Derek Ferguson shares if brother Barry will stay at Rangers with Gerrard – Exclusive
Barry Ferguson has put up a strong case to stay on as Rangers manager beyond this season, but that has not stopped a plethora of names being linked with the job.
Ferguson was appointed out of the blue following the sacking of Philippe Clement at Ibrox on 24 February.
The former Gers player, who held a position at the club as an ambassador, is now considered the favourite among some bookmakers to stay on permanently.
The likes of Russell Martin, Rafael Benitez and Jose Mourinho have also been credited with an interest in the Rangers job, as has former boss Steven Gerrard.
Gerrard linked with sensational Rangers return
There have been suggestions that should Ferguson not be successful in landing the manager’s job, he may instead be asked to stay on as assistant.
That could potentially see a Gerrard and Ferguson link-up in the Ibrox dugout, or indeed any of the other names mentioned.
However, Barry’s older brother Derek Ferguson – speaking exclusively to Ibrox News – does not believe he would be so willing to stay on in an assistant manager capacity.
| Manager | Games | Wins | Win percentage |
| Barry Ferguson | 5 | 3 | 60 |
| Steven Gerrard | 193 | 125 | 64.8 |
“That’ll not sit well with Barry,” he said. “He wants to be in charge; he wants to be the main man. I don’t see Barry going into a role like that.
“He has the ambassador role, so if he didn’t get the [manager’s] job he’d probably go back to that. Unless another big name came in that got his juices flowing, maybe.
“But I get the impression it’s Rangers or nothing. It came out of the blue for him and he’s loving every minute of it.
“Will he take another job? Probably not. And I don’t think he’d want to be an assistant, either. He likes the pressure and the focus being on him. Some shy away from that but Barry enjoys it.”
Rangers job is Barry Ferguson’s to lose
After masterminding a two-legged victory over Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, plus earning a first Old Firm away win in five years, Ferguson can argue he is as well suited to the job as anyone else out there.
In terms of ‘getting it’, there is nobody higher on the list than Ferguson. And if he keeps producing memorable wins, the club will surely not even consider looking elsewhere.
Results count for everything, though, and all it takes is a couple of negative ones – such as exiting the Europa League to Athletic Bilbao – and supporters will soon clamour for a bigger name.
For now, Ferguson just needs to tick off each game as it comes and hope he has done enough to be appointed permanently in the summer.