Working up Rangers sympathy for Michael Beale is hard but I'll tell him one thing he better ditch – Hugh Keevins

I have worked with 22 permanent or interim managers at Ibrox since I got into this racket 53 years ago.

I like to think I know instinctively what determines if they’re on a roll or about to face the firing squad. Michael Beale is presently standing somewhere in between on shifting sand. It’s hard to work up sympathy for him. I’ve always believed he exerted undue pressure on predecessor Gio van Bronckhorst, with that high-profile appearance in the directors box when Gio was in danger of becoming the redundant.

But the Englishman has been treated savagely since the defeat from Celtic two weeks ago and, on a human level, it has been unpleasant to watch and hear. The strain showed on his face at his pre-match press conference on Friday morning. But, since Willie Waddell in January 1970, nothing alters the basic requirement to win and avoid making excuses.

Michael should ditch all that stuff about Rangers’ analysis department telling him it’s a good sign when the team has the least XG against record. Whatever that means. The only analysis department he has to deal with is formed of men, women and children seated in four stands inside his home ground.

And the European tie against Real Betis this week will provide the most accurate barometer of which way the wind is blowing. If he wins it’ll be calm. Until the next time. Anything else and the jury may retire to consider their verdict of guilty. Put that in your data base and remember it.

Meanwhile, Nobody paid their respects to history when the 150th anniversary of the first Scotland-England international was marked at Hampden on Tuesday night.

And that, after all, was supposed to be the object of the exercise. Respect was nonexistent for anybody or anything in the toxic