Rangers have officially announced the appointment of Michael Beale as their new manager.
The former Queens Park Rangers boss arrives at Ibrox to succeed Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who was sacked by the Scottish giants earlier this month.
Beale arrives at Ibrox after less than six months in charge of QPR, during which he won nine, drew four and lost nine of his 22 matches in charge to guide the London club to seventh place in the Championship table.
The 42-year-old has signed a four-year contract at Rangers, whom he served as assistant manager to Steven Gerrard and Gary McAllister before following the former to Aston Villa.
Beale remained under Gerrard's wing during the former Liverpool midfielder's brief time in charge of Aston Villa, and he returns to Ibrox just over a year after his departure from the dugout.
Michael Beale is the 18th manager of Rangers with the club delighted to confirm his appointment today.
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) November 28, 2022
👉 https://t.co/y2LiNsBEyI pic.twitter.com/Tb3lkrEI23
"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 told the official Rangers website. "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."
Chairman Douglas Park hailed Beale's appointment as "very exciting", adding: "I am delighted to welcome Michael as our new manager as we aim to strengthen our on-field performance.
"Michael is a very exciting appointment for us, and his energy and ambition stood out both when he was here previously, and in the discussions we have had prior to him re-joining."
Meanwhile, sporting director Ross Wilson hailed the appointment of the Englishman after an "intense" period of negotiations with candidates, saying: "I am pleased to welcome Michael back to Rangers today.
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"I know how excited he is about everything that comes with the prestige of being Rangers manager. Equally our players and staff at both the training ground and at Ibrox are looking forward to working with Michael.
"He has a clear plan and will get to work with the group straight away along with the technical and support staff.
"Finally, this is a coveted managerial position and after an intense week of discussions, I wish to extend our sincere thanks to all of the excellent managers who we met to discuss the role."
Beale takes over with Rangers sat second in the Scottish Championship table, taking 33 points from their first 15 matches to sit nine points behind Celtic.
Beale's coaching team of Neil Banfield, Harry Watling and Damian Matthew are all set to join him for their first game in charge in a friendly against Bayer Leverkusen on December 10 before they resume competitive action against Hibernian on December 15.
Ben Knapton
