When Barry Ferguson accepted the interim Rangers manager job, he had to scramble together a coaching team he could trust.
In the end, he chose three ex-Rangers players he had previously shared a dressing room with – Billy Dodds, Allan McGregor and Neil McCann.
McCann went from BBC Sportscene pundit and Sky Sports co-commentator to Rangers’ assistant coach in the space of a couple of days.
And it is his first role with a team since taking interim charge of Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2021 after John Robertson had to step down.
Before that, McCann was manager of Dundee between 2017 and 2018, and he’ll face his old team this Saturday night as Rangers visit Dens Park.
- Premiership
-
DundeeDundee
RangersRangers
-
McCann has a long history with Dundee having started his career there as a player before moving to Hearts in 1996, and then Rangers two years after that.
In 2011, McCann finally hung up his boots with Dundee after coming out of retirement to help the club stave off relegation.
Rangers coach Neil McCann’s ultimate XI
With McCann set for an emotional return to Dens Park this weekend, Rangers News dipped into the archives to remind fans of his greatest ever teammates XI, as per BBC Sport Scotland.
Unsurprisingly, all of his selections played alongside McCann at Rangers, but there was space for one former Dundee star as well.
GK – Stefan Klos
- Rangers appearances: 284
- Major trophies won: 10
McCann: “This wasn’t tough because I believe he was that good. Klos was a different animal to what I had ever seen in terms of sheer steeliness, will to win, professionalism.”
RB – Fernando Ricksen
- Rangers appearances: 242
- Major trophies won: 7
McCann: “I’ve never seen anybody burn with such energy. Fernando just didn’t stop. We used to say to him he must have had a bowl of Smarties for his breakfast, he was just bouncing.”
CBs – Lorenzo Amoruso & Craig Moore
- Amoruso Rangers appearances: 209
- Moore Rangers appearances: 187
- Amoruso major trophies won: 9
- Moore major trophies won: 13
McCann: “As a partnership Moore and Amoruso were outstanding, but different. Amoruso was physically imposing, but could play. Moore was aggressive, bordering on nasty, but a calming influence as well.”
LB – Arthur Numan
- Rangers appearances: 166
- Major trophies won: 10
McCann: “One of the best I’ve ever played with. A great captain and leader. He was very calm and used the ball well and about training and the dressing room, as a professional, he was top class.”
CMs – Barry Ferguson, Giovanni van Bronckhorst & Claudio Reyna
- Ferguson Rangers appearances: 410
- Ferguson major trophies won: 15
- Van Bronckhorst Rangers appearances: 112
- Van Bronckhorst major trophies won: 6 (1 as manager)
- Reyna Rangers appearances: 94
- Reyna major trophies won: 2
McCann: “You could play Claudio Reyna anywhere, and he wouldn’t do anything too fancy but he was just a brilliant footballer.
“Giovanni had a fantastic left-foot, a thunderbolt of a shot and he was powerful despite not being big built. He was just a wonderfully gifted, balanced footballer.
“Fergie was the central figure in that midfield. Barry would take the ball anywhere, under enormous pressure.”
CAM – Ronald de Boer
- Rangers appearances: 119
- Major trophies won: 4
McCann: “I think Rangers got Ronnie on the down because his knee was shot to pieces. So what he must have been like at Ajax and Barcelona is scary. He was as strong as a bull, so powerful to hold people off and he scored some great goals for us.”
STs – Claudio Caniggia & Rod Wallace
- Caniggia Rangers appearances: 71
- Caniggia major trophies won: 5
- Wallace Rangers appearances: 114
- Wallace major trophies won: 5
McCann: “Claudio was an athletic specimen. I wouldn’t even hazard a guess at how many cigarettes he smoked a day. But he was just absolutely shredded, and over 10 or 15 yards he was electric.”
“I’ve gone for Wallace because he was the deadliest striker I played with in terms of finishing half-chances. Rod had the ability to find spaces and was in the right place at the right time.”
