Under-fire Michael Beale ‘hugely confident’ he can get Rangers fans back on side

Defiant Michael Beale admits he doesn’t need any assurances over his future as Rangers manager, claiming he remains “hugely confident” of getting supporters back on side.

The Englishman confessed he is not concerned about his position after coming in for criticism from sections of the Ibrox support following the damaging Old Firm defeat to a makeshift Celtic team.

That followed a disappointing Champions League qualifying exit at the hands of Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven, crashing to a 7-3 aggregate defeat to heap further pressure on Beale’s shoulders.

Beale spent almost £15million on new signings this summer, the majority of which have yet to prove they are an upgrade on the likes of recently departed Ryan Kent, Antonio Colak and Alfredo Morelos.

The Light Blues boss insists he doesn’t fear the sack but indicated that his new-look side must start winning games again as he bids to turn the club’s fortunes around.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Beale said: “Listen, I don’t need assurances (about my position). I’m part of a plan in terms of where we’re going as a club. It’s something that I’m fully aware and involved in. Ultimately a manager needs to win games of football and the last two we didn’t win.

“So we need to get back to winning and we’ve got seven games in 22 days now, so there’s a good opportunity for us to do that. I don’t think there’s much time for talking now, we need to make it up to them (the supporters) on the pitch and see some positive results.

Asked about the reaction from the Ibrox crowd at full-time after losing to Celtic before the international break, Beale commented: “The fans were sharing their frustration and anxiety with the way the start of the season has gone, I think that’s quite natural for any group of fans to express that. Look, I’m hugely confident (of getting supporters back on side).

“I thought the last game that we played, there was no reason to lose the game. There’s a decision that sends the game in a certain direction and it’s regrettable that we lost. We could’ve performed better, I’ll own it, the players will too. Now we need to show our worth in the coming months.”