Neil Lennon cannot believe Rangers ‘fragility’ as change identified
Neil Lennon has identified the changes needed at Rangers as cracks have emerged in the squad at Ibrox.
The Gers lost to Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership at home on Saturday (1 March), handing Barry Ferguson his first defeat in charge of the team.
The ex-midfielder was appointed on a temporary basis after Patrick Stewart decided to sack Philippe Clement.
Despite the change in the dugout, things haven’t changed much at the Light Blues, and Lennon has pinpointed what needs to happen.
Rangers culture and psychology needs changing
Lennon believes the culture and psychology at the Glaswegian outfit needs changing.
The former Celtic boss couldn’t fathom the Gers losing to Motherwell after their comeback against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on 26 February.
| Scottish Premiership table (2024/25) | Matches | Points |
| 1. Celtic | 29 | 75 |
| 2. Rangers | 29 | 59 |
Lennon feels whoever is the next manager at the Light Blues will have a massive task on their hand to instill a strong mentality in the squad.
Speaking to PLZ Soccer (3 March), the Northern Irishman said: “It’s a chasm. I couldn’t believe the result from Ibrox [against Motherwell] because I thought with Barry going in there, when he made the change against Kilmarnock, it was a positive one, brave, and they got the result and the performance.
You’re thinking maybe there’s a bit of momentum there. But they go the other way. There’s a huge fragility there in the squad. Whoever takes over, whether it be Barry or somebody else, everyone talks about a rebuild. For me, it’s a change of culture and psychology. They’ve got some good players there, but the psychology of the team isn’t right.”
Ibrox need cultural change under Ferguson
Ferguson probably knows his stint at Rangers will not last beyond this season, but he has a chance to make an impact in his short time there.
Stewart could potentially have hired the Gers icon on an interim basis to get the fans back onside after they expressed their discontent with the management during Clement’s reign.
Billy Dodds, Allan McGregor and Neil McCann have also joined the Light Blues’ backroom staff, which should have had an effect on the players.
Instead, the Bears still look their old self and seem to lack confidence at the moment, which won’t help them in the Europa League.
The Ibrox faithful don’t expect much against Fenerbahce, but the players must give it their all to progress to the next round.
Considering the figures currently in the dugout alongside Ferguson, they need to instil that winning mentality in the players and change the culture around the Glaswegian outfit.
For far too long, the Gers have been second best in Scotland behind Celtic and that must be fixed in the coming years.
With a possible takeover by the 49ers Enterprises also on the cards, it will be interesting to see what’s next for the Light Blues.