Issame Charai didn’t join Rangers to work under Barry Ferguson.
But by the time Ferguson hung up his blue suit jacket at Ibrox, the impressive Moroccan coach might well have gone to war for him.
Barry Ferguson faced a tough task convincing the incoming Rangers hierarchy from across the pond that he was the man to lead the Gers into a new era.
But Ferguson’s lasting managerial legacy might yet be seen in the shape of Issame Charai, who wouldn’t even be at Ibrox if it wasn’t for Philippe Clement.
Issame Charai retained as Rangers cut Barry Ferguson and team
Rangers have retained Issame Charai on the club’s coaching staff despite waving goodbye to Barry Ferguson and his backroom staff of Rangers legends.
Neil McCann, Billy Dodds and Allan McGregor have bid farewell alongside Ferguson, certainly increasing their already sizeable standing amongst the Rangers support.
But whilst a new Rangers managerial team will come into the club this summer, former Morocco U23s coach Charai will form part of Barry’s legacy.
Charai, 43, only joined Rangers on January 29th. Philippe Clement was sacked 26 days later.
The Moroccan, who had recently been working with Hamza Igamane suitors Strasbourg, replaced Clement’s Dutch assistant Andries Ulderink.
Charai has made it clear that it was Clement – not the Rangers hierarchy, as rumoured – who convinced him on a move to Ibrox.
”Philippe had contacted me when Andries Ulderink left at the end of December,” Charai told the Belgian press in March. ”That was for personal reasons.
“In my eyes, Philippe is the best Belgian coach at the moment. He is a highly respected coach who has already won many prizes. I absolutely wanted to work under such a successful coach. Moreover, we are both from Antwerp, which made it easier.”
Naturally, that made Clement’s sacking a big surprise for Charai, who has been retained by the club for a second time and will now form a key part of the new coaching staff in Glasgow.
“The past period was very hectic”, Charai said. “Philippe’s dismissal was not easy, it was also a shock for me.
“Nevertheless, the club assured me that they wanted to continue with me. I still have three and a half years of contract here.”
Issame Charai: unexpectedly crucial to Rangers’ future?
Issame Charai might not have known much about Rangers when he arrived, but the Moroccan is now a crucial part of the club’s future.
Charai will now serve as the bridging gap between the old regime and the new, a figure of increasing experience and importance whose talents are clearly revered within Auchenhowie.
Whoever the next Rangers manager will be – Davide Ancelotti remains the frontrunner as things stand – the experience Charai has gained in the last few months could prove invaluable.
Fluent in five languages – Dutch, French, English, German, and Arabic – Charai has worked first hand with a team of bonafide Rangers legends, learning the why, the how, the who and the what when it comes to the club’s recent drop in standards.
Couple this with Charai’s experience working in Belgium, France and Morocco, where the country’s U23s lifted the African Cup of Nations under his watch, and it’s a useful CV.
The Moroccan has been part of a team who carried the weight of the Rangers badge to Istanbul and then Glasgow’s east end to give supporters memories to last a lifetime.
In a club devoid of hope this season, these were brief flickers of positivity that showed Rangers supporters there are still some carrying the fire within the club.
As Barry Ferguson says goodbye, let’s hope the outgoing Rangers manager has lit a fire inside the man he’s left behind.
