A new update has emerged regarding Philippe Clement’s long-term replacement at Rangers, and how Barry Ferguson can impress as he eys a permanent role at Ibrox.
Ferguson suffer first defeat in charge of Rangers
After the impressive 4-2 win away to Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership in his first game in charge, Ferguson was sent crashing back down to reality on Saturday afternoon.
Rangers lost 2-1 at home to Motherwell, having trailed 2-0 at the break, and this time they were unable to stage a Kilmarnock-esque comeback, with the boss bemoaning the result after the game: “There’s obviously a clear problem in terms of playing at home and that’s something me as a manager and my staff and the players need to sit down and really get to the bottom of.”
The Gers’ defeat, coupled with Celtic winning 5-2 away to St Mirren, means that they now trail their rivals by 16 points in the title race, with their chances of a first league crown since 2020/21 all but over.
It’s now a case of Ferguson and his players focusing on going as far as they can in the Europa League, with the former Rangers captain looking to prove to potential new owners the 49ers Enterprises that he is the right man to take the job on a full-time basis after the sacking of Clement last weekend.
New permanent Rangers manager update on Ferguson emerges
According to a fresh update from Football Insider journalist Pete O’Rourke, Ferguson “could be given” the Rangers job on a permanent basis this summer, should he impress in his interim role, despite various others being mentioned as options to come in.
The 47-year-old is “already well-backed by the Ibrox crowd thanks to his previous spell as Rangers’ club captain”, and the appointments of Neil McCann, Alan McGregor and Billy Dodds to the coaching staff have also “inspired praise” from the fanbase.
The report does state that likely incomings new owners 49ers Enterprises are “keen to take their time over the appointment to ensure they get the right man”, though, and getting a positive result against Celtic would “go a long way” towards Ferguson landing the job.
There does feel like a risk in making Ferguson’s temporary role permanent, considering he hasn’t been in management for three years, most recently taking charge of Alloa Athletic back in 2022.
Rangers and 49ers have to be careful that they don’t allow sentimentality to cloud their judgement, in terms of simply appointing a former legend on the pitch as their new manager, instead being ruthless and bringing in the right choice.
If Ferguson, who plays a 4-2-3-1 system, excels in the role between now and the end of the season, displaying tactical acumen, picking up positive results and improving the players, then he will have a genuine argument for taking on the role permanently.
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The next Rangers manager will be sure to make some key changes to the playing squad when they take over the reins.
For now, though, Rangers need to keep their options open and looking at more experienced managers, whether it be Steven Gerrard or Kevin Muscat, to name just a few examples.
