What does a football manager do when they're waiting for their next opportunity to get back into the dugout?
The image of a coach sitting at home, twiddling their thumbs, waiting for the phone to ring couldn't be further from the truth when it comes to former Rangers, QPR and Sunderland boss Michael Beale.
In 2025 he watched football in 21 countries, spoke at numerous coaching conferences around the world, acted as a consultant for Saudi club Al Ettifaq, where he had previously reunited with Steven Gerrard, and began work on a book about player development, calling on his experiences coaching in the Chelsea and Liverpool academies.
"I was going down to Buenos Aires to see River Plate, Boca Juniors, San Lorenzo, seeing the different styles that are out there," he tells Sky Sports during a brief return back to his base in Scotland.
"I've been to see Barcelona three or four times, Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid. I was recently behind the goal at Mainz, I've been to football in Austria, Holland… it's been an unbelievable period of growth again.
"It has enabled me to look more at infrastructure, to look at football clubs from an executive level and the things you need to have in place that you feel can help you be successful around the environment and around the staff and structures.
"There's been so much happening. But I would be lying if I told you I wasn't missing the day-to-day coaching…"
There has been interest from clubs in the Championship and Beale says he was "very close" to accepting a role in Europe. "It's definitely an aim one day," he says about managing a club on the continent.
Michael Beale coached Al Ettifaq as Steven Gerrard's assistant last season. Credit: Al Ettifaq
Image: Michael Beale coached Al Ettifaq as Steven Gerrard's assistant last season. Credit: Al Ettifaq
Beale's openness to exploration has been apparent since his stint in Brazil nine years ago, as assistant at Sao Paolo, the first Brit to take up that position in that league. He speaks proudly about stepping out of his comfort zone and encourages other young English coaches to do the same.
"It is such a multicultural sport now," explains Beale. "There's so much diversity in each squad.
"It is fascinating when you speak to the young players and you hear about where they come from and their backgrounds and their journeys. As a boy that's from south London, trying to understand players from Colombia or players from Saudi and how they see football has been fascinating for me."
New Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior's pathway to the Premier League via Strasbourg is the latest example of coaches from these shores taking less familiar routes through the game. "What an important appointment that is for a young British coach to get that job," says Beale, who has been on courses alongside the new Blues boss.
Beale is also encouraged by the rise of young British players featuring at top clubs beyond these shores, with his former Liverpool youth-team player Trent Alexander-Arnold at Real Madrid among them.
"Our players are being trusted by the biggest clubs in Europe, so we must be doing a lot of good things in our academy in terms of our player development and the level of our players," says Beale.
Steven Gerrard and Michael Beale
Image: Michael Beale during his time assisting Steven Gerrard at Rangers
There has also been time within the past year for reflection. After helping Gerrard achieve success in Scotland and then going on to work with him at Aston Villa, Beale's own journey as a head coach made a fast start.
He took QPR briefly to the top of the Championship and then, after turning down Wolves and the Premier League, took on the main role at Rangers himself.
It was a controversial exit from QPR, just six months after he had joined and a month on from rejecting Wolves in favour of staying with the QPR project - but Beale saw the Ibrox opportunity as too big to turn down.
Failing to deliver silverware there remains a frustration but his statistics at Rangers dwarf anything achieved at the club since. His 72.5 per cent win percentage is the highest of any Rangers manager in the Scottish Premiership, his start of 18 wins in 20 games a club record, his tally of 92 points in 2022/23 the highest total by a team to finish second.
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Image: Michael Beale's record as Rangers manager
Rangers, of course, is a club where second isn't good enough and two Hampden Park defeats to Celtic and another loss to their big rivals amid a poor start to 2023/24, following an underwhelming transfer window, brought an end to his time in charge.
And then it was Sunderland. A miss-step? "That's the one that obviously you look at and think, OK, could I have made a better decision around one or two things there," he says, of a spell which lasted just 12 games and saw only four wins. Beale arrived on December 18, without any of his own staff, and was gone in 63 days.
"But I take the day-to-day work in the club and the relationships I've built, I'm really proud of in all three clubs. They were all different."
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - AUGUST 14: Rangers manager Michael Beale during a Rangers Training Session at the Rangers Training Centre, on August 14, 2023, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)
Image: Michael Beale during a Rangers training session
Beale's most recent dugout role was back assisting Gerrard in the Saudi Pro League, where his impact led to a subsequent consultancy role at Al Ettifaq.
But his priority now is to be a No 1 again - and put his own development into practise.
"I have a burning desire to be a manager," he says. "I've got a lot of ambition there.
"It's important to remain confident, keep watching, keep learning, keep listening and keep growing. And the right opportunity will come when it presents itself."