I can’t be the first person to run away from the ship- the video clip that will define Micky Beale
Soccer Football - Championship - Queens Park Rangers v Wigan Athletic - Loftus Road, London, Britain - October 22, 2022 Queens Park Rangers' manager Michael Beale reacts Action Images/Paul Childs EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Micky Beale really has shown his naivety in the management game.
After 22 matches in charge of QPR he has notched up nine wins, five draws and eight defeats to leave his side in seventh place in the Championship and knocked out of the League Cup by League One Charlton.
It is a decent steady start but as someone now slow at putting himself forward Beale has overstepped the mark with comments and actions that will ensure he is soon back in coaching as a reluctant number 2.
An early impressive run of results brought him to the attention of Wolves but talks didn’t take place never mind a job offer being made.
Beale just couldn’t keep quiet about it, bringing it up in media interviews, discussing how important integrity and loyalty is. What a sound decent guy QPR supporters thought at the time.
The clip below is typical of him. ‘I’ve asked other people to be all in here, I can’t be seen to be the first one to run away from the ship’.
Remember this? @MichaelBeale ? pic.twitter.com/D2hqdwzAff
— Ricky Tuitt (@RickyTuittQPR) November 24, 2022
Since that interview Beale has done everything to engineer a move to Ibrox short of padlocking himself to the marble staircase.
After a Friday night loss for QPR at Birmingham, he turned down the chance to watch his side’s midweek opponents Norwich in favour of a tacky visit to Ibrox. QPR drew at Norwich then lost their next four matches.
With Giovanni van Bronckhorst under pressure Beale dropped in on The Louden Tavern and Grapes Bar to demonstrate what a staunch bear he really is. In the Directors Box he was high-fiving with Connor Goldson while van Bronckhorst dug out a 4-1 win over Aberdeen.
Not content with that the QPR manager then joined Darrell Currie for a podcast to reflect on the historic 20/21 behind-closed-doors SPFL title triumph.
For good measure he stated that if Steven Gerrard had stayed on at Ibrox they’d have won last season’s title.
The spotlight is now on Beale- does he really want the Ibrox job or does he prefer being linked with it rather than getting his hands dirty?
If he chooses to stay onboard at QPR he better improve on recent results which delivered one point from their last five matches.
Having cultivated his own image in just a few months in management results on the park will dictate whether or not e is to join Gerrard on the scrapheap.