Rangers’ newly-hired interim manager Barry Ferguson is not the first – and probably not the last – player to return to his former club in an attempt to pick up the pieces.
In truth, the varying degrees of success enjoyed by the likes of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Frank Lampard, Zinedine Zidane, Pep Guardiola and Andrea Pirlo – to name but five – highlights the potential benefits of bringing back a man who ‘knows the club’, and also the potential pitfalls.
Barry Ferguson returns to Rangers on a short-term deal until the end of the season.
Then again, that’s what Manchester United said about Solskjaer when he put smiles back on faces at Old Trafford following the thunderclap end of the Jose Mourinho reign in 2018. The Norwegian was appointed on an interim basis and ended up staying for three years.
And Ross McCormack, who started his career at Rangers alongside Ferguson in the early-2000s, wonders if the same could happen at Ibrox presuming the man taking Philippe Clement’s place can pick up a couple of high-profile wins while charging into the latter stages of the Europa League.
Ross McCormack explains how Barry Ferguson can keep Rangers job
Barry Ferguson admits his ‘main objective’ is to get Rangers winning again.
Do just that – starting with Wednesday’s tricky trip to Kilmarnock – and the Ibrox board may soon find themselves contending with an adoring fanbase desperate to see a legendary figure remain at the helm for a longer period.
“Listen, when I was coming through as a kid, I had the pleasure to train with him and to play with him,” says McCormack, who made his Gers debut in 2004. “So I know how he operates.
“He will demand a certain standard form these players, make no mistake about it. If they aren’t reaching those standards, they aren’t going to play.
“Rangers need that new manager bounce. I think this is probably the best Rangers could have done until the end of the season.
“I’ll tell you what, if Barry does well – gets them to a Europa league semi-final, beats Celtic, draws with them in the other game – then the board can’t get rid of him.
“They are going to have to keep him on.”
Andy Halliday urges Rangers to consider Russell Martin
Rangers will face Derek McInnes’ Kilmarnock side tonight. The former Aberdeen boss is one who has been mentioned as a potential long-term Clement successor, alongside ex-Huddersfield Town coach David Wagner and the familiar face that is Steven Gerrard.
Andy Halliday would like to see Russell Martin return to Rangers, however, despite the dreadful form which encouraged Southampton to part ways with the one-time Ibrox centre-back back in December.
Halliday feels that Martin’s famously possession-orientated style could be the solution to Rangers’ issues up against defensive low-blocks.
“I have seen Russell Martin is linked. That’s one that divides opinion but I think he’d be a good appointment,” Halliday argues.
“You are talking about style of football. You are talking about styles and how to break down opponents. He’s shown thats kind of what he’s best at. If you’ve got investors coming in who are going to back him as well…”
As things stand, however, Ferguson will be flanked by Allan McGregor, Billy Dodds and Neil McCann for at least the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign.
