Neil Banfield, former Rangers coach, has spoken up about his time at Ibrox and revealed why Michael Beale’s spell in Glasgow was “always going to be difficult”.
The Englishman returned to Gers after serving as Steven Gerrard’s assistant, but it was not a happy return, as the former Liverpool coach was fired after only ten months in command.
Banfield worked as one of Beale’s assistant coaches, and looking back on his time at the club, he recognized it would be a difficult task.
He told Football Scotland, “I believe it was more up than down.” It was always going to be difficult because of the amount of turnover we had; I believe the chairman and CEO both resigned, and Michael was in a situation that he had to deal with before we could bring in players.
“A couple of outcomes never went our way, Aberdeen and the Celtic one as well, but when you bring a lot of new players in to come to Glasgow, they have to settle down, find out how Glasgow works and the club, it was always gonna go that way.
“We discussed the fact that we would face some difficulties, but we all thought we were headed in the right route. Some players you sign and they don’t work; when you bring in the amount of guys who came in through turnover and the ones we inherited, I believe it was a little harsh what was said about us, to be honest.”
Regardless of how things turned out, Banfield enjoyed his time working in the Scottish Premiership with Rangers.
He said: “Rangers is a great club and I loved my time there but it’s difficult because you can understand where the fans come from, you can understand it’s not just about football it’s about being on top in Scotland,” he went on to say. “That fuels their ambition, and with the time you have, you must keep pushing and striving to be first. It is challenging at times since circumstances are beyond your control!
“One or two signings took off right away, while others needed some time, and it doesn’t always work for them. But the amount of turnover and players who came into the club, the way Michael wanted to develop them, the team he inherited, some who chose to leave, and those we wanted to bring in, it was always going to take time. I’m not saying the manager isn’t doing wonderful work right now, but it was done by the work we did before.
