Fraser Thornton spotted at Auchenhowie as Barry Ferguson Rangers pitch revealed
Fraser Thornton has arrived at Auchenhowie for crunch talks over an interim manager at Rangers with details of Barry Ferguson’s pitch coming to light.
Rangers announced the departure of Philippe Clement on Sunday (23 February) evening, a day after they suffered a humiliating 2-0 defeat in the Scottish Premiership at the hands of St. Mirren at Ibrox.
With takeover talks with Paraag Marathe and Co in full swing, the Light Blues hierarchy intend to appoint a caretaker manager to helm the team until the end of the season.
The Ibrox decision-makers have already identified Ferguson as the ideal candidate to take charge of the team for the remainder of the season, with further talks planned on Monday, 24 February.
Ferguson wants Neil McCann to join him
Meanwhile, Thornton was one of the senior Rangers figures pictured arriving at the training centre in Auchenhowie on Monday morning, with the Record sharing an image of the same via their website.
Apart from the chairman, chief financial officer James Taylor was also spotted arriving at the Rangers Training Centre in his car.
This comes amid news that Ferguson is set to make an ’emotional pitch’ to return to Ibrox 15 after his departure as a player in 2009, with a meeting with Patrick Stewart scheduled on Monday.
| 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 |
The former captain is keen to add Neil McCann to his backroom staff if he takes the reins at the Glasgow-based club, while Billy Dodds is also in the mix.
Kevin Thomson has also been mooted as an option to help the Gers see out the season after Clement’s exit.
Issame Charai oversees Rangers training
For the time being, Issame Charai has taken the role of an ad-interim coach, with the Belgian-Moroccan assigned to oversee the first team’s training on Monday.
The former Strasbourg assistant manager arrived in Govan as Clement’s assistant last month, but continues to be counted on by the Rangers hierarchy despite the 50-year-old’s exit.
It remains to be seen if he will also be tasked with managing the team in their Scottish Premiership trip to Kilmarnock on Wednesday, 26 February.