An instant upturn of the vibe on the training ground would indicate what many have previously said about Michael Beale, with his close ally Steven Gerrard and Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez previously speaking of his quality.
In Gerrard’s time at Rangers, it was his first team coach who would lead the sessions which also showed a maturity of thinking from the Liverpool legend. That trend followed at Aston Villa in what was something of an eye-opener for some amongst their squad.
As can be seen from the clip below, the first few days of work at Auchenhowie depicts a positive, happy camp. The mood is lifted, as are the levels of intensity and uptake. It is a decent indication of what could be about to follow.
⚽️ The hard work continues at The Rangers Training Centre. pic.twitter.com/lre0vkvhLW
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) December 2, 2022
Beale’s manner and way of working stands out, continuing his efforts of the past only this time in a more prominent, leading position as the manager.
Steven Gerrard previously said of his relationship with him, on the Robbie Fowler Podcast:
“It would take me 15 to 20 years to become as good as Michael Beale as an on-pitch coach, delivering sessions on a daily basis, so I let Mick be Mick because he’s the expert.”
“What I’ll never do is try to do someone else’s job when they are better than me at doing it. A lot of people won’t have a clue what Michael Beale does on the training pitch, but what he does is really quite special.”
Thus, it was very much the revered coach who took on the mantle during their time in Birmingham where he continued to have a profound impact on Premier League players, with Emi Martinez of Villa and Argentina speaking on his take of the situation:
“It’s the first time in 14 to 15 years of my career that the assistant coach does all the talking,’ said the man currently performing in Qatar for his nation.
“He does all the training sessions, he takes all the important meetings. He knows so much about football, it’s just incredible. With Michael, we felt him and Steven were both the managers.”
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There is no doubting the quality or ability of Beale the coach, but how will he make the step up to manager in such a high profile role at this relatively early stage? That is the question that remains to be answered.
He started off well enough on his own right at QPR to be noticed by Wolves but chose to turn down a Premier League promotion of sorts, to later take up the opportunity he could not refuse.
At Ibrox, Mick Beale truly has the chance to propel his managerial career with plenty of time on his side for success and other ambitions in the game. That can only come with a winning outcome from a very tough challenge he knows all about.