After just sixteen months in the cauldron of Glasgow, Rangers manager Philippe Clement was sacked following recent defeats at Ibrox against Queens Park in the Scottish Cup and St Mirren in the league. Let’s take a look at why former captain and club ambassador Barry Ferguson was asked to step in despite his lack of experience.
Barry Ferguson Appointed as New Rangers Manager
Abysmal Results on The Road
Over the last couple of years, I have got to know Barry Ferguson well as we sat alongside each other as pundits on GO Radio, a Glasgow station aimed primarily at supporters of the city’s enormous clubs, Celtic and Rangers. We would debate all the issues of the day surrounding Scottish football as the fortunes of Glasgow’s Big Two dominated the airwaves.
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Rangers’ abysmal away form in the league this season became a recurring topic, six wins on the road from fourteen attempts drew attention to the struggles Clement faced. As if the deficit in the league to the Hoops wasn’t enough for fans to stomach, the humiliating defeat at home to mid-table Championship side Queen’s Park in the Scottish Cup was definitely too much for some.
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The abuse aimed at both players and manager became vicious and toxic. Nothing was said by the club hierarchy in the immediate aftermath but with the majority of the fan base turning against him, Clement knew his time was up when another home defeat to St Mirren sealed his fate. Thousands of empty seats also highlighted that fans were becoming apathetic.
Qualities Needed to Be Rangers Manager
Attention immediately turned to who could replace a previously winning manager, Clement having won league titles with both Brugge and Genk. Given that Rangers had been recent Europa League finalists, he also had the necessary experience of managing in Europe. His time in Glasgow got off to the best possible start, winning the Scottish League Cup with a victory over Aberdeen but in a city where finishing second in the league means you are last, it was never enough.
Surprise At Ferguson Appointment
You would expect at a club like Rangers that any manager, interim or otherwise, would have to have earned the right to manage a team with huge expectations. When the news came that club ambassador and former captain Barry Ferguson was taking over until the end of the season, few could believe it. The smart money was on an experienced man to lead a group of players who continually let Clement down.
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Instead, they turned to a former player and captain who was working as one of the club ambassadors. Ferguson’s managerial experience had been at lower league clubs Kelty Hearts, Clyde and Alloa and with the prospect of going up against Jose Mourinho in the Europa League last sixteen, he certainly had no involvement in what is required to compete against some of Europe’s elite.
Heavy Losses Lead to Potential Takeover
As players, we came from different eras, but I was aware of Barry Ferguson’s ferocious appetite for winning and can understand why he couldn’t say no to stepping into the hot seat when the side is at a low ebb. For the moment, it is until the end of the campaign. The question is, why Barry Ferguson now and could he still be in charge for next season? Just one look at Rangers’ latest set of accounts tells you how badly the team has been run in recent years. Year after year money has been pouring out of the club with last year’s loss noted at £17.2million.
In the last couple of weeks, there’s been excitement among Ranrs fans at the prospect of the investment arm of the San Francisco NFL franchise, 49ers Enterprises, taking on a significant Rangers shareholding that might mean new owners and fresh money for the Glasgow club. Paraag Marathe, the Leeds United chairman and the force behind 49ers Enterprises is a key player in the likelihood of the Rangers takeover. Given that 49ers Enterprises have full control of the current Championship leaders after a successful £170 million takeover in July 2023, any investment would require approval from the SFA board.
Club Legends Get Support from Fans
There would be little point in putting in a permanent manager until this potential USA deal is completed either way. So, the appointment of Ferguson makes sense. Alongside other club legends Alan McGregor, Billy Dodds and Neil McCann they will get the supporters back onside when so many have turned away from the team.
If the takeover is successful then the new majority shareholders would have the right to appoint their own man. But if the USA deal falls through, would the current hierarchy ask Ferguson to continue? Rangers new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is Patrick Stewart who has been involved in football for the last twenty-five years, eighteen of them at Old Trafford with Manchester United. He will know what it takes and what is needed to be successful.
Immediate Goals for Barry Ferguson
The only way the former player would be asked to continue would be if he reduces the gap between themselves and Celtic, beat their great rivals in at least one of the two Old Firm games left to be played this season and somehow put a team together that could overcome Jose Mourinho and Fenerbahce in the Europa League.
My guess is that is a tall order for Barry Ferguson, especially with the current group of players. They have continually let down Clement and we saw both sides of their character in Ferguson’s first game in charge. Two down to Kilmarnock in the opening fifteen minutes, they eventually woke up to score four goals and win the game, but it was another indication of their fluctuating form.
Against Motherwell a few days later in Ferguson’s debut game as manager at Ibrox, this fragile and unpredictable team went two down again and eventually lost two-one. As things stand, Celtic are sixteen points clear with just nine league games to go. When this title is eventually secured, it will be eighteen out of the last twenty-four available to kick-start yet another party in the east end of Glasgow.
Whether Barry Ferguson is Rangers manager for three months or longer or indeed the takeover is successful and a new man comes in, it’s a tall order to compete against a Bhoys side that have been so dominant.
