Yahoo Sport 
Steven Gerrard has lingering question as he reveals Rangers sliding doors moment that left him 'upset'
Under-fire Steven Gerrard revealed he would have taken Michael Beale to Al-Ettifaq sooner - if he has not been in charge at Rangers.
And it leaves the Liverpool icon with a question over if his spell in Saudi would be going better had he had his trusted lieutenant by his side. Beale has now linked up with the former Ibrox and Aston Villa boss in the Pro League after being out of after his 12-game stint in charge of Sunderland back in February came to an abrupt end.
His disappointing tenure with The Black Cats follows on from a miserable 10-month stint as the main man in the Ibrox dugout - but he has now returned to Gerrard's side in the Middle East as he looks to kickstart his career. The reunion comes amid mounting pressure on the ex-England international in Saudi after a lacklustre campaign.
Former Rangers sporting director Mark Allen – who held the same role at Ettifaq – was shown the door following the crisis summit along with Gerrard's assistant Dean Holden - teeing up an opening for Beale. Following the international break, Ettifaq stopped the rot after back-to-back defeats with a goalless draw against Al-Riyadh.
And following the game, Gerrard revealed that he would have taken Beale with him to Saudi in the summer of 2023 - had he not been in charge of Rangers. He said at his post-match press conference: "He is a great coach.
"He will help the team a lot, but we need time to develop some things. I am sure that he will develop the team more.
“I did not want to lose Michael when I was at Aston Villa, and when he left (for QPR) I was upset. It was a blow to me, and if he had been available when I negotiated to come to Al-Ittihad, he would have been my assistant at the club."
