Ex-Rangers star Scott Arfield reveals he knocked back Scottish interest to move to MLS
RANGERS managers never get the luxury of having time on their side.
A draw is often a disaster, while a defeat will be seen by fans as a full-blown crisis.
But as the clock ticks down to the start of Michael Beale’s first full season in charge, Scott Arfield knows his former gaffer will always find a way to get it right.
The midfielder was one of five high-profile Ibrox departures this summer.
Yet Arfield insists the foundations were laid long before the arrivals of Kieran Dowell, Dujon Sterling, Jack Butland, Abdallah Sima, Sam Lammers, Cyriel Dessers and Leon Balogun.
He had a ringside seat as Beale threw himself into the most important recruitment drive of his career.
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Arfield said: “I spoke to the manager at length — probably from the first day he came in, but more so from February time up until the end of the season.
“Ross Wilson leaving and going to Nottingham Forest put more onus on him to bring those players in.
“In my understanding, the manager must have more than 24 hours in the day because he just gets things done.
“He finds time for everything. He’s personable, he’s a fantastic man, a family man, and he’s totally obsessed with football and Rangers.
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“To have him as a manager, every supporter has to count themselves lucky. There are good times coming.
“With his backroom staff as well, and James Bisgrove and John Bennett stepping up, the squad is in good hands now, and hopefully we can see the best of it next season.”
Arfield was in right at the start of Steven Gerrard’s Ibrox revolution in 2018.
Five years on and another massive Rangers rebuild is underway.
Having watched Celtic sweep the boards last season, Beale is under huge pressure to deliver silverware success.
As Arfield settles into his new life in North Carolina, his former team-mates are being put through their paces at a training camp in Germany.
The 34-year-old insists Beale will leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of glory for the Ibrox side.
Arfield added: “Even in Steven Gerrard’s time in charge, the manager had such a big impact.
“I remember doing a couple of bits of press, and he always stated he wanted to be a manager at a club of that size.
“That’s always been Michael Beale’s aspiration.
“He’s replicated some of the training since he came back. I know they are doing runs that we used to do and hate, but my God, they helped you.
“The players will be as fit as ever. And with a manager like that, he’s just obsessed.
“He’s obsessed with the fine details. He’ll be in a meeting room really backing it up.”
Arfield has been impressed by the quality that’s checked into Ibrox over the course of a hectic summer of recruitment.
The seven new signings are in addition to Rangers’ January captures of Todd Cantwell and Nico Raskin.
More arrivals are expected to follow with Beale’s new-look squad not complete just yet.
Arfield insisted: “I always rate Rangers’ chances to win the league.
“We came up short on a couple of occasions, and obviously last season was disappointing. But certainly with the manager there they are as good as anybody.
“With the new players coming in, I’ve seen a few of them and still speak to some of the boys.
“They are confident and all saying that they have recruited really well.
“It’s all well and good doing it in training and in things that don’t matter.
“But why you sign for Rangers is to really have it in big moments when big players are expected to step up.
“Hopefully we’ve signed six or seven of them this year.”
After five years in Glasgow, Arfield rejected offers from home to move his family to a new challenge in America.
The former Canada captain — who hasn’t ruled out a return to international football — made his first start for Charlotte against FC Cincinnati in a 2-2 draw last weekend.
Many Rangers fans were sorry to see him go, believing he still had plenty to offer at Ibrox this season.
But Arfield insists the decision to move on was in the best interest of everyone at the club as he looks to a new chapter in his career.
He added: “It all stems down to playing consistently.
“I want to play, I want to wake up on Sunday morning sore from the output that you put in on a Saturday. That is the best feeling — when you know you have represented your club.
“You might have had a big moment. It is the greatest feeling to have. And I wasn’t getting that on a consistent basis. That was the biggest thing.
“I feel as if I have got big moments in my temperament.
“Technically, I have still got it. Hopefully I can show it in a different league. But there is no ill-feeling at all.
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“Michael Beale and me have still got a very strong and amazing relationship. There are no hard feelings on my behalf.”
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