Rangers have announced the appointment of Mick Beale as their new manager.
The 42-year-old, who was previously assistant to Steven Gerrard at Ibrox, has left his role as QPR boss to take over from Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who was sacked last week.
Upon confirming Beale’s appointment on a contract until the summer of 2026, Rangers declared him as “undoubtedly one of the most sought-after young managers in British football”.
“It is fantastic to be back and to see everybody this morning, there are some new faces but some people that I know really well so it is great to see everyone,” Beale said. “I am hugely proud, it is a wonderful, wonderful football club, it is an institution. For everyone that works here it is a huge privilege, but to be the manager of this football club, that is extremely special. Some wonderful people have sat in this chair prior to me, and I am hugely proud to be the person sat here now.”
Beale only became a manager in summer 2022 after QPR lured him from Gerrard’s backroom team at Aston Villa in June. He made a swift impact at Loftus Road as he led the club to top spot in the Championship a little over a month ago before they failed to win any of their last five matches before the World Cup break.
The Londoner’s impressive start to management in west London drew the attention of Wolves in October. He turned down a move to Molineux, but has been unable to resist the opportunity to return to Scotland.
QPR’s director of football, Les Ferdinand, admitted it was “a blow” to lose Beale. “Naturally we are hugely disappointed to lose Mick,” he told the club’s website. “Our extensive research when we were looking for a new head coach highlighted him as being very much aligned with the direction we are moving in as a football club.
“The start to the season we have made, coupled with very attractive football being played, gave us cause for optimism as we looked to build on the previous three seasons. That optimism remains but there is no doubt it is a blow to lose Mick so soon into his tenure.”
First-team coaches Neil Banfield, Damian Matthew and Harry Watling have also left QPR to join Beale at Rangers. B team manager Paul Hall will take over first-team duties at Loftus Road while the club look to identify a new head coach.
Beale has a little over three weeks to prepare his team for his first game at home to Hibernian on 15 December. The Ibrox side are currently nine points adrift of city rivals Celtic at the top of the cinch Premiership and are out of Europe after losing all six of their Champions League group matches.