Glasgow Rangers officially confirmed that former central midfielder and Scotland international Barry Ferguson will be in interim charge of the club until the end of the season.
Philippe Clement was relieved of his duties by the Ibrox giants on Sunday after the 2-0 loss to St Mirren on Saturday left them still 13 points behind Celtic in the race for the Scottish Premiership title.
A takeover involving the San Francisco 49ers’ investment wing is expected to be completed between April and June and this may be why they have decided to go with an interim before the new ownership can make a decision on the long-term direction of the club in the summer.
There are still several months left and many matches to be played before the end of the 2024/25 campaign, though, and Ferguson will get a chance to lead the side out in the Premiership and the Europa League.
Barry Ferguson’s Rangers to-do list
The former Rangers star is tasked with stabilising the team and ensuring that whoever takes over in the summer does so from a solid base.
This means that Ferguson and his backroom team must work hard to ensure that the team does not spiral down a dark road littered with several humiliating defeats before the end of the season.
Rangers face Fenerbahce in the last 16 of the Europa League next month and progression in that competition would be a bonus, to earn more goodwill from the supporters, but should not be expected of an inexperienced – at that level – interim.
A big thing on Ferguson’s to-do list in the second half of this season should be to integrate more academy players into the first-team, given that he came through the same youth set-up when he made his breakthrough with the Gers as a player.
Ferguson could strike gold with Bailey Rice
The interim head coach could hit the jackpot with 18-year-old central midfielder Bailey Rice, whom he could expose to more regular football in the coming months to prepare him to hit the ground running under the next manager.
Rice has played eight times at first-team level for the Gers to date and has only played 45 minutes in the Premiership, despite showing plenty of promise on the pitch.
|
Vs Man Utd (A) |
Bailey Rice |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
45 |
|
Key passes |
2 |
|
Big chances created |
1 |
|
Duels won |
1/2 |
|
Clearances |
2 |
|
Dribbled past |
0x |
As you can see in the table above, the teenage ace caught the eye when he came off the bench against Manchester United in the Europa League earlier this year.
Manchester United and England legend Rio Ferdinand was on TNT’s coverage of the game and was in ‘awe’ of the young gem. He, as relayed by the Daily Record said: “I’ll tell you what. I like Rice. He’s come on and looking composed and that left foot looks like it has a bit in it. He’s seeing pictures, playing, and executing. That is a wonderful pass.”
Rice also came on in the 4-0 win over Ross County earlier this month and won five of his seven defensive duels, without being dribbled past once, which further suggests that he is ready for first-team football.
Ferguson could hit gold for the Light Blues by providing the Scotland youth international with the chance to play week-in-week-out over the next few months, so that he can gain the experience he needs to kick on and become a regular under the next manager in the future.
Related
The 5 worst Rangers managers of all time – ranked
Following Philippe Clement’s sacking, we’ve taken a look at the worst managers to take to the Ibrox dugout.
Rice could be a future star for the Ibrox giants, given that he has so many years left ahead of him to develop, but he needs an opportunity, which Ferguson could offer him in the coming weeks and months.
