Giovanni van Bronckhorst has slammed Michael Beale for his visit to Ibrox as he fought to save his job at Rangers.
With pressure mounting on the Dutchman in the autumn of 2022, Beale suddenly appeared in the main stand at Ibrox, as he was treated as a VIP in the directors' box for a home game against Aberdeen.
He was spotted mixing it with punters in the Louden Tavern prior to the game too, with many raising eyebrows over the timing of his appearance.
Less than a month later, Van Bronckhorst was sacked by Rangers during the World Cup break after only 12 months in charge.
He was subsequently replaced by Beale, who himself only had just under a year at the helm of the club, after he jumped ship from QPR after only six months to take up the reigns in Glasgow.
Beale's public appearance at Ibrox in the lead-up to his moment in the sun received widespread criticism at the time. While Van Bronckhorst guided his team to a 4-1 victory that day, he was out fo a job soon enough.
And Gio has now spoken out about the situation nearly 18 months on, insisting he would never have behaved in that manner, as Beale stepped out of line.
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He told FourFourTwo: "I don't think you should really do that as a fellow manager. You shouldn't sit in the stands at a match when your colleague is feeling the pressure at that moment. I would never have done that."
Beale said of the matter in December 2022: "I’d been away a year. My plan was always to come back and do a game as a fan, really.
"I’d always wanted to come up and watch Rangers as a fan over the years then found myself working here inside. That trip was planned five or six weeks previously.
"If that’s the perception, I hope Gio doesn’t think that because it certainly wasn’t my intention. I just came back to watch the game and see a few people I hadn’t said goodbye to in the community I lived in."
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