Whether Rangers announce a new manager this week is likely to be purely down to Queens Park Rangers manager Mick Beale at this point, according to this morning's Twitter update from Alan Nixon (23/11; 11:17am).

However, the Gers are thought to be keen on knowing their former assistant manager's stance soon or are likely to move on to other candidates (23/11; 11:11am), with as many as six other candidates also believed to be in the race to succeed Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Both The Scotsman and the Daily Record have reported that Beale is currently at the top of their target list at this stage, with the Scottish Premiership outfit seemingly keen on bringing a familiar face back to Ibrox.

 

 

As of yesterday morning, QPR haven't received an approach from the Gers regarding the services of the 42-year-old but the latter are seemingly focused on making him their new boss after seeing him enjoy success at the club alongside Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.

According to Nixon (23/11; 11:15am), they aren't even at the interviewing stage yet due to their focus on Beale, but the reporter believes they may need to start this process shortly with the Scottish side not guaranteed to succeed in their quest to appoint their top target.

However, they still have over three weeks to go until they are back in league action, giving the board plenty of time to secure a new man.

The Verdict:

This will be another test of Beale's loyalty and there will be questions asked of him if he does move on - because many QPR supporters would be asking what has changed in just a matter of weeks.

Although he already has ties to the Scottish side, he rejected the chance to move to the Premier League with Wolverhampton Wanderers last month and some would argue the chance to link up with the Midlands outfit is just as good of an opportunity as the one he may get with the Gers.

The West London outfit have suffered from poor form recently and that's what will make the 42-year-old's move to Ibrox look bad if he does make the switch.

Beale will know that, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he turns down another approach, something that would only help to build his popularity both inside his current club and amongst the fanbase.

You can understand why he may be tempted by this potential switch because he's already been at Rangers before and would have the chance to manage in European competitions - but will his loyalty to his current side pay dividends for the English outfit again?