Jack Butland has revealed the mood within the Rangers dressing room during Michael Beale’s final few days in charge.Last summer, compatriot Beale signed the Englishman on a free transfer as part of a rebuilding effort to challenge for the Premier League title. However, after failing to qualify for the Champions League group stage, Beale faced criticism for a poor start to the domestic season, and he was fired after a 3-1 home loss to Aberdeen at the end of September left the Light Blues seven points behind Celtic at the top of the league.
And in an interview on the BBC Scottish Football Podcast Butland, 30, has admitted that there was a general consensus in the squad that things weren’t working out with Beale at the helm. He said: “As a group, we were scrambling.
Butland added: “People see him as this big, bad character. He’s not, but he could be if he wanted to be. He’s the big, bad wolf with the media, but he has us in a really confident place. Tactically, there are things that he’s been drip-feeding into us all along about how he wants us to play. It’s about being efficient, about creating chances, getting that ball forward effectively and being extremely difficult to break down. It was the boring cliche – one game at a time. That’s the way it’s been since the manager came in. It’s bred into the lads now. It’s just next game, next game, next game. You’ve no time to breathe.”
Butland, an ex-Birmingham and Stoke City keeper, was challenged by an irate supporter outside Ibrox following the Dons’ defeat and revealed why he chose to listen to the dissatisfied bunch. “Many of the supporters decided to criticize us on the field, while others preferred the face-to-face encounter. Tensions are high afterward, and whether I win, lose, or draw, I always stop and sign something for the kids.
“There was a group of fans that wanted a little more interaction, which was OK. I was delighted to chat with them, despite the fact that camera phones and other such devices were unnecessary. We had a wonderful conversation, and I believe a couple of them got what they wanted from it in terms of venting their concerns. We didn’t need any more reminders of what we needed to do. I’ve run into one of those individuals a couple times since, and he has a lot more to be thrilled about now.”
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