Barry Ferguson, Steven Gerrard: Rangers told to appoint ‘big’ manager by owner source
Barry Ferguson has propelled himself into the reckoning to land the Rangers job on a permanent basis after recording a couple of stunning results.
The former Gers captain, who took over as interim manager following Philippe Clement’s sacking last month, secured a 3-2 victory over Celtic on 16 March.
That came just days after the Ibrox club beat Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce on penalties to progress through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Rangers will now face Athletic Bilbao next month for a place in the semi-finals of the competition.
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson told Football Insider Ferguson is in pole position to land the Rangers job as the club’s hierarchy consider their next managerial appointment.
However, there have been suggestions Ferguson could take up a role as Steven Gerrard’s assistant manager if he were to return to the Ibrox dugout.
Aberdeen’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004, had lengthy spells as the chief of Everton and Aston Villa and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – insisted it would be a “mistake” to appoint Gerrard and Ferguson permanently.
Football Insider revealed on 28 February Gerrard is the “dream appointment” for Rangers, with the 49ers Enterprises expected to have a say in who the new boss will be as it closes on a takeover deal at Ibrox.
The former Gers boss was the last manager to win the Scottish Premiership title for the club, having lifted the trophy in the 2020-21 campaign.
Rangers have ‘fantastic’ manager opportunity
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted Rangers have a “fantastic” opportunity to start again and not return to the past with their next managerial appointment.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Well, here we go. Rangers, as I’ve been saying for a long time, have now got this fantastic opportunity to try and really start with a clean sheet of paper and get something right all the way through the club.
“Here we are going back to the past with Steven Gerrard and Barry Ferguson.
“I think it’s a mistake. I think it’s very short-term thinking.
“I think they really need a football brain at the top who’s got some big experience.
“They’ve got a chance now to really move forward in a much bigger, more creative way.
“I don’t think that Steven and Barry, as great as they were as players and were both very talented midfield players, Barry is obviously a Rangers man and Steven had success up there, but they’re not the answer.”
| Position | Team | Played | Points | GD |
| 1 | Celtic | 30 | 75 | +69 |
| 2 | Rangers | 30 | 62 | +34 |
Rangers plotting stunning Marco Rose move
Football Insider revealed on 27 March Rangers are plotting a stunning move for Marco Rose to become the club’s next manager as he’s under pressure at RB Leipzig.
Prospective owner 49ers Enterprises has strong connections with Red Bull, which also has a significant investment in Leeds United.
Rose has spent the past three years with RB Leipzig, who currently sit fifth in the Bundesliga table after finishing fourth last season.
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