Exclusive: Rangers journalists weigh in on key figure in Gerrard's backroom staff who could help Aston Villa soar đ§
No one should be selling Gerrard short as a manager but his coaching team have played an integral role in Rangers' success both domestically and abroad
Having brought the title back to the Ibrox Stadium following a 10-year hiatus, Steven Gerrard called time on his leadership of Rangers to jump at an opportunity with Aston Villa.
The former Liverpool skipper's tenure at the club could have got off to a particularly rocky start, however, had one man decided against accompanying the Englishman to the West Midlands: Michael Beale.
The ex-No.8âs assessment of his assistant coach, who has travelled with him to the Premier League, certainly indicates just how highly regarded Liverpoolâs former head of academy coaching is.
âWhat I'll never do is try and do someone's job who is better than me at doing that job,â Gerrard spoke on The Robbie Fowler Podcast.
âFor example, I'd been working on a coaching team behind the scenes when I'd been manager of Liverpool's U18s and 19s for some time. People wouldn't believe how close I'd been watching certain people to take with me when the opportunity eventually came.
âNow, I haven't had the luxury of retiring early from the game or not having been a player in terms of having that pitch time to really become a coach who's done so for 20 years, like Brendan Rodgers, [Jose] Mourinho or Michael Beale.
âIt would take me 15 to 20 years to get as good as Michael Beale as an on-pitch coach, to deliver sessions on a daily basis, so I let Mick be Mick Beale because he's the expert and has the skillset.
âBut, what I do is make sure I'm there for every session and make sure I'm in the middle of every session. If I feel I need to step in then I will.â
Whack Jurgen Kloppâs name in place of Gerrardâs and Mainz ahead of Liverpoolâs youth teams and the quotes in question wouldnât look entirely out of place being attributed to the incumbent Reds boss.
Thatâs not to suggest weâre leaning too heavily on the comparisons between the two coaches, certainly not with analysis clarifying that the former England international is very much his own man as far as coaching is concerned, despite taking partial inspiration from Kloppâs men for his tactical setup with Glasgow Rangers.
[Gerrard watches on as Liverpoolâs U19s prepare for a UEFA Youth League game]
Nonetheless, the now Villa bossâ approach to management does undoubtedly mirror Kloppâs own thoughts on the importance of supporting experts - a notion that has been backed up in our own conversations with writers close to his former employers, Rangers.
The Athleticâs very own Jordan Campbell painted a picture of a compulsive winner whose vision has been well-complemented by his hand-picked assortment of backroom staff.
âI think for Gerrard it would have probably been pretty difficult to countenance going to any team without Beale but I think thatâs the same for the rest of his coaching staff; I think he sees them as one team,â the Rangers writer exclusively spoke to EOTK Insider. âHe was pretty forensic in identifying who he would need to complement himself when he was moving from Liverpoolâs academy to Rangersâ in 2018.â
Itâs a viewpoint shared by The Heraldâs senior Rangers reporter, Chris Jack, who was keen to highlight just how neatly Beale has filled a gap within Gerrardâs managerial toolkit.
âOne of Stevenâs strengths as a manager is that he knows where his weaknesses are and he has spoken many times about the importance of the people that he surrounded himself with at Rangers,â the journalist told EOTK Insider.
âSteven was clearly the figurehead and the main presence, but Rangers wouldnât have had the success they had last season without the work of Michael, and the other staff.
âPlayers that have worked under Michael speak very highly about the quality of his sessions and his delivery and he offered something that Steven couldnât provide in that regard.â
The coaching combination is one that has clearly paid dividends thus far.
But how well are Steven Gerrard and his team likely to fare in the West Midlands - particularly following a mid-season switch (and an ill-advised one at that in the eyes of some) to the summit of English football?
Whilst on paper the duo of Beale and Gerrard appear to have their work cut out for them in the Premier League, with the Villans close to peering over the edge of the relegation abyss in 16th, a number of commentators were optimistic when discussing the Birmingham-based outfitâs latest managerial appointment.
Certainly, with a solid foundation having already been laid out by the prior head coach, Dean Smith, and an exciting squad boasting the likes of Leon Bailey, Tyrone Mings and Liverpool-linked John McGinn available, itâs an arguably stark contrast to the project Gerrard and co. initially faced at the Ibrox back in 2018.
The transformation that followed in the years Steven Gerrard and his team got to work in Scotlandâs western Lowlands indeed proves that they are more than capable of supplying their own springboard for success where necessary.
However, the switch to England has been panned by some on the basis of their prior employment, with there being a failure on the part of some neutrals to hand the Scottish top-flight the respect it deserves.
âIâm probably more optimistic about how Gerrard and his team will fare than some other people,â Campbell said.
âI find some of the responses to the appointment of Gerrard pretty condescending to Scottish football.
âMaybe thatâs because Iâm Scottish but thereâs this belief that, oh they were only coaching against x, y and z in Scotland but that also ignores 54 games in Europe where theyâve beaten Porto (theyâve taken four points off Porto), four points off Feyenoord, theyâve beaten Benfica twice and only collapsed in the last ten minutes of both games, theyâve beaten Galatasaray, the first team to go through four rounds of qualifying in the group stage, beat Braga, got to the Last 16 two years in a row.
âDoes that not mean youâre a well-coached team who are capable of competing at a higher level? Because some of those teams are as good if not better than the bottom half of the English Premier League.
âSo I think thereâs a bit of snobbery towards achievements in Scotland and I think theyâve shown they can create a dominant team in Scotland, which is about possession and breaking teams down and playing fluid football and being creative. I think theyâve shown in Europe that they can adapt.
âGerrard and Beale donât just have one way of playing, they have shown that they can adapt and they will do what it takes to win.
âI think Gerrard only ever lost by two goals or more five times I think in his whole time at Rangers â Bayer Leverkusen once, Slavia Prague once, Celtic once, Aberdeen once.
âThere were not a lot of times where Rangers were ever out of a game, even when they made the step up to Europe. Thatâs because of the consistency in the way they played and understanding the team structure and their identity of play. Rangers are a very well-coached side and I think thatâll be the same at Aston Villa.â
[Michael Beale: the contributor to or mastermind behind Rangersâ success?]
Given Bealeâs clear talents within the field of coaching, the question remains as to when the prospect of picking up a set of reins for his own managerial role will look too enticing to refuse.
For now, it seems that the 41-year-old is getting more than enough personal satisfaction out of being a part of Steven Gerrardâs backroom staff.
We shouldnât be quick to rule out the possibility of the Englishman making that professional leap down the line, however.
âMichael has made no secret of his desire to be a manager in his own right one day and he will not be short of offers when he feels the time is appropriate to make that move,â Chris Jack said. âHe was always likely to follow Steven to Aston Villa, though, and I think he will be enthused by the challenge of working with Steven and the staff there.â
This followed a similar theme to Jordan Campbellâs thoughts on Michael Bealeâs move to England, with the reporter highlighting the mutually beneficial nature of the relationship between Gerrard and his first-team coach: âI think heâs happy with being Gerrardâs assistant because his only first-team experience before Rangers was at SĂŁo Paulo with RogĂŠrio Ceni.
âHeâs only got four yearsâ worth of experience in the first-team, so maybe he sees Villa as the last apprenticeship.
âHe can clearly coach first-team players and is comfortable in that environment and capable of doing a good job but maybe working alongside Gerrard does help you with that other side.
âThere will be things that Gerrardâs picked up from Beale and things that Bealeâs picked up from Gerrard in terms of man management, handling a dressing room and authority, and all those intangible things that Steven Gerrard clearly possesses with that sort of aura.
âI think Beale is happy where he is, otherwise he would have taken one of these opportunities.
âI think one day heâll go it alone, and some thought he might take over from Gerrard at Rangers but I donât think that was ever likely at this time but maybe in the future that might be something that happens.â
With Jurgen Klopp set to call his Liverpool career a day in 2024, provided that no further negotiations take place between the ex-Borussia Dortmund boss and the Reds hierarchy over the possibility of an extension, discussions around the future of Gerrard and his coaching staff will inevitably intertwine with those revolving around Kloppâs.
The Reds legend has certainly made it clear that heâd be more than willing to entertain a fairytale reunion with the club that he spent the vast majority of his playing career with - a point heâs previously balanced by insisting that Liverpool fans would not be particularly keen to see the back of Klopp.
But given the experience his assistant coach will be hoping to garner in the West Midlands, will the point of a further switch to a role as ginormous as the Liverpool job - not to mention the prospect of a continued partnership with Steven Gerrard - be enough to keep Beale satisfied with a supporting role?
âWeâll see how it goes at Aston Villa but if theyâre successful there and the Liverpool gig does come calling one day then thereâll be a bit of a decision whether they fancy going back to Liverpool,â the Athletic journalist told EOTK Insider.
âWill he take the step there or would he go one more step to Liverpool then go?
âThese are all hypothetical things but when the timingâs right for him thatâs when heâll step aside.
âClearly he's in demand so I donât think his stockâs going to fall anytime soon.â
Possessing such a fluid relationship on the training ground, with both men filling in for the otherâs limitations, itâs difficult to see Aston Villaâs new complement of staff failing to meet the high expectations of its owners.
Thatâs not to say that the opportunity wonât challenge Beale and co., but thereâs a sense that, collectively, Steven Gerrard and his coaching staff have all the tools available to make a success out of their move to the English top-flight.
For Liverpool fans, there will be a temptation to focus exclusively on Steven Gerrard as the sole architect behind any potential change in fortunes.
In a similar fashion to Jurgen Klopp, however, Gerrard wonât want the contributions of his backroom staff to be overlooked.
Certainly, if Aston Villa undergo a transformation of similar proportions to that which took place in Glasgow, one might imagine that it will become increasingly difficult for Bealeâs name to stay hidden from the limelight, not to mention from the shortlists of clubs around the UK.
If youâre of fan of this kind of content, all completely ad-free, then feel free to hit the subscribe button below and become an EOTK Insider. Dig into exclusive tidbits reserved only for our subscribers!
Create your profile
Only paid subscribers can comment on this post
Check your email
For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.
Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.