Ferguson hits back at Rangers and Celtic claim as Ibrox takeover nears
Rangers earned a surprise 3-2 win over Celtic last weekend, but there is no denying the title race is already done and dusted.
Hamza Igamane struck late on at Celtic Park to earn Rangers a famous victory on enemy territory, closing the gap to 13 points in the process.
Rangers fans will rightly celebrate that triumph for a while longer yet, but the reality is that the Gers have been way off the pace domestically this season.
However, with the Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises soon set to complete a takeover at Ibrox, exciting times lie ahead.
Derek Ferguson expects Rangers and Celtic gap to quickly close
49ers Enterprises will want to quickly get to work in the summer in terms of bringing new players to Rangers in the transfer window.
There is also the small matter of getting a team in place behind the scenes, plus the appointment of a new manager at Ibrox, whether that be Barry Ferguson or someone else.
In the view of player-turned-pundit Derek Ferguson, while it may take a number of years for Rangers to truly transform things off the pitch, it will require far less time to close the gap on Celtic on it.
“Rangers are where they are because people are in positions in the club that are not up to scratch,” Ferguson exclusively told Ibrox News.
“Being methodical is the right way to go. You’re not going to get everything right in the first three-to-six months; it can take a couple of years. But if they show they have a plan then that’s the way forward.
| Shareholder | Stake |
| Dave King | 12.96% |
| Douglas Park | 11.54% |
| George Taylor | 10.22% |
| Stuart Gibson | 9.53% |
| Julian Wolhardt | 9.53% |
| John Halsted | 9.53% |
| John Bennett | 7.11% |
“It can take up to four years to get everybody in the right positions at the club. But it’s different on the field. I get confused when I see other pundits saying it’ll take Rangers five or six years to catch Celtic on the football side of things.
“I don’t agree with that. It can all change in the space of a season. You need the right manager in place, the right players, and you can challenge in a small space of time.
“So the owners will need time to get things in place behind the scenes, but on the football side of things, it can change very quickly.”
New manager top priority for 49ers and Cavenagh
There is a growing clamour for Barry Ferguson to be handed the Rangers job on a permanent basis, having made a fast start to life in a caretaker capacity.
Whether it be Ferguson, Steven Gerrard, Russell Martin or anyone else mentioned of late, making the right managerial appointment is the number one priority for the new owners.
It will then be a case of adding a handful of new, top-quality players, which will hopefully mean a much tighter title race in 2025-26 – one in which Rangers come out on top in.