Rangers' Scottish head coach Barry Ferguson gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Europa League quarter final second leg football match between Athletic Club Bilbao and Glasgow Rangers, at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao on April 17, 2025. (Photo by ANDER GILLENEA / AFP) (Photo by ANDER GILLENEA/AFP via Getty Images)
Oh, there’s trouble at Ibrox, and of all people to fire the starting gun, it’s Barry Ferguson. He’s shot a few rounds into the ground around the feet of the proposed new manager before the guy’s even in the building.
It’s weird, because about two hours before Ferguson gave his demented press conference today—where he put the boot into Davide Ancelotti, his own board, and his own club as hard as he could—my mother was talking to me about it. She suggested that the whole idea of appointing a rookie was an insult to Ferguson.
Perhaps not surprisingly, he feels the same way.
He didn’t want to get too OTT about it, but he’s raging. He’s absolutely furious, and you can tell, because he’s a terrible poker player. He doesn’t hide it well—if he hides it at all. And he’s made it crystal clear that he doesn’t believe it’s a job for a rookie, and that he doesn’t believe he gets the respect he’s due. He reckons it’s because he’s Scottish—and nothing at all to do with a 30% win ratio.
And you know what? I’m part of the way with him on this.
It is a colossal act of disrespect to Ferguson to offer this job to a complete novice. Of course it is. Ferguson has far more in the locker in terms of experience than this guy. He knows Scottish football, he knows the club, and he has an idea about what needs to be done to make it better. We also know that Ferguson will work under pretty much any regime over there and under pretty much any conditions they apply.
It’s a slap in his face. An actual, obvious slap in the face. “We don’t think you’re good enough, but we’re going to bring in someone with no experience at all.” How’s he supposed to react to that? How’s he supposed to feel about it? And it’s obvious how he feels—he’s made it plain in his statements.
“One thing I will say is that it’s not a project,” he said about the idea. “You need to start winning straight away. That’s it. You need to get off to a very fast start and you need to make sure you win as many games as possible. This club is built on winning and we need to start winning. That’s been the issue here and that’s clearly why there’s a number of managers that have lost their jobs over the years.”
Yeah, including you, Barry. Including you.
I loved his answer when asked why he thinks it’s not going to be him and his staff who get picked. It’s a beautiful piece of ranting.
“I think it’s fine because I’m probably Scottish, and so is my staff,” he said. “If it was somebody from a different country, I think they would have gotten more respect. I’ve been up here for many years, I know how it operates in the West of Scotland. But I knew when I took the job that I could make a difference. Has it been the way that I’ve wanted it to go? It’s not been perfect, I get that, I understand that. But I think I’ve done okay. I can do better. But if you give me the tools to go and do that, I know I’d be a success.”
Ho ho ho. His confidence is very amusing, isn’t it?
Just give me enough money to spend and watch how well I spend it. That’s pretty much what he’s saying. And you know that is what he’s saying. He’s one of those guys who thinks that’s the key to being a good manager—having money to spend.
And some managers have gotten success doing that. Just not as many as Ferguson and his fan club seem to think.
But experience should be the key to getting a big job. Experience is crucial. This is the reason I didn’t want Lennon as manager the first time, and why I had my doubts the second time. It’s why Ferguson was never really going to be a great choice either—because his experience is at a very low level.
But the thing is, Ferguson had that experience. He’d been in a dugout as manager. He’d been at the sharp end. He’d suffered some blows. He’d been fired. And that’s a great teaching tool for a lot of managers. I think he does deserve more respect than the way he’s being treated here. I think he’s right to be pissed off. And although his record is absolutely awful, Ancelotti Junior has no record to speak of.
But he’s got a fancy foreign name. And maybe that’s enough. What will make it amazing, of course, is that the resistance has already begun.
If this guy is appointed now, he’s already got at least one critic on the sidelines waiting to start firing the bullets at him. And we all know Ferguson isn’t the only critic there will be. You’ve got his entire media fan club, starting with Jackson, who’ll be equally offended on his behalf.
It is perfect.
That is, it’s perfect for us.
Oh, happy days.
“He knows Scottish football, he knows the club, and he has an idea about what needs to be done to make it better.”
The problem for Barry is that he doesn’t know HOW to make it better.
There is a big difference between being able to identify a problem and being able to provide a remedy. The number of managers sacked every year are testimony to that. Ferguson clings to some old school (verging on neanderthal) thinking, that running faster and kicking (opponents) harder is the key to success. It hasn’t worked for him so far and I would be delighted if the ibrox board gave him another opportunity to prove it isn’t going to work in the future.
An athletics coach who simply stood trackside bellowing “Run faster!” Would be laughed out of the sport. Their footballing equivalent, here in Scotland, for some reason earn plaudits. What does that say about our game in this country. Nobody runs more than Celtic. But it’s not aimless brainless running for the sake of running. It is running with a purpose, at the right time, at the right tempo and to the right place. Some simply see the distance covered and think that is the magic elixir for success. More fool them.
Love a guy who asks himself the questions he wants to answer.
Fergie you good enough for the job, AYE, your results suggest differently, your intimidating (no laughing at the back) style doesn’t suit in a dressing room of millionaires. You have no tactical awareness.
Go brush off the brogues and get forever free lunches at Ibrox whilst telling the stories of Yore whilst your wife owns all the assets. Sponger.
Cannae stop laughing.
Infamy infamy – they’ve awe goat it infamy!
Hagi was only signed for the reflected glory of his father and this is just the same.
Although this is even better because Hagi senior couldn’t take his son’s place on the park but who’s to say Davide Ancelotti’s father won’t have a look at the videos of the matches and offer suggestions to his son so his father could be managing them by proxy.
Is he finally admiting that Sevco are a bigoted club. (race discrimination).
If so sue them Barry sue them. ?
Fergushun acting like Fergushunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn !!!!!!!
He had no chance of the Rangers job with his record.
Wonder where he will end up?
Hamilton Accies will be about right.
‘Rangers’ are dead as dead can be…
Hamilton Accies ain’t though !