Barry Ferguson and two others in running to manage Rangers for season remainder
Barry Ferguson has emerged as an early favourite to replace Philippe Clement as the Rangers manager until the end of the season.
Rangers have sacked manager Clement in the aftermath of the demoralising 2-0 Scottish Premiership defeat against St. Mirren at Ibrox on Saturday (22 February) – the same day that Celtic succumbed to a 2-1 loss to Hibernian.
Although the Premiership heavyweights are yet to announce the news, the Belgian tactician’s exit is all but confirmed as the Rangers players have already been informed of the decision after a board meeting on Sunday (23 February) afternoon.
With a trip to Kilmarnock on Wednesday (26 February) coming up, there is an expectation that the Light Blues would appoint an interim manager for the time being instead of hiring a permanent replacement for Clement straight away.
Barry Ferguson, Neil McCann and Kevin Thomson under consideration
Ferguson is among the list of potential candidates to replace Clement at Ibrox, according to the Record.
The newspaper reported via their live blog on Sunday (8:23 pm) that Neil McCann and Kevin Thomson are also in the frame to take charge as the caretaker manager.
There is also a chance that the candidate would be expected to be in charge until the end of the season, meaning Rangers may wait until the summer to hire a permanent manager.
Rangers face Kilmarnock next
Nevertheless, Clement will not be in the dugout when Rangers lock horns with Kilmarnock away from home on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how much the 50-year-old is being paid in compensation as the package at Ibrox is expected to be more than the initially reported sum of £1.2million.
| Competition | Rangers |
| Scottish Premiership | Second (13 points behind Celtic after 27 games) |
| UEFA Europa League | Round of 16 (Face Fenerbahce in March) |
| Scottish Cup | Knocked out by Queen’s Park in fifth round |
| Scottish League Cup | Lost on penalties v Celtic in final |
Clement’s sack comes just after Patrick Stewart insisted that the club would stick by the manager.
The fans’ spirits were also high after it emerged that 49ers Enterprises were in advanced talks over a takeover at Ibrox.
However, the defeat against St. Mirren has left the decision-makers with no option but to sack the manager.