Barry Ferguson has returned to Rangers and will head up an Ibrox dream team tasked with hammering home the expectations of life Glasgow.
The legendary former Rangers captain, 47, will be in charge of a new Ibrox Avengers team that includes Allan McGregor, Billy Dodds, Neil McCann and assistant manager Issame Charai.
Out has gone struggling manager Philippe Clement, with Rangers also relieving Stephan Van Der Heyden, Alex Rae and goalkeeping coach Colin Stewart of their duties.
But with Rangers fans approaching the news with trepidation, the decision to appoint Barry Ferguson could be the boldest move at Ibrox since swooping for Steven Gerrard.
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Barry Ferguson can emulate Steven Gerrard
News that Barry Ferguson was set to be offered the Rangers job broke almost as soon as Philippe Clement was sacked from his job as Ibrox manager.
Steven Gerrard was reportedly in the Rangers running but issues pertaining to how the Gers would finance the deal saw those links cool.
Barry Ferguson might not be a popular choice in terms of his management credentials, but the Rangers legend knows just what it means to play at Ibrox.
Alongside Neil McCann, Billy Dodds and Allan McGregor, the new Rangers dream team will hammer home to his young Ibrox squad just what it means to play for the club.
A big complaint thrown at this Rangers team surrounds their inability to roll their sleeves up and do the dirty work in order to get the job done.
With Philippe Clement viewed as soft on the Rangers squad in this regard, the Ibrox first-team will be left under no illusions with the new backroom staff.
Steven Gerrard restored a pride in playing for Rangers that the club had lost under previous regimes; it’s Barry Ferguson’s mandate to do the exact same here.
This is about raising the standards inside the Rangers dressing room. Anyone who fails to pass the test can leave in the summer.
Rangers legend deal could prove stroke of genius
Barry Ferguson might not be as big as Steven Gerrard in a global footballing context.
But as a Rangers legend the iconic former Scotland captain is one of the club’s greatest ever players and fiercest winners.
Barry Ferguson drove standards on the park at Rangers every day during his playing peak and it’s now on the interim Ibrox manager to do the same from the dugout.
With 15 trophies as a Rangers player, there is quite simply no-one better placed to remind this Rangers squad of who and what they are playing for.
With McGregor, Dodds and McCann alongside – the four having made more than a combined 1100 appearances for the club – achieving this will be the management quartet’s biggest legacy.
Issame Charai will offer coaching expertise in a creative backroom staff which puts the legacy of Rangers Football Club first.
There is trepidation for sure, but if this team of Rangers legends achieve their aims, the surprise swoop might just prove a stroke of genius.
