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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Mark McDougall

Michael Beale makes Steven Gerrard Rangers dressing room claim as Ibrox tactician issues passionate defence

Michael Beale insists Steven Gerrard's ability to see the bigger picture is his management calling card.

The Rangers boss has had his critics after a dreary run in 2020 but is regularly tipped for the top by people who work alongside him.

Veteran striker Jermain Defoe was full of praise for his former England team-mate and now Beale has explained why people gravitate to the Anfield icon.

And his praise is also part of the reason Gerrard is often criticised - with his post-match honesty of his players splitting the Ibrox faithful down the middle.

(Getty Images)

Some have even suggested that the Liverpool legend may have lost the dressing room since the winter break as Rangers collapsed in the title battle with Celtic, but Beale disagrees.

He told the Athletic: “Who better to lead you than Steven Gerrard? He leads the club so well and he holds the dressing room so well.

“He understands the pressures of the first-team level and the tactical side of the game. He really enjoys that competitive side of football. The learning we got at Liverpool’s academy was fantastic and stood us in good stead. My part is on the pitch as a coach trying to bring that vision together alongside Tom Culshaw in terms of the technical practice.

“I just think Steven shows all the qualities he has as a human being. He speaks very well and he’s very humble with the time he gives people every day.

“He’s a hands-on manager. He’s really thought out the staff he wants around him and how they complement him. We’ve just brought on board Matt Konopinski, an ex-Liverpool physio. It’s the expertise he’s brought in around the whole club.

“One thing you look for in managers is how they hold a room with their communication: the way they are composed in the big moments of pressure and how they don’t put pressure on to the players. Steven has got that. I think he’s got that from ‘managing’ the dressing room at Liverpool for many years.

“The players and staff who support Liverpool watch their games together when we can. We can’t wait for everything to start again so we can see them pick up that Premier League trophy.”

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