Walter Smith was the great pragmatist when he was in charge of Rangers, capable of lining up with six defenders in the team, just to let those with flair have the freedom to do their thing.
During both of his tenures as Rangers manager, Smith wasn’t afraid to play full-backs on the wing, centre-halves at full-back or even in midfield.
There was always a player like Craig Moore or Christian Daily who would carry out whatever instructions they were given, in any position that they were asked to play.
The Rangers way has never been a style of play, it has just been about winning, something that has been in short supply of late.
It is something that Barry Ferguson seems to have grasped though, and the interim Rangers boss could well look to the past to see improvements in the future.
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Barry Ferguson warns that Rangers could get ugly
Speaking after the dismal Ibrox defeat to Hibernian, Ferguson clearly wasn’t happy:
“I’ve made my mind up what way we have to go from now until the end of the season. And it might not be pretty to watch,” said the Hall of Fame ex-skipper.
“And that, as a Rangers fan, coming to Ibrox, you want to see free-flowing, attractive football.
“I don’t think we can do that. So, I need to go away and think long and hard what way we’re going to approach with my staff.
“But I’ve got a real good idea what way I’m going to go now for the end of the season. And it’s not going to change.”
Ferguson has experienced both sides of life at Rangers having played with Brian Laudrup and Paul Gascoigne in the 1990s, Ronald de Boer et al in the early 2000s and then the ultra-defensive system of Smith’s second spell in charge.
Results are king.
Trying to put square pegs into round holes doesn’t work, neither does trying to transform someone like Connor Barron to become a creative box-to-box midfielder.
What changes could Ferguson make for Rangers?
The last time Rangers won the league, they did so conceding 13 goals. They could get away with struggling to break down a low block because they didn’t gift chances at the other end of the park.
Smith’s teams were also particularly frugal with players like David Weir, Ugo Ehiogu, Carlos Cuellar and Madjid Bougherra all signed to form a solid base.
Add these players to the likes of Sasa Papac, Kirk Broadfoot and Daily playing on the flanks and being bullied domestically is not a tactical option for opposition managers.
If hopes of a title challenge are to be sustained, building from the back must be the primary objective in the summer.
Centre-half was identified as a suspect area of the Rangers squad, and so it has been proven.
Serious questions about Jack Butland’s ability to handle the pressure and quieter games are also growing louder.
It might not be pretty, but Rangers fans have never cared about style or philosophy, as long as the season ends with silverware.
