Steinsson to hold Ferguson talks at Rangers as new Ibrox manager news emerges
Rangers are waiting for the 49ers Enterprises to complete their takeover at Ibrox in the hope of looking forward to a rebuild.
After such a poor season, the new owners will be well aware of the level of work they have to do at Ibrox, with some big decisions to make.
The starting point will be a decision on the permanent manager in Glasgow with Barry Ferguson on an interim contract until the end of the season.
Barry Ferguson to find out Rangers fate
Ferguson was brought into Ibrox in the hope of steadying the ship and improving the players’ morale, but he caught some eyes as he guided the Gers to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Although the domestic form hasn’t quite lived up to the same standards, there has been plenty of debate over whether the former Light Blue is deserving of a chance to take the club forward permanently.
However, there have also been suggestions that the 49ers would be more keen to bring in their own appointment and start things from a fresh point.
Gretar Steinsson will be a big part of that task and his former manager, Owen Coyle, has predicted how he might play things.
Writing in The Scottish Sun (1 May, page 48), Coyle said: “I’d assume within that he’ll speak to Barry Ferguson.
“I really like Barry, he’s done great at Rangers in the circumstances because, let’s face it, he inherited a flawed team when he took the job.
“He’s shown with his knowledge, his character and his drive that he could achieve big results.
“With a bit of luck in that Europa League game in Bilbao, that result could have changed completely.
“Barry got people believing – even after the first game, Rangers fans went there still optimistic, and on another night, there might have been a different outcome.
“But Barry deserves to be in the conversation, for sure.”
Rangers have to look away from Ferguson
As Coyle says, Ferguson has done well with Rangers in difficult circumstances. However, the Gers are still far off where they need to be.
Although the victory against Fenerbahce and first leg against Bilbao looked promising, the boss can’t be judged off those two games alone when Scottish Premiership form has suggested the team are well behind.
| Ferguson’s last five league games | |
| St Mirren (A) | 2-2 |
| Aberdeen (A) | 2-2 |
| Hibernian (H) | 0-2 |
| Dundee (A) | 3-4 |
| Celtic (A) | 2-3 |
What’s more, with the 49ers coming in and likely to increase investment, it wouldn’t be too surprising if they wanted to go for someone who is used to working within different realms.
Ferguson certainly deserves plenty of respect from those at Ibrox, but keeping him on could well ruin the great relationship between the club and player, tarnishing his legacy.
If Rangers want to see serious signs of success going forward, these are the kinds of tough decisions that the owners will have to make for the progression of the club.