Barry Ferguson felt he got the ideal ‘response’ from the Rangers squad when he took training for the first time following Philippe Clement’s exit on Sunday evening.
And, as Rangers provided footage of their first session without the Belgian casting a beady eye over proceedings, there was certainly a sense of togetherness, optimism, almost a sense of fun palpable on the Auchenhowie pitches.
Whether it be Vaclav Cerny and Robin Propper grinning their way through shuttle runs or some light hazing directed towards Ridvan Yilmaz, this certainly does not seem to be a squad of players short on camaraderie.
Perhaps this really was an issue of tactics – or a lack thereof, to quote Clement’s greatest detractors – rather than an issue of effort or desire. Though of course, smiles on the training pitch count for little when their performances in a competitive setting lead only to frowns.
Barry Ferguson labels getting Rangers winning again his ‘main objective’. But Rugby Park – where the Glasgow giants have lost five times since 2017 and most recently back in October – is hardly the first destination the Gers would have picked to begin the Ferguson era.
Billy Dodds plays key role as Rangers begin Barry Ferguson era
Ferguson is joined at Ibrox by Neil McCann, Allan McGregor and Billy Dodds. A quartet of bonafide Rangers icons. Four players who, during their respective spells in the famous blue shirt, accumulated over 40 trophies, in excess of one thousand appearances, and 120 goals.
While Barry Ferguson is an ‘outstanding’ trainer with an ‘incredible’ presence – to quote his one-time Clyde player Paul Slane – former Dundee boss Neil McCann is a ‘great coach’ himself. One who places an emphasis on dominant possession play and building from the back.
As for Billy Dodds, he worked briefly with McCann at Inverness Caledonian Thistle before getting the top job in 2021. And, despite his time at Caley ending on a sour note, Dodds did guide Inverness to the play-off final and a Scottish League Cup decider with Celtic.
Interestingly, while Ferguson seemed to take a more supervisory role, it was Dodds who appearances the most vocal presence as Rangers’ new-look coaching set-up enjoyed their first session with James Tavernier, Jack Butland and co ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Ayrshire.
Dodds puts emphasis on speed as he takes passing drills
Dodds could be seen demanding pace, intensity and movement, while also urging the players to communicate with each other more effectively on the pitch.
“I’m on the move and I’m talking. He [my team-mate] needs to know where I am. It’s relative,” Dodds barked. “Guys off the ball, you’re demanding it.”
‘Quick’ appeared to become Dodds’ go-to instruction, the former Rangers striker involving himself in the rondos and taking Jefte aside to work on the left-back’s chest control.
“The guys passing the ball in, I want a real pace to this. I want it fired,” Dodds would say later in the session during a high-octane passing drill, he and McCann tasked with laying the ball off for runners into the box.
“[McCann and I] have been decent players. Not the best but we’re decent. We’re going to lay [the ball off] for you, you get round the back off the back and get in there as quick as you can.”
The resulting drill, as you might expect, was pretty dizzying to witness.
Given how slow and ponderous Rangers became in possession towards the end of the Clement era, the sight of the boys in blue playing rapid-fire one-touch passes between them at Dodds’ demand at least suggests that Ferguson’s staff have identified some of the key issues pervading the squad.
