Ally McCoist ‘not worried’ about Michael Beale joining QPR Rangers as he draws comparison to Steven Gerrard following ‘loyalty and integrity’ comments

Ally McCoist says he is not worried about the appointment of Michael Beale as Rangers boss after recent comments about “loyalty and integrity”.

The Queens Park Rangers boss is set to complete his move to Ibrox to replace Giovanni van Bronckhorst as head coach.

Beale is a well-known Glasgow figure having been part of Gerrard’s coaching staff before joining him at Aston Villa when he moved to the Premier League club in November 2021.

The 42-year-old was given his first managerial role when he was offered the post of QPR over the summer, a role where he showed his undoubted potential.

However, having been linked with both Wolves and Aston Villa within months of his appointment, Beale conducted an interview in which he spoke of “loyalty and integrity”.

After turning down the Wolves job, Beale said: “It came a bit too soon. It is my goal to work in the Premier League, as it is for all our players.

“The idea is to try to go there ourselves as a group. When we are well, there will be speculation.

“One thing is for sure, Wolves are a fantastic football club, they are a historic football club. It was a real privilege to be asked to go and talk to them, but I didn’t think it was the right one. moment because I made a deal here.

“Integrity is a very big thing to me and loyalty. You don’t give it to get it back, but if those are the things you’re going through in that moment, when you’re put in a position, you must be strong by them.

“I don’t think we’re far from where I want QPR to be as a group. I like working with them, we have a lot to do, but it excites me.

“There are going to be bumps in the road, but I’ve been everything here and asked other people to be everything.

“So I can’t be the first person to run away from the ship.”

With a departure just over a month after those comments, McCoist says while Beale may regret his choice of words, it sounded like an interview given by Steven Gerrard when he left Rangers in 2021.

Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast about his comments, McCoist said: “It doesn’t worry me. Just to qualify, the same thing happened when Steven Gerrard left.

“I remember Steven being interviewed and there were rumors that he was leaving Rangers at that time and he was asked if he was happy and he said, ‘Of course I’m happy. , do I look happy? then he was gone 10 days or two weeks later.

“It’s a situation similar to this. It doesn’t surprise me because it happens with players, it happens with management and with coaches moving on, I think it’s just a bit of a shame that that quote came back to bite Michael.

“We’ve all said things that have come back to bite us, but it’s something he won’t be happy to read this morning.”

He added: “You can guarantee this is the quote QPR fans will be talking about this morning.”

Stuart Pearce echoed McCoist’s sentiments, saying: “If you ask a manager if he’s loyal to the club he’s with at the time, chances are you’ll get a ‘yes’.

“I don’t think there are too many who will say, ‘no, I can’t wait to jump ship – the sooner the better.’

“It’s a natural part of the game. QPR would probably say ‘yes, we trust our manager’ and then all of a sudden the following week he’s gone.”