Alison McConnell: Michael Beale has quietened the noise but Rangers boss still under pressure

The pressure dissipated on Michael Beale this weekend with the win over St Johnstone in Perth but it is unlikely that the noise will silence on the back of one result.

The toxicity that lingered long in the air on the back of the defeat to Celtic was never going to be eased with just one win and, with Real Betis calling this week, another team in green-and-white could bring forth similar tensions as the club’s Europa League campaign gets underway.

Michael Beale suggested last week that his respect for Rangers means that he would not consider walking away and also stated that it was premature to be talking about his longevity at the club.

It is, however, rarely managers who get to make this call. And when the atmosphere around him has been a sour as it was, only an unblemished record between now and the visit to Celtic Park at the end of December will be sufficient to buffer him from such sentiments.

On recent evidence, the portents do not look good.

Chat about xG shots and least xG for shots may carry weight in certain quarters but it sounded like a desperate groping in the dark for something to cling onto.

Rangers fans will need to see significantly more substance before the conversation about his long-term future quietens.

He has not been helped by the horror injury to Danilo, his £5m signing who has three goals from four starts.

Caught in the face by the head of Liam Gordon he has required surgery on a gruesome looking compound fracture.

It won’t help Beale’s case as he prepares for another challenging week at the office.

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