How Barry Ferguson can make Rangers duo stars like Wayne Rooney – by not playing them

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Barry Ferguson can help two young Rangers players make their way in the game – by NOT playing them too much.

That’s the view of former Scotland striker Kevin Gallacher, who is urging Fergie to take a leaf out of Walter Smith’s book.

Philippe Clement was criticised for many things while in charge but one of them was his handling of young players. He had accused Bailey Rice of being ‘non-existent’ out of possession in a honest appraisal of where the young midfielder was.

Clement then started Rice against Queen’s Park but appeared to make him a scapegoat by hooking him at half-time, earning more criticism.

Findlay Curtis is another young player who has been on the fringes and fans have been hoping to see more of.

When taking the job on an interim basis, Ferguson hinted the pair would get chances.

And Rice has been standing out in training this week, likely eager to impress and work his way into the side.

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Bailey Rice and Findlay Curtis told to be patient at Rangers

There is no exact science to developing young players and knowing when is the right time to put them in or take them back out.

But when a club is going through a sticky patch, managers are often reticent to involve them.

Fans are liable to get on the team’s back when things are tricky, especially at a club the size of Rangers, and so it can be an experience that sets a young kid back.

So the situation at Gers right now might mean Rice and Curtis have to be patient. While Ferguson himself may have to have the patience shown by Walter Smith with a certain teenage Wayne Rooney.

Gallacher said in the Sunday Post: “As much as they are out of the Scottish Cup and out of the title race, there will still be a lot of pressure on Rangers between now and the end of the season. They will be expected to be competitive in the remaining matches against Celtic. A derby victory would be very welcome indeed. For that reason, I would expect to see evolution rather than revolution.

“Which might mean Bailey Rice and Findlay Curtis having to show a little patience. Ferguson has already been publicly enthusiastic about the potential the two 18-year-oids possess. Their ability was clear for all to see in the brief contributions they made against Manchester United at Old Trafford earlier in this Europa League campaign.

“The new Rangers manager had a clear message for them, one which offered encouragement for all the young players at lbrox. But, in assessing those players, the coaches must decide whether they are ready to take the pressure on their shoulders. It’s a decision which must factor in what is best for the player and the dub in the longer term.

“The example I always remember was Walter Smith at Everton. He had an untried Wayne Rooney available to him but felt he could not play him because his team were in the middle of a relegation battle. I met him at a game he was and we had a chat.

“He told me: ‘I have a 16-year-old kid who is phenomenal. He would win games for the team, but I cannot do it due to the situation we are in. But I do know that whoever gets job after me, he is going to pick him up. ‘Remember the name, Rooney.”

“Walter got sacked, David Moyes got brought in to replace him and what was the first thing he did? He put Rooney on the subs bench – on Walter’s advice. From there, the rest was history, Rooney went on, made a significant impact and David was hailed as a hero for unearthing this extraordinary talent.

“But it was really Walter who did it. Moyes took the advice, went with it, and never looked back. Sometimes that, in itself, can be good football management.”

What Barry Ferguson said about Rice and Curtis

“Age is just a number in terms of young players,” Ferguson said. “We have got some talented young players, there’s no doubt. We’ve got Bailey Rice, we’ve got Findlay Curtis, who have broke into the team over the last number of weeks.

“If they’re good enough and they’re show enough in training, I will have no issues with playing these guys. The door is open for young players in the academy.

“It’s important as a football club that you always produce your own. And as I said, I’ll do a lot of work to try and progress these young guys as footballers.”