Sir Kenny Dalglish: Not the time to panic, but Rangers boss Michael Beale faces a huge task

Everything Michael Beale did and said during and after last Sunday’s League Cup Final has been dissected and debated.

I watched the game, and believe Celtic deserved to retain the trophy. They were the better team.

The Rangers manager has been criticised in the wake of his side’s 2-1 defeat to Ange Postecoglou’s men at Hampden.

Principally, it was the manner in which the Light Blues lost that has led to questions being asked of Michael.

Some wanted to see Rangers being more aggressive and more creative. The fans, and some former players, also wanted to see him make changes at half-time.

But he waited, and by the time he introduced Nicolas Raskin, Todd Cantwell and Ryan Jack, the Gers were already 2-0 down.

Alfredo Morelos pulled one back, but it never looked like being enough.

Michael would have seen things during the Final that would have given him encouragement – and things that would have left him shaking his head.

Since he succeeded Giovanni van Bronckhorst, the early signs had been promising, and it was his first defeat since he took the job.

Things can still work out very well for Michael in the coming 18 months. But there is now pressure on him to deliver the Scottish Cup in June.

Gio won it last season, so Michael will be expected to retain the trophy. That’s only natural.

Whether he does or doesn’t win the silverware, he will still need to make a few changes in the summer.

For sure, he needs to bring in better players than what he has at his disposal right now.

It will be interesting to see how many he gets to add, and the level of spending he is afforded.

He said last Thursday: “We need starters, four or five of them.”

Michael also admitted that while a rebuild is required, he doesn’t have a fortune to spend.

So let us see what he is allowed to do in the summer transfer window, and then a proper assessment can be made.

But this is definitely not the time to be judging him. It is far, far too early for that.

Rangers need to show unity and collective strength in the coming months, on and off the park.

This is not the time for knee-jerk reactions and panic. There needs to be a period of calm and understanding.

The hierarchy needs to believe in Michael, and ride with him. They can’t sack a manager when one or two results don’t go to plan.

Rangers will never get the level of success they crave on a regular basis if they chop and change the manager every season.

It must also be remembered that they are up against an excellent Celtic side.

The Hoops are a well-oiled machine, on and off the park. They will not be removed easily.

But there are demands on Michael to find a way. And that’s how it should be at Rangers.

© Alan Harvey / SNS Group

Michael has an excellent reputation as a coach. Now he needs to build up how he is perceived as a manager.

They are completely different jobs. Worlds apart, in fact.

Some have excelled when they have moved up from coaching into management. Others have fallen by the wayside.

Time will tell if Michael is going to be successful and deliver the success demanded by Rangers supporters.

As ever, though, it will make for an interesting period in Scottish football. It’s never dull, that’s for sure.

But there has to be winners and losers. Some managers will lose their jobs and the successful ones will decide their own fate.

Right now, Ange is in a position where he can do no wrong in the eyes of the Celtic fans.

If he had lost the Final on Sunday, he wouldn’t have been under the same scrutiny as Michael as the big Australian has plenty of credit in the bank.

Rightly so. And if he wins the Treble this season, his stock will be even higher.