AS Michael Beale showed since returning to Ibrox last winter, he is more than up for carrying the challenge to his counterpart on the other side of Glasgow, whether that be on the pitch or through the back pages.

The passive-aggressive barbs at Ange Postecoglou did seem to get under the big Aussie’s skin a little, but it was only after Celtic had wrapped up the league title that his Rangers team managed to give them a bloody nose on the field of play, earning an emphatic 3-0 win at Ibrox in May.

He is now relishing the opportunity to take the fight to former colleague Brendan Rodgers on all fronts from the very start of the new campaign, with the Rangers manager confident in his team’s ability to hold their own as they look to wrest the league title back to Ibrox.

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“It is good for the league that Brendan has come back because he is a good coach,” Beale said.

“He is someone I am familiar with all the way back to my time at Chelsea and Liverpool. It is good to see him back but I have to just concentrate on us. 

“He is a good manager, and he will look to strengthen. My job is to make sure we are as strong as possible.

“I’m looking forward to it. The fixtures come out, it makes it reality, we’ve an interesting one straight away at Killie - a tough place to go live on SKY.

“So, there’s lots to look forward to. When we come back from our trip [to Germany] we will know a couple of days after who we are playing in the Champions League.

“So, there’s a real excitement about the start of the season. I sense the excitement from the fans as they’ve new faces to see, they’ll be looking forward to seeing what those boys can bring.

“In the time since coming back into the club, the points total in the league was pleasing. Now we get a chance to start from the beginning of the season and hopefully these new players coming in have improved us. I think they have but the most important thing is showing that on the pitch.”

Beale has noticed the heightened expectation during this summer compared to when he first came to the club as Steven Gerrard’s assistant, but he is urging his players to join him in embracing that expectancy from the stands, rather than being cowed by it.

“The club is in a completely different place to when we arrived in 2018,” he said.

“The expectations are higher. Then, the hope was big. Now the expectation is much higher. The belief is a lot higher within the fanbase as well, it’s important that we embrace that.

“I’m hugely motivated and excited about that. We are able to get the targets that maybe back then we fell short of getting.

“One or two of the boys that have arrived this summer were on those lists back then. We’ve now managed to get them, so I am delighted.

“I’m not worried about the expectation outside. No one could have more expectations for this group of players than me and my staff and the players inside.”

What is helping to energise Beale is the revitalisation of a squad that had, he concedes, grown a little stale in some areas.

Great servants to the club like Allan McGregor, Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent have moved on, but while grateful for their contribution, Beale says that fresh blood was sorely required.

“A lot of those players had been on a fantastic journey,” he said.

“There were not many I didn't know. But, some were at a different moment in their time at Rangers it is fair to say. The bundle of energy they were when they came in…they had experienced a lot and had a bit of change in between.

“Then it was about keeping the team moving forward. Now it is a different motivation. It is about bringing new energy.”

He has certainly done that, with six new arrivals checking in for pre-season at Auchenhowie already. There are sure to be others.

“If you ask any manager, they will always say they are one player away from having a full pack,” Beale said.

“We are definitely ahead of schedule, and I’m delighted with the work we have done.

“It has been a huge effort from a lot of people. A lot of the time you don't see what goes into a transfer. It is not just about me going to meet the player - that is the nice bit. Not every club wants to move as fast as you.

“Some clubs in some countries realise the window runs until the end of August. We want players in for the start of pre-season so we have done really well in the negotiation part which is down to James Bisgrove.  

“My part comes before that when I meet the player and his family. You would be surprised how early I went to see certain players, including Dujon Sterling.

“There was only one player I met who I felt was not a good fit. He was a very good player but not a good fit. You get in a room, and you get a feeling.

“The club has a rich history, we play in front of packed crowds each week, a lot of the games are live on Sky, and we have European football. There is a lot for players to be excited about. 

“You just try to explain how you think they are going to fit. The negotiation with the clubs is the difficult bit. That is when you feel it is out of your control.

“When you meet a player then that is in your control.”

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Just as new players come in though, it follows that some others may find it hard to maintain their place in the Rangers squad, and Beale says there will be more players who leave before the start of the season proper.

“I think that’s natural,” he said. “We’ve front-loaded a little bit. If you heard me say previously that I want a tighter squad this season.

“In terms of the recruitment, it was easier to do some ins because some of the players were out of contract at their previous clubs. In terms of the outs, a lot of people say it’s still early in the window. It opened on the 14th of June and runs until the end of August.

“There will be some outs naturally when we started getting to the nitty gritty when we’ve got all the internationals back in Germany and we start practicing.

“I think people will realise they’re going to have to really fight, and it may be natural that one or two feel there are better options for them elsewhere.

“We are open to that. The key, core players who were playing in the last few games at the end of the season who played so well are here.

“The additions that come on top of that make us stronger. It would be fair to say that there will be one or two outgoings.”