Rangers manager Michael Beale insists that the summer will be a time of regeneration at Ibrox, but if he’s not careful he can still lose plenty of fans before then.
The former Ibrox assistant has enjoyed a bright start to life in Glasgow, taking 13 wins from his first 15 games, and whilst all of them are important, a failure to win the League Cup has heaped the pressure on the coach.
There’s a lingering feeling that this squad should’ve been overhauled in the summer, with the club’s recruitment of the last four windows under serious scrutiny.
The fact James Sands has just returned to NYCFC before the end of his loan deal is a damning and quite frankly unacceptable indictment of the club’s business last January.
After chucking the league then, the club’s ageing and lacklustre squad has been on a downward spiral whilst Celtic have usurped the club as the nation’s Champions. And then some.
Michael Beale must save Rangers face to have unified backing in summer
The weekend only served to prove the size of a job that Michael Beale has on his hands at Rangers and the notion that this Ibrox board will deliver on the player front remains one of great doubt in the stands.
Whilst the summer will naturally bring excitement with new faces, judgement can be reserved for when they actually sign, but that won’t be the case for the current squad or Michael Beale.
Michael Beale claims that he knows this team well enough having been on a journey with them before, and if that is the case, then he’ll be well aware of their propensity to buckle under the pressure.
The club, fans, and players need to dust themselves off from Sunday’s disappointment heading into the last 12 games of the Premiership season.
With a Scottish Cup also on the line that shiny piece of metal in particular needs to be waved at the Ibrox support in order to salvage some Rangers legacies.
But a failure to keep pace at the top of the Premiership or to earn another Hampden date with destiny will put huge pressure on Michael Beale heading into phase two of his time in charge.
Dreams of a hot summer might be enough to have us thinking beyond the situation at hand, but if Michael Beale wants the entire club unified from top to bottom then he better enter it with a sense of pride still remaining at Ibrox.
Meanwhile, Michael Beale has also been dropping a major hint regarding potential transfers.