Why Rangers job was 'always going to be difficult' for Michael Beale

The Englishman returned to Gers after being assistant to Steven Gerrard, but it did not prove to be a happy return with the former Liverpool coach axed from his position after just ten months in charge.

Banfield worked as one of Beale's assistant coaches and reflecting on his time at the club, he always knew it was going to be a tough job.

He told Football Scotland: "I think it was more up than down. It was always gonna be difficult because of the amount of turnaround we had, I think the chairman left, the CEO left and Michael was in a position he had to sort out and then we got players in.

"A couple of results never went our way, Aberdeen and the Celtic one as well, but when you bring a load of new players in to come to Glasgow, they have to settle down, find out how Glasgow works and the club, it was always gonna go that way.

"We spoke that we were gonna have some difficult times but we all felt that we were going in the right direction. Some players you sign them and it doesn't work, when you bring the amount of players in that came in the turnover and the ones we inherited, I think it was a little bit unfair what was spoken about us, if I'm honest."

Despite how things worked out, Banfield still loved his time working in the Scottish Premiership with Rangers.

He added: "Rangers is a great club and I loved my time there but it's difficult because you can understand where the fans come from, you can understand it's not just about football it's about being on top in Scotland," he added. "That drives their ambition and the time you get, you've got to be pushing on and being number one. It's difficult at times because circumstantially it's out of your hands at times!

"One or two signings hit the ground running and one or two took a bit of time and sometimes it doesn't work for some of them. But the amount of turnaround and players who came into the club that we were developing the way Michael wanted to push on with them, the squad he inherited, those who wanted to leave, those we wanted to bring in, it was always gonna take time. The work the manager's doing now, I'm not saying he's not done some good work, but it was done by the work we'd previously done.

"You look at (Roberto) de Zerbi at Brighton, he's doing good stuff but a lot of that was implemented by (Graham) Potter beforehand, the work and foundations, and that takes time.

"Sometimes it's how you land at a club. But good luck to Clement, he took the reins on and he's tweaked it differently, so who knows what we'd have achieved, but the foundations were definitely being laid by Michael.

"It's maybe a frustration that fans forget that but you can understand it because it's not just about football, that's what drives the fans on, you know that when you come in, you live with it. The results and keeping the role is dictated by results of both clubs, I think.

"What surprised me was how quickly it could turn against you, a little bit, but again you can see how that can go so quickly. You can understand it, you don't agree with it because I knew all the work that was being put in place and it would come good and from the chairman downwards you could feel what they felt for the club.

"But what transpired, transpired."