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[Steve Russell]

Robbie Copeland for the Daily Record....

'Former QPR sporting director Les Ferdinand has revealed how things turned 'toxic' at the London club after
Michael Beale left for Rangers in 2022.

Beale is a less than popular figure at Loftus Road after his highly-promising spell in charge ended up lasting less
#than six months. After a flying start to the season, things were looking up and he professed his 'loyalty' to them
after rejecting an approach from Wolves. But then just a month later, he was accused of hypocrisy by many in the
English media when he left to return to Ibrox, where he previously served as Steven Gerrard's right hand man.

Ferdinand, who was sporting director there until last summer, said he was 'so disappointed' with the manner in which
he left - and that he left behind a sour atmosphere. He said on the Stick to Football podcast: “He had the players
eating out of the palm of his hand, then when he left and it got a bit toxic.

I was so, so disappointed. Like I said Michael Beale came from nowhere, nobody was talking about him.
People were talking, but he’d never been a number one.

“We looked at him, we looked at the criteria and we thought that’s what we were looking for. He came through the door
and he was fantastic. Even now people say to me, I know he’s had a couple of dodgy spells at Rangers and Sunderland,
but if someone was to ask me today I always said he will be a top manager somewhere. He’s failed in his last two quests.”

Opening up on that approach from Wolves, and his later exit to Rangers, Ferdinand revealed an honest chat he held with
the Englishman before he initially decided to stay. But he also claims he called his eventual exit to Ibrox long before
it happened.

He went on: “Wolves were the first club to come, and even then, and he’ll tell you this if you speak to him, Wolves came
in the day we were playing Hull at home. They came in, spoke to the CEO, and the CEO called and said, ‘can you believe
they’ve called on a match day?’.

“After the game I said to Michael, we need to say something to you because it’s going to go in the press tomorrow.
Michael said he didn’t know it was going to happen today. I said 'if you want us to continue being friends don’t lie to me,
because I’ve not lied to you the whole time you’ve been at this football club.'

“He said he knew they were coming in, but didn’t know it was today. I said 'what do you want to do? I’m the director of
football at QPR and I don’t want you to leave. Where we are and where we’re going I don’t want you to leave this
football club.'

“I had my QPR jacket on and I took it off. I turned and said, 'now I’m Les Ferdinand talking to you, and you’ve got to do
what is best for you and your family.' And he said to me 'now that you’ve done that and you’ve taken the badge out and
spoken to me like a human being, I can’t leave this football club.'

“Obviously he was being offered Premier League wages. He asked if we could change the structure at all so I went to
the owners and they were willing to change the structure for him.

“And then Rangers came in. To be honest, when he came to the football club and we’ve all done it. When people talk
to me about Newcastle it was the best period of my life in football. I have fond, fond memories of Newcastle.

Michael Beale had fond memories of Rangers. Whenever he spoke about any of the clubs he’s been at, Rangers was the
one he spoke about with most fondness.

“I always said to the owners if we’re going to lose Michael Beale, in a year or two, I think it will be to Rangers.
#That’s the only club, unbeknown they were going to come as soon as they did. Him thinking this may never happen again.
When he came to us and said he was interested, you know he’s not interested here anymore.”

[steveqpr881]

Glad it all went wrong at the Phoney Rangers - both for them, and for Beale.
He certainly got what he deserved.