“That is a concern” – Beale right to be worried ahead of Old Firm

It might have been a comfortable win on paper, a 3-0 victory at home in which we created plenty of chances to score more, however, we all know that it wasn’t quite as straight forward as that.

Michael Beale was equally as unimpressed and, but for poor decision-making, and more than a slice of good luck, we could easily have been behind at half-time. To put it into context, we played better against St Johnstone before the World Cup and were 1-0 down at the break.

Speaking after the game, the Gers gaffer was quick to point out exactly where we are going wrong and that it is an issue that has to be sorted if we are to enjoy any success this season, as reported by The Scotsman:

“We need to find some rhythm quickly or we need to be much better out of possession. Because we are giving away the passes unopposed. That is a concern because it’s leaving us vulnerable.

“It’s not something I expected so it’s an area I have to work on in the next three or four days. January is a huge month, there’s a derby, a cup semi-final, a big cup game away, and we know we need to improve. Right now I would take results over performances but I know, over time, that we have to play better.”

Beale is right, it’s the same type of individual sloppiness that cost Giovanni van Bronckhorst his job, the biggest difference being that Ben Davies and Connor Goldson are there to mop up the mistakes rather than James Sands and Leon King.

Midfield remains a big problem because we are giving the ball away so cheaply when we are set up to attack, how the manager fixes this problem is his biggest challenge ahead of a, potentially, season defining fixture – and he has just four days to do it.