Neil Lennon claim made after Barry Ferguson wins first Rangers match
Martin O’Neill has made an admission about Barry Ferguson and Neil Lennon after Rangers beat Kilmarnock 4-2 on Wednesday.
Ferguson got off to the best start possible as the manager of the Ibrox outfit after a Cyriel Dessers-inspired comeback earned them another three points to add to their Scottish Premiership tally.
Celtic have managed to run away with the title already so even though the Gers don’t have any skin left in the league, they’ll want to build up some momentum for their Europa League run which is the last competition they’re in.
Celtic legend O’Neill spoke about Ferguson’s first game at the helm and shared something that he’s always thought about the Scotsman.
O’Neill believes Ferguson is Rangers’ driving force
Although the appointment of Ferguson was a rather unexpected one, it makes sense from a club perspective as well as for the players.
The former Rangers captain will know exactly what it means to put on the shirt and represent the club he holds so close to his heart.
Philippe Clement may have lost his team after they were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Queen’s Park at the start of February but Ferguson’s main job will no doubt be to reinvigorate the Gers’ ranks.
If he manages to do that and perhaps even get them a little further in the Europa League, it’ll be a job well done and should set the Ibrox outfit up nicely for the 2025/26 season.
Speaking live on talkSPORT (27 February, 11:26am), former Celtic boss O’Neill gave his verdict on the Gers’ performance against Derek McInnes’ men.
“I have no idea what Barry Ferguson would be like as a a manager, no idea at all, but, what I do know is that when I went to Celtic he was a young lad, very very young, he was the captain of Rangers,” O’Neil said.
“He was captaining players like Amaruso, De Boer, Van Bronckhorst, the list is endless of big senior players and he is leading that team.
“And, they were a terrific side and yet he was the captain of the team, he was a driving force, he was to Rangers what I felt Neil Lennon was to us at Celtic you know, carrying the club forward in that aspect.
“So, as a player, I’ve got the utmost regard for him.”
Patrick Stewart needs Ferguson risk to pay off at Ibrox
Since Patrick Stewart joined Rangers as their CEO, he’s been handed blow after blow.
The former Manchester United CEO has had to sack and hire a new manager already and has had to go through a window trying to offload the Gers’ deadwood to even out their books.
So, the fact that he’s taken the risk of hiring a former Rangers legend along with a backroom staff also filled to the brim with legends is a bold move, to say the least.
Ferguson may have had some previous managerial experience with some lower-league clubs but it’s never quite worked out for the 47-year-old which is why Stewart needs this risk to pay off.
Otherwise, he could have a rather difficult foundation to build upon in the summer if they want to better their performances from the 2024/25 season.