and. 10 games is a fifth of a season still to play. We've got big games, as you've all just mentioned to me there, so being respectful to everyone and the players inside, you keep this in for a minute, but the work is a long way down the road. I get called regularly by different agents proposing players, but I'm a long way down the road with my thinking and with Ross and the club. We're really aligned on the same page and there's no need to go for one of us, because you're going for all of us because we're all aligned.