Rangers head coach Barry Ferguson has vowed to pass on experience from his own “difficult times” at Ibrox to help his struggling squad.
The former captain – who replaced Philippe Clement on a deal until the end of this season – wants his players to “stand up to criticism” and respond against Kilmarnock on Wednesday – live on Sky Sports.
He believes the group have underachieved domestically during this campaign – with Rangers 16 points behind Celtic, having already lost the League Cup final and being knocked out of the Scottish Cup. However, Ferguson has been impressed by the players’ “attitude” and “appetite” since taking over.
The Gers hall of fame inductee – who won 15 major honours at Ibrox – is also “delighted” to be assisted by former Rangers team-mates Allan McGregor, Neil McCann and Billy Dodds who “know the game inside out”.
Ferguson added that he is “proud” and “honoured” to get the job for the coming months, and has “no problem” with criticism from some fans over his lack of coaching experience at the top-flight level.
Here are the key points from Sky Sports News’ exclusive interview with the Rangers head coach…
His reaction to being appointed
Former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson has replaced Philippe Clement following his sacking
“I’m proud, honoured and just delighted to get started, and I’m really looking forward to the game against Kilmarnock.
“It’s been a crazy few days if I’m being honest with you, but now things are starting to settle down a wee bit.
“I’ve really enjoyed getting in among the players for the first time and now it’s just about making sure we go and get results.
“The call came late on Sunday night, it was a surprise, I’m not going to sit here and tell you any different.
“It was a quick conversation, I agreed to obviously come back and then it was a case of me going and getting my staff together which I was maybe worried about in case I couldn’t get it as quickly as I wanted.
“But thankfully I got them all in place and we were able to obviously come in on Monday night and start our preparations for the training day on Tuesday.”
Importance of coaching staff
Ferguson (L), Neil McCann (C), Billy Dodds (R) and Allan McGregor all played together at Rangers
“Issame (Charai) was already here and obviously I knew a bit about him, so he was going to be staying.
“In terms of Billy (Dodds) and Neil (McCann), they know the game inside out and they’re guys who I trust. They’ve been managers before in the past at a good level, they’re very good on the grass.
“Billy and Neil will be involved in the training side of things and set-pieces. It’s not just all about me, obviously I’m the manager but my coaching team will have roles to play throughout the three months. Everybody’s going to be pretty much hands-on and that’s the way I like it.
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New Rangers head coach Barry Ferguson plus coaches Allan McGregor, Neil McCann, and Billy Dodds arrive at the club’s training ground after taking charge until the end of this season
“Allan McGregor was a fantastic goalkeeper, and I think he was just itching to get back into the coaching side of things. Allan will be with the goalkeepers, Jack (Butland), Liam (Kelly) and the younger ones.
“I was delighted that all three were desperate to come so it was just a case of making sure that could get over the line, and when that happened, I was delighted I had my coaching team ready to go and get started.”
Dealing with tough times at Ibrox
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Kris Boyd speaks on Sky Sports News on Rangers’ appointment of Barry Ferguson and believes it will give the ‘entire club a lift’
“It wasn’t always rosy in the garden for me at Rangers. I went through some tough times as well, but it’s an amazing place to play your football.
“It’s a fantastic facility in terms of the training centre, an iconic stadium with the fans coming in numbers every time that they play at Ibrox.
“There’s so much I could pass on. I’ve had some experiences but also some difficult times.
“At this stage, the team has gone through a bit of a sticky patch, there’s no doubt about that, we’re not going to sit here and lie. The last few results, certainly at Ibrox, have been well below par.
“I’ve been in these situations but it’s about standing up to that, accepting criticism and making sure you put a performance on in the next game.
“It’s great that there’s always a game round the corner and that’s what we’ve got against Kilmarnock.”
Why have Rangers been underachieving this season?
St Mirren beat Rangers 2-0 at Ibrox to make it back-to-back home defeats
“It’s just been a lack of consistency and not winning enough football games domestically.
“The European performances have been at a high level, there’s no doubt, but maybe not in some of the games domestically.
“The Queen’s Park game in the Scottish Cup and also the game against St Mirren at the weekend, Rangers as a football club have to be winning those games and that’s the pressure that I’m going to put on myself, my staff and my players.
“I think there’s a lot of good players. I am delighted with their attitude. They show a good appetite, which is important for me, and a good work ethic which I’m going to try and bring, and my staff are going to try and bring.
“We know we’re going to a tough place against Kilmarnock down at Rugby Park against a manager who I’ve got a lot of respect for.
“Kilmarnock are a good team, and we suffered the last time we went there so it needs to be different this time. We’re going to give it our best shot, but what we need to do is be positive and make sure we come away with three points. It’s got to be different this time.”
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Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes on former team-mate Barry Ferguson’s appointment at Rangers and much more
What to expect from Ferguson’s Rangers
“There’s not going to be wholesale changes overnight, that takes a bit of time, but I also understand that you don’t get much time here.
“I’ve only had one training session but I’m not going to use that as an excuse. I’ve prepared them in the right manner and then we’ll go down to Kilmarnock looking to get the three points.
“You’re going to see a team full of grit, determination, desire, and a team that’s going to go and try and win the game of football. That’s what you’ll see from my team, you’ll see a team that’s fully committed to the cause.”
On criticism of his appointment
Barry Ferguson has managed lower-league clubs Clyde, Kelty Hearts and Alloa
“I have no issue with that, that’s fine, I’ll take that on the chin but that’s in the past now.
“I’m sure I’m going to get judged every single time we play a game of football, but I have no problems with that.
“I had that as a player, I understand the demands and expectations of this football club.
“What I need to do is basic: win football games, but we’re going to have a certain way and a certain style of doing that.”
Looking ahead to next season
“My focus isn’t on takeovers or root and branch reviews. My focus, and the reason why I was brought here with my staff, is to get a lift out of these players and start winning games of football.
“The only discussion I had was to come in and get a lift out of the players and make sure that we get results on the football pitch.”
Rangers’ upcoming fixtures:
- February 26: Kilmarnock (A) – Scottish Premiership, live on Sky Sports
- March 1: Motherwell (H) – Scottish Premiership
- March 6: Fenerbahce (A) – Europa League last-16
- March 13: Fenerbahce (H) – Europa League last-16
- March 16: Celtic (A) – Scottish Premiership, live on Sky Sports
- March 29: Dundee (A) – Scottish Premiership, live on Sky Sports