Neil McCann praises Rangers’ attacking transformation under Michael Beale

Former Rangers winger Neil McCann believes the Ibrox club have improved their attacking play since Mick Beale took over as manager last month.

McCann pointed to Rangers’ midfielders making more penetrative runs into the opposition penalty area as evidence of progress under Beale.

Beale was appointed as manager after Giovanni van Bronckhorst was sacked with Rangers lagging behind bitter rivals Celtic in the Scottish Premiership table.

The new boss has given Rangers’ flair players greater freedom to express themselves in the final third, while also demanding central midfielders support attacks by following up their passes into the box.

This approach has led to midfielders chipping in with more goals to supplement the strikers, which McCann feels is a key development.

Neil McCann praises Rangers’ attacking transformation

Speaking on BBC Scotland’s Sportscene, McCann said: “I thought Rangers played really well at times, there was a good fluidity about them. They’ve got players that are hitting the box now which I felt in games maybe gone by they didn’t quite have that.”

Although McCann believed St Mirren also performed well in their narrow defeat at Ibrox, he feels the scoreline may have flattered the visitors. “Michael Beale might think not but I thought St Mirren were good today as well,” McCann added.

The revamped attacking strategy under Beale seems to have won over Neil McCann, who spent six years with Rangers across two spells.

Having more players arriving in scoring positions and sharing the goal burden with the strikers has made Rangers a “better side” going forward, according to the 46-year-old pundit. Beale still has work to do to overhaul Celtic, but reinvigorating Rangers’ forward play is a step in the right direction.