Barry Ferguson has revealed he met with Rangers boss Philippe Clement at the club’s training base in Spain last week.
The ex-Ibrox captain bumped into the Belgian for the first time and the chat that followed left Ferguson feeling more confident than ever that Rangers have the right man at the helm to lead them into the future.
Rangers supporters know all too well that Clement has been a revelation since stepping onto Scottish ground in October. He has the air of a proper manager about him and comes across as a man who players shouldn’t be messing with.
Clement brought the Viaplay Cup back to Ibrox in November and proved he has what it takes to win silverware at Rangers. His squad at the moment is probably nowhere near where he wants it to be so with a few transfer windows under his belt, the possibilities in terms of growth are seemingly endless.
Ferguson has already been on record countless times how impressed he has been with Clement and now, after meeting him face-to-face in La Manga, the 45-year-old can offer a deeper understanding of the ex-Club Brugge manager’s character.
Barry Ferguson on Philippe Clement
Writing in his weekly Daily Record column, here’s what Ferguson had to say about his meeting with Clement.
He said: “I was over at the Rangers training camp in La Manga last week and I had the pleasure of bumping into Philippe Clement at the team hotel after dinner last Saturday night. It was the first time I’ve had the chance to introduce myself to the manager since his appointment.
“It was a good chat about football and life in Scotland in general. But what I will say is I walked away from that conversation with a smile on my face because it confirmed to me what I had already suspected just by watching on from afar.
“Trust me when I say it, this guy really gets what Rangers are all about. And I can think of no bigger compliment to pay him. He’s a straight talking man who doesn’t use big words or any fancy dan phrases.
“He’s just a down to earth football man who understands what it means to be in charge of this club and the demands that come with the job. Most of all, he realises that the key to life as the Rangers manager is to be a winner.
“I’ll be honest here, I’m not easily impressed. But I walked away thinking to myself, ‘That’s one impressive individual – this guy really does get what it’s all about!’.
“I’ve also met more than a few managers in my time. Some good. Some others not so much. So I know a proper one when I see one. He fully understands the club, the demands and the expectations. And I was left with the feeling that my old club is in really good hands.”
