I took a wage cut to join Gers but I wouldn't have gone if I knew what lay ahead (2024)

MICHAEL BEALE has revealed that he took a wage cut to take over his dream role as Rangers manager.

But the ex-Rangers gaffer and coach has now admitted that he would never have left QPR to take the job at Ibrox if he knew so many key figures would end up leaving the club.

Beale, 43, was appointed Light Blues boss in November 2022 but he only lasted 10 months in the position before he was axed by Gers chiefs after suffering three defeats in his first seven league matches at the start of the 2023/24 campaign.

But despite his disastrous start to that season, Beale reckons he deserved more time and patience from the board and supporters due to large exodus of personnel behind the scenes, including sporting director Ross Wilson and chief executive Stewart Robertson.

The club were in the midst of a huge rebuild both on and off the pitch and the axed boss says he was left with less time on the training pitch and was out of his comfort zone as a coach and new manager.

He claims that he had to bite his tongue while fans were unaware of the extent of turnover from boardroom to players, leaving him with added responsibility across various departments.

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Beale has since watched John Bennett give Gers fans a clearer message regarding the club's finances, allowing his successor Philippe Clement to continue his work with less pressure from punters on the pitch.

And the 43-year-old wishes he was given the same support from the board when he was in the Ibrox dugout.

Speaking on the Mindset For Sport podcast, he said: “We went into the season with a lot of change. There had to be a greater awareness - I wasn’t willing to say it publicly - it was going to take time with so much change. The new season came, we won eight drew two and lost four and I left.

“If we had explained a bit better about the process we were going through it could have prolonged and it’s sad the way it ended for me personally but I’m listening and looking to what the chairman is now saying about Philippe Clement which is really important because we didn’t communicate like that last year when the situation was the exact same.

"Rangers needed a big of a turnover of players and financially the wages, with getting in theChampions Leagueand the bonuses and increases players got, that had to come down again. They’re the things people don’t see.

"I was thrust into a situation that was a little bit alien to the skills I had. Thankfully the new CEOJames Bisgrovedid all the contract negotiations and financial stuff.

"But from April to the time I left in October, I wasn't able to spend as much time on the training pitch as I had before by being pulled from losing a sporting director and CEO.

“Unfortunately around April time the sporting director Ross Wilson left which was a big thing for me as Ross and the CEO Stewart Robertson were people I knew from my time with Steven (Gerrard), along with the current chairman John Bennett.

"They were two of the guys who met to speak about coming back and the offer was less than the offer from QPR to stay.

"This was made with the heart but I knew I had those guys around me and Zeb Jacobs was the someone I identified for the Academy head coaching job.

"I felt I was going back to a club I knew everyone but Ross left, the CEO was leaving, the Academy manager and the chief scouts all left and I found myself in a situation that wasn’t one I would have signed up to in November.

"I love Rangers Football Club and the time I had there but when I went in we were really pushing and come the summer a lot changed.

"Out of those who left, the only one I really didn’t want to leave was Fashion Sakala who did really well for me but he had an offer to triple his wages and the club had an offer of about £4m for a player they signed for free. It was frustrating.

"The other guys all wanted to leave so it wasn’t like you were holding anyone back. Malik Tillman was a player who we wanted to buy but Bayern Munich trumped us and part of the agreement was they could buy him back."

Beale was left stunned when his predecessor Giovanni van Bronckhorst was shown the door at Ibrox despite what he achieved at the club during his time at the helm.

And looking back, the 43-year-old has admitted the warning signs should have been there for him when the Dutchman wasn't afforded more time at the club.

Beale continued: “When you look at Van Bronckhorst he won the Scottish Cup and got to the Europa League final. He was a penalty kick away from winning it and qualified for the Champions League after that so for him to lose his job early was a surprise but even when there’s a warning sign in that three’s not much patience you still want to take that opportunity.

"The first period was good but when you lose 15, 16 players and the main players in the final third it’s not rocket science to say the next team won’t start the season plain sailing.

"I probably wasn’t aware the finances weren't what they were when Steven was there. It was about spending and selling to make the net spend low and bring the wages down.

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“Managing and coaching are two different things. With a sporting director, CEO, head scouts enabled me to coach and have an opinion on other things.

"At this moment in time Celtic are best financially so you need snookers. I left with 73 per cent win percentage so in my eyes the team would have kicked on. I’m still a fan and wish the new manager well.”

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