Rangers line up ‘star-studded appointment’ as new manager instead of Ferguson
Andy Halliday has outlined what Barry Ferguson will have to achieve if he’s to be appointed as the permanent Rangers manager.
Ferguson has put a steady hand on the tiller at Ibrox since replacing Philippe Clement in the dugout, and is suddenly riding the rest of a wave after back-to-back away victories over Fenerbahce and Celtic.
Rangers beating Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce on penalties after a 3-1 first-leg victory and 2-0 loss at Ibrox leaves them in the last eight of the Europa League, as well as sealing back-to-back Old Firm wins.
Those seismic victories have helped to keep the Gers’ season alive as they prepare for a quarter-final with Athletic Bilbao, and have also raised the question of Ferguson being given the job permanently.
Andy Halliday urges Ferguson to prove Rangers bosses wrong
Ferguson’s appointment on an interim basis is expected to get the Bears through to the end of a season which has been nothing short of a disaster domestically, green shoots have emerged during his tenure.
| Date | Competition | Result |
| 26 February | Premiership | Kilmarnock 2-4 Rangers |
| 1 March | Premiership | Rangers 1-2 Motherwell |
| 6 March | Europa League | Fenerbahce 1-3 Rangers |
| 13 March | Europa League | Rangers 0-2 Fenerbahce (won 3-2 on penalties) |
| 16 March | Premiership | Celtic 2-3 Rangers |
Speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (17 March), Andy Halliday wasn’t optimistic that Ferguson could secure the job permanently, but argued that he could still change that mindset before season’s end.
Halliday said: “As it stands right now, I don’t think Barry Ferguson will get the job; just because [of the] new investors – I think they’ll look for a star-studded appointment.
“Ferguson, 100 per cent, will have an eye on getting the job permanently, so what he has to do in this three-month period is bulk up his CV as best as he possibly can.
“Domestically, [winning] these Old Firm games and European nights [are] where they make it almost impossible not to give him the job – that’s not been done in three weeks for me.”
Ferguson surely in the frame for permanent Rangers role
The coming summer is expected to be all change at Ibrox, as 49ers Enterprises take control having agreed a deal in principle to puchase a 51 per cent majority stake in Rangers following months of talks.
The 49ers would have already had a decision to make regarding Clement’s future upon taking charge, but the outgoing Gers hierarchy beat them to it by sacking the Belgian amid poor results last month.
With Ferguson in charge until the end of the season, having beaten Celtic at the first time of asking and reached the Europa League last eight, that 49ers’ decision is now one of weighing up his pros and cons.
Ferguson is still yet to win at Ibrox after defeats to Motherwell and Fenerbahce – the latter resulting in a 3-3 aggregate draw and subsequent shootout victory – and that must change if he’s to stand a chance.
There is still plenty of football yet to come this term for Ferguson to stake his claim, but should their trajectory on the continent continue, the 49ers’ minds could well be made up at Rangers.