Back when Michael Beale had his first taste of an Old Firm game, everything had been ticking along nicely for Rangers until Celtic arrived to rain on the parade. It was the autumn of 2018 and after a 12-game unbeaten start to life under Steven Gerrard, with Beale at his side, Rangers lost 1-0 to an Olivier Ntcham goal in a reminder that Brendan Rodgers was the boss around these parts.
What was said then will be said again today should Rangers lose the derby with Beale in charge for the first time. He will hear that it is all very well beating Hibs, Aberdeen, Ross County and Motherwell but Rangers managers are judged by how they deal with the neighbours. Just like that game in 2018, Rangers come into this game at Ibrox with an encouraging unbeaten run — albeit only four games this time — and again they must cope with a Celtic team which has looked irresistible.
If they are beaten this afternoon the gap will grow to 12 points at the top of the Premiership — stick a fork in the league title, it will be done — and Beale can wave goodbye to his honeymoon period.
So far he has been a calm and unflappable presence and there is no reason to suspect he will suddenly start trembling because he is in charge of the biggest game of his young managerial career. Beale has assessed their performances so far with admirable candour and clear-headedness. He has not been especially impressed or satisfied with the displays despite the 100 per cent record. As he put it on Friday, if Rangers put in patchy performances “there’s something in the post,” meaning dropped points sooner rather than later. A manager who will not sugar coat things is encouraging for Rangers, or it will be if he goes on to show that he is capable of signing younger and better players and making them more consistent.
Beale had 13 Old Firm games in his first spell at Rangers, the last of them as de facto dressing room leader because Gerrard was absent due to Covid. That happened to be Ange Postecoglou’s first derby at Celtic and Rangers won 1-0 through a Filip Helander header. “Our record was very, very good over the piece,” Beale said. “I don’t think many managers had a better one, maybe one or two. We had some really dark days and some fantastic days.” In Gerrard and Beale’s first two seasons the derbies went 4-3 in Celtic’s favour before Rangers won five and drew one of the subsequent six.
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All eyes are on Beale. He will be expected to react and deliver if the game is getting away from Rangers. His is the face the cameras will linger on, craving expression and response. This 42-year-old south Londoner is both rookie and veteran given how well he understands the fixture from the inside. He will know what his captain meant when James Tavernier said of every Old Firm game: “The emotions can affect a lot of it because tactics can go out the window, more or less. It becomes about who can put their stamp on the game — the first headers, tackles. It’s about being controlled, not relaxed, with the way you are playing.”
Beale and Postecoglou might roll their eyes and groan at the idea of their precious tactical masterplans being so readily disregarded, but they will recognise that Tavernier knows what he’s talking about. Attitude, energy, aggression and commitment are huge in the Old Firm maelstrom and collectively those factors can be a leveller if an otherwise superior team — as Celtic are — has an off day. There are several recent examples of either Celtic or Rangers unexpectedly failing to show up for a derby. Giovanni van Bronckhorst did not do well enough to last beyond a year at Rangers but on two occasions — in the Scottish Cup semi-final in April and last season’s final league game at Parkhead in May — his men had the fire and willpower to secure a win and a draw when a couple of Celtic victories were widely predicted.
“Six or seven months ago we were in a European final and we have only lost a few players out of that squad,” Tavernier said. “So we know the heights we can get to. Recently we have shown a real grit and determination to go into games and get the wins that we needed. We have got to take every ounce of experience into a game like this and apply it.”
Tavernier has seen it all in 27 derbies: eight wins, two draws, 17 defeats, many of them early pummellings when Rodgers’ side was in its pomp. “It probably hurt more in the early days because the results weren’t there for a long period of time,” the Rangers captain said. “In the first few games, you hear all the noise around the game and you don’t really know what to expect so you build it up as the absolute biggest game. If you lose you feel like you are going to die.” If they lose, only Rangers’ fragile title hopes will.
Celtic have more points, many more goals, have conceded fewer, and have the superior statistics when it comes to xG, average possession and successful passes. Their average age is younger and it shows. The numbers point to them winning again or at least extending their run to five league derbies without defeat. Beale can impose his 4-2-3-1 style on other SPFL teams and plant his full backs high knowing they can probably cope with most counterattacking threats. It’s different here. It would be enormously risky given the speed and movement of Celtic’s midfield and attack. The sensible play would be to go defensive, which could successfully frustrate the champions but might be seen around Ibrox as raising a white flag in terms of the title.
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Beale’s men will make chances though. When there is not an insurmountable gulf in quality between Celtic and Rangers the team which is hurting from the last time, and which truly needs a result the most, and which is at home, usually does OK. Celtic will win the league regardless, but today is no formality.
