Rangers round-up: Barry Ferguson exit, James Tavernier transfer twist
Rangers grabbed headlines again after succumbing to an embarrassing 2-0 defeat against Hibernian at Ibrox on Saturday.
Barry Ferguson suffered his third straight home defeat as the Rangers manager against Hibernian on 5 April, with goals from Dylan Levitt and Martin Boyle adding to his woes.
The interim manager will be determined to repair his reputation when the Gers host Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final tie on Thursday, 10 April.
With a lot happening on and off the pitch, there is a lot being said about Rangers, and here Ibrox News rounds up the latest news from Monday, 7 April.
49ers finance update in Rangers takeover latest
Rangers are on the verge of a takeover by a US consortium, including healthcare tycoon Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe of 49ers Enterprises.
It is only a matter of time before the agreement is rubber-stamped, but Bill Leckie has insisted that fans walking out of Ibrox during the Gers’ 2-0 loss against Hibernian will reduce the valuation of the deal.
“While back at Ibrox, all their fifth home defeat on the spin reminds the board is that with every seat that tips up and every pair of feet stomping early for the exits, another tenner drops off the value of the deal they’re doing with the 49ers crew; tenners that the people whose dosh has propped Rangers up for a long time now simply can’t afford to lose”, he wrote in his column on The Sun‘s website (6 April).
Gers to move on from Ferguson
The defeat against Hibernian will have affected Ferguson’s hopes of claiming the hot seat at Ibrox as his own, despite him taking Rangers to the Europa League quarter-finals.
Fraser Wilson is of the view that the former Gers captain and his coaching team are not the right people to take the Glasgow heavyweights forward.
The Daily Record journalist went as far as saying the Light Blues have gone backwards since Ferguson was named as their caretaker manager following Philippe Clement’s sacking.
“I think it’s quite a strong foursome, but I’m not convinced it’s right for Rangers”, Wilson said on Hotline Live (6 April).
“With seven games, they’ve been bad in five of them; they’ve been shocking in three of them.
“I think they’ve gone backwards in the last couple of months in performances and that’s incredible to say.”
49ers have ‘found Rangers manager’
Meanwhile, Keith Jackson has said that the incoming owners have already found the next permanent Rangers manager.
The Daily Record journalist believes Ferguson is the right candidate to be named the Gers’ new permanent manager, despite his struggles at home and inexperience as a coach.
“They have exactly the right man for the job in Barry Ferguson even if they can’t quite see it for themselves at this low point in the caretaker manager’s short stint at the helm”, Jackson wrote in his column on the Record website (7 April).
“And that’s precisely why it might be a mistake for Rangers – and their incoming new American owners – to look elsewhere when it comes to deciding who ought to be leading from the front when next season begins.
“This is not time for another rebuild or even a star-spangled revolution. It’s gone too far for that.
“Yes, Ferguson may lack managerial experience, but what he knows better than almost anyone else are the standards required to make this club competitive and capable of offering up a credible challenge to Celtic’s domestic dominance.
“And that wealth of priceless knowledge should not be ignored or undervalued by Andrew Cavenagh when it comes to throwing out the bathwater in the summer.”
James Tavernier transfer twist
James Tavernier faces an uncertain future at Rangers ahead of the impending takeover.
One of the first big decisions that the new owners could make once they come into power is selling James Tavernier, according to TEAMtalk (7 April).
With the captain’s contract running until 2026, the Ibrox outfit could look to recoup some money by selling him this summer.