Michael Beale has faced the ultimate irony following his departure from Rangers.

The Englishman was this evening sacked by the club following a dismal start to the season.

Rangers lost 3-1 at home to Aberdeen on Saturday which proved to be the final nail in the coffin of Beale's tenure. 

They fell seven points adrift of Celtic as a result of the defeat at Ibrox, and it was their third Premiership loss already this campaign.

Beale lasted less than 12 months in the post after he was drafted in to replace Giovanni van Bronckhorst last November.

They say history has a weird way of repeating itself - and that appears to have been the case here.

With intense pressure mounting on Van Bronckhorst last October, Beale suddenly appeared in the Ibrox main stand one Saturday to take in Rangers beating Aberdeen 4-1.

The Dutchman was undoubtedly firefighting at this point to save his job at the club, and the appearance of the then-QPR boss in the stadium most certainly caught the eye. At the time Beale claimed the visit was purely to catch up with old friends.

Van Bronckhorst survived a few more games, but the end eventually came around four weeks later as he was dismissed during the World Cup break. That followed on from a draw at St Mirren.

Now, Beale has paid the price for poor results and performances - with the loss to Aberdeen being the final straw for the Ibrox board.

A club statement reads: "Rangers Football Club can confirm it has parted company with men’s first-team manager, Michael Beale.

"The Rangers board would like to put on record their thanks to Michael and his staff for their efforts since joining the club last November.

READ MORE: Michael Beale sacked by Rangers as club announces interim manager

"Results this season have fallen short of what everyone connected to Rangers would expect.

"Therefore, the decision was reached today to terminate the contract of the manager, as well as the contracts of coaches Neil Banfield, Damian Matthew, Harry Watling and Jack Ade.

"The club is pleased to announce that Steven Davis will lead the interim management team.

"The team will consist of former Rangers player and hugely experienced coach Alex Rae, former Rangers player and current coach Steven Smith, coach Brian Gilmour, and goalkeeping coach, Colin Stewart."