Beale: Martin needs time at Rangers | ‘No mentality problem’

Former Rangers manager Michael Beale has told Sky Sports News that Russell Martin needs “patience” to get things right at the club, insisting mentality isn’t an issue.

The new head coach has drawn his first two Scottish Premiership games – against Motherwell and Dundee – and they already trail Old Firm rivals Celtic by four points.

Rangers do take a commanding 3-0 lead into the second leg of their Champions League third-round qualifier against Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday evening.

Beale, who was sacked by the Ibrox club in 2023 after just 10 months in charge, believes it is too soon to judge Martin’s performance.

“I don’t think we’ve seen everything from Russell Martin’s team yet,” he told Sky Sports News.

“One or two of his key new signings have not been available.

“They played very well against Viktoria Plzen last week, so it looks like they’re going to make a playoff game with Salzburg or Club Brugge, which will be huge for the club.

“I think in the summer the club has had a complete reset, and with that it’s going to take time for the new owners to really instil the culture they want behind the scenes, and for Russell as well.

“Russell’s got a way that he wants to play football. I think it’s different to the last coach, so give him time to implement that.

“The demands there are very unique, so those players need time to settle, so the result at the weekend wasn’t ideal, but there’s a long season ahead.”

Martin questioned the “egos and mentality” of his players after their opening-day draw at Motherwell before making big decisions on key players for their European match.

Beale, who was also Steven Gerrard’s assistant during his time in charge at Rangers, does not think that is an issue at the club.

“Each person experiences it in their own way,” the fomer Sunderland boss added.

“In the time that I was there with Steven, the management staff had stability for three years to build, so we were able to recruit to play a certain way.

“We certainly hit bumps in the road, but we had the fantastic season where we were invincible.

“No-one would question our mentality in that year, or in the big European games that we had back then.

“When I went in, we won 18-1, lost one of the first 20 games. I could never aim mentality at the players.

“What I do feel is it is a cauldron, and the fans are very, very demanding because of the history of the club and what they’ve seen, and also the journey over the last 10 or 12 years to come back through the leagues.

“The new ownership going in, is hugely positive for Rangers. It will give the club a real stable footing in terms of boardroom level because there’s been a lot of change the last two or three years from when I was in to following the next managers as well.

“I think the manager deserves and needs time.

“Patience is not a great word that’s listened to or heard in Glasgow, but that’s what he needs.”