What did we learn from Ferguson’s Rangers unveiling?

Barry Ferguson, the club’s new interim manager, and the Rangers legend, spoke for length after being appointed.

Ferguson, who won 15 medals in the Rangers’ midfield over two glittering seasons, spoke passionately about his young club, the demands he will place on his players, the newly hired staff, and his path to coveted managerial positions.

He also provided some insight into the first 36 hours of his playing the role and some hints as to what the Rangers and their fans might have in store for them.

Ferguson was relieved to see that Neil McCann, Billy Dodds, and Allan McGregor, who were previously Rangers teammates, had all agreed to serve as his lieutenants.

All three coaches played for Scotland and were active in Rangers squads, with 43-year-old goalkeeper McGregor only retiring at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

Dodds took over Inverness Caledonian Thistle after serving as an assistant at Ross County between 2014 and 2017, while McCann has managed Dundee. Both have worked in media, most recently for the BBC.

According to Ferguson, “Neil and Billy have a lot of management experience.” “Alongside Allan, they played with the club, know the demands and expectations, so that was important to me as well.

” They are bubbly about the place, big characters, like to get in amongst the boys and that’s important because the last couple of weeks has been difficult.

Ferguson left his previous managerial position with League 1 Alloa Athletic almost exactly three years ago.

He left the club eighth in the third-tier after nine months in charge. Prior to that, he had fourth-tier spells with Kelty Hearts and Clyde.

Ferguson claimed that up until this opportunity, he had been enjoying the “quiet life,” working with Rangers as a club ambassador, and had no immediate plans to work there.

When asked if he felt ready to embrace the challenge of such a huge job, Ferguson’s response was robust and emphatic.

“I wouldn’t be siting here if I didn’t”, he said.

He added: “I went down a different route as an ambassador.

” Did I want to get back into coaching and management? If I’m being brutally honest, I wasn’t thinking about it. There was no way I was going to decline that phone call, though.

When Ferguson was questioned about the possibility of taking the job permanently, Ferguson remarked, “I’ve not even thought about that.

The 47-year-old was understandably unwilling to ruminate over his long-term future, preferring to retain focus on Wednesday’s Premiership trip to Kilmarnock.

“My mindset is getting a result tomorrow”, he continued. “It’s one game at a time. There are many games in development.

During Rangers’ underwhelming league campaign to date, long-time captain James Tavernier has not escaped criticism from fans.

The most prolific defender in British football history, the 33-year-old has had the armband since 2018.

Ferguson spoke to Tavernier and is still convinced he is the right man during a five-hour visit to Rangers’ training facility on Monday evening with his coaches.

” I don’t think there was any need to change, “he said”. Last night, James and I had a good conversation, and he arrived while we were getting to know some of the staff.

The new boss discussed developing talent from the Rangers academy while checking the names of 18-year-olds Findlay Curtis and Bailey Rice.

Ferguson, who was forced to join Dick Advocaat’s Rangers team at the age of 18, stressed the value of bringing in young players and said he would be willing to give young people a chance.

“If they’re good enough, I will have no issue with playing them”, he said.