They say you should never go back. Not that Mick Beale appears to be taking much notice of tired-old cliches.
According to the Daily Record, a familiar face is the current frontrunner to take over a seat previously occupied by Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Rangers. Beale is, the report claims, tempted by the prospect of picking up where he left off at Ibrox.
The Robin to Steven Gerrard’s Batman during Rangers’ 2020/21 ‘Invincibles’ campaign; Beale was, in the eyes of some anyway, the ‘brains behind the operation’. And his reputation as a potentially top-level tactician has only been enhanced by an impressive start to life in his first senior managerial role south of the border at Queens Park Rangers.
“I haven’t spoken to Michael or Rangers about this. But I expected Michael’s name would be mentioned for the role at Rangers,” admits QPR director Les Ferdinand. “He did such a good job while he was up there working with Steven Gerrard.
“I don’t want to have to fight to keep anyone at QPR. I want people who want to be here. That’s the only way we can move forward.”
With Rangers nine points adrift of Celtic and in dire need of a rebuild, Beale won’t be dealt an easy hand if he does indeed opt for a new challenge at his old stomping ground. But history is littered with managers who proved that, sometimes, the so-called ‘curse of the ex’ can be overcome.
Carlo Ancelotti – Real Madrid
Ancelotti needs no reminding about the cut-throat nature of football at the highest level. A high-profle sacking was his reward for leading Chelsea to second place behind Manchester United in 2011/12. Ancelotti then became the latest victim of Florentino Perez’s trigger-happy tendencies at Real Madrid. He bit the bullet just 12 months after leading the Spanish giants to their fabled La Decima crown. Talk about gratitude…
So eyebrows (or eyebrow, in Ancelotti’s case) were understandably raised when the affable Italian returned to the Santiago Bernabau last year, on the back of ill-fated spells at Everton and Napoli. Four trophies already in his second spell – including another Champions League title – prove that rumours of Ancelotti’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.
“Why did I return to Madrid? Because they needed a coach. It’s simple,” Ancelotti explains. “It was a great dream to be back. This is not my decision. Real Madrid had the confidence (in me). And now I’m enjoying it.”
Zinedine Zidane – Real Madrid
Until 2017, no manager had ever won Europe’s biggest prize for two seasons in a row. Zidane made a mockery of that, however, leading Real Madrid to three successive Champions League titles during a period of success almost unprecedented even for a club of their proud continental history.
Zidane returned to the Madrid dugout just 10 months after departing, Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari both falling short of the sky-high standards he set during his first spell.
Jose Mourinho – Chelsea
The nature of Mourinho’s painful and drawn-out departure from Stamford Bridge lingers. But while his second spell in West London may seem like a cautionary tale for any manager considering a return to his old stomping ground, it should not be forgotten that Mourinho led Chelsea to the 2015/16 Premier League title.
26 wins, just three defeats and an outstanding points total of 87. Chelsea can only dream of such a campaign these days.
Jupp Heynckes – Bayern Munich
Nearly a quarter of a century passed between Heynckes’ second Bundesliga triumph as manager of Bayern Munich and his third. That 2012/13 title made up 33 per cent of the club’s remarkable treble-winning campaign a decade ago. The now-77-year-old would even return for a third spell five years later, before adding another league title to his enviable collection.
Harry Redknapp – Portsmouth
South Coast native Redknapp appeared to have burned his Fratton Park bridges when he made that controversial trip down the M27 in 2004. An FA Cup triumph at Wembley three years later, only Pompey’s fourth ever major trophy, was exactly what the doctor ordered as Redknapp belatedly secured his place in Portsmouth folklore.
Marcello Lippi – Juventus
Accumulating 13 trophies during a silver-coated stint at Juventus either side of the Millennium, it’s easy to forget that the 2006 World Cup winner actually spent a year-and-a-bit in charge of Juve’s bitter rivals Inter Milan in the midst of that dominant run. Like Redknapp, Lippi discovered that silverware is one effective means of getting supporters back onside.
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