Managing Rangers is not like managing anyone else, at least not in Scotland.
It has become a cruel and sometimes thankless task in recent years, with so much demanded from relatively limited resources.
And yet Barry Ferguson is making a very decent fist of it, partly because he understands the club.
It is helpful for a Rangers manager to be a proven coach. It is a big advantage if he can identify promising players and develop them with modern, sophisticated training methods. But it is more important that he knows and accepts the way it works in Glasgow.
Too often of late, Rangers have appointed coaches who fail to grasp what it means to be in charge of a big club. Managers who cannot see that it is vital to ‘play the game’ with supporters and media, however unreasonable they might seem.
Mark Warburton was forever complaining about the expectation, about the scrutiny and the injustice of being two defeats from a crisis (sorry Mark, but rightly or wrongly, that is the job).
Barry Ferguson punches the air with delight after Rangers’ 3-2 victory at Celtic Park
The Rangers boss congratulates Mohamed Diomande after he made it 2-0 against Celtic
Philippe Clement seemed to think that he should be given time to nurture his ‘project’ (a definite no-no). And that it was a good idea to celebrate a League Cup win against St Johnstone as though Rangers had lifted the trophy (really?).
The exception was Steven Gerrard, who grew up with Liverpool and knew how to represent a club of that size. He has since failed in other managerial posts, but he was successful at Rangers because he understood the unique challenge of leading them.
He accepted his lot, even if he didn’t agree with it. He understood the narrative, even if there was no logic to it. Where others looked for someone or something to blame, he created a no-excuses environment. He took responsibility.
Ferguson is similar. It is asking an awful lot of Rangers to match Celtic at a time when a chasm divides them off the pitch. But, to his great credit, the interim manager has shown what can be done with leadership, a few tactical tweaks and a bit of commonsense.
Rangers were mocked for appointing him. Here, after all, was a man whose only previous experience in the job was with Clyde, Kelty Hearts and Alloa Athletic. Nobody else, the critics said, would have been given so big an opportunity with so modest a cv.
Which is to miss the point. Of the available candidates, nobody else has on his cv two spells as a Rangers player and captain, with five league titles to show for it.
That might not be important in the lower divisions, where management is a very different job, but it is important at Ibrox.
The new owners would be wise not to forget that when they sit down to make a permanent choice in the summer.
Ferguson is showing how important it is to understand what makes Rangers tick
Fan to get a cheeky reminder of Raskin’s heroics
Of all the Rangers players who have headed off on international duty this week, none will have a bigger spring in his step than Nico Raskin, who is part of Belgium’s full squad for the first time.
It is a fitting reward for the young midfielder’s recent form, which has included a telling contribution to the aggregate victory against Fenerbahce in the Europa League and a man-of-the-match display against Celtic last Sunday.
Raskin didn’t just score one and set up another in the 3-2 victory at Celtic Park, he was all over the pitch, getting the better of his fellow Belgian, Arne Engels, who was omitted from his country’s latest squad selection.
Raskin has become a favourite among the Rangers supporters, so much so that, on the eve of the derby, one of them made an unusual pledge to the player who joined from Standard Liege just over two years ago.
In a mischievous social media post that he has probably come to regret, the fan promised to have Raskin’s name tattooed on his bum if he scored in a Rangers victory. ‘Will post proof afterwards,’ he added.
By Sunday night, with three points in the bag, as well as a goal and an assist for good measure, Raskin replied with the eyes emoji and a laughing face.
‘Why did you have to do this to me?’ asked the supporter in response.
Nicolas Raskin celebrates his goal which put Rangers 1-0 in front at Parkhead
Belgian midfielder Raskin nods home the goal which gave Rangers an important lead
Raskin was a constant thorn in Celtic’s side as Rangers picked up a memorable 3-2 win
If the deed has not been done by the time Raskin returns from Belgium’s Nations League playoff against Ukraine, he will want to get to the bottom of it.
Souttar hails super supporters in Europe
John Souttar has revealed that the thunderous backing given to the Rangers players on big European nights is not so much about intimidating the opposition — but injecting late energy into home legs and hearts when they need it most.
The big defender will be suspended from the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final against Athletic Bilbao and reduced to the role of helping contribute to the roars from the sidelines when Ernesto Valverde’s side come calling on April 10.
However, Souttar, outstanding in the two-legged triumph over Fenerbahce in the last round, has detailed just how important the role the supporters play on these big nights truly is and made it clear that the effect their high-decibel backing has is far more relevant to their own players than it is in terms of giving the opposition the collywobbles.
Speaking to the Rangers match programme ahead of the second leg of the Fenerbahce clash, Souttar said: ‘Can I sense opposition teams getting intimidated by the Ibrox noise? Sometimes, but it is like us going to Fenerbahce as people thought we would be intimidated and we weren’t.
‘As much as the crowd does play a factor in some games, in others they don’t. But we will need to use the Rangers fans to get our energy.
‘In the last 10 or 15 minutes when we need them, I think we will use it then.’
Defender John Souttar celebrates the penalty shootout win over Fenerbahce at Ibrox
Souttar insisted crowd were vital in giving team energy to get through extra time and penalties
Souttar and interim boss Barry Ferguson embrace after a famous European night at Ibrox
Fraser to return a better player, insists Livingston boss
Livingston manager David Martindale has promised to send young left-back Robbie Fraser back to Rangers with the skills required to have a big pre-season with the Ibrox outfit.
The 21-year-old, who made a substitute appearance in the Light Blues’ 3-0 home Old Firm win over Celtic earlier in the campaign, was farmed out to the West Lothian side on a six-month loan deal in January and has benefited from being part of their push for promotion from the Championship.
Martindale believes Rangers will be getting a completely different player when that arrangement draws to a close.
‘Robbie is a left-back who can play one up and I think he can also play inside,’ the Livi boss told Rangers club media. ‘He first came on the radar in the Lowland League when he was playing for Rangers.
‘I had a good relationship with people at Rangers, so he’s always been on the radar slightly.
‘If I am doing my job properly, he should be in a position to go back in the summer and go away with Rangers in pre-season. We are going to give Robbie a certain skillset that he’s not had previously.
‘I’d be disappointed, and it depends who the permanent manager is, if he didn’t have the opportunity to go and push on, but that will come down to the player in the summer too.’
Robbie Fraser (right) is making a good impression on loan from Rangers at Livingston
Livingston boss David Martindale says he will send Fraser back to Ibrox a better player
Robbie Fraser is hoping to have a big pre-season at Rangers after his loan spell with Livi
Mols and Marvin ready to scale the heights again
Ibrox legends Michael Mols and Marvin Andrews are to lead a climb up Ben Nevis to raise money for charity — and have urged fans to join them on their great adventure.
Mols and Andrews will also have former players Kevin Thomson and Lee McCulloch on their team for the ‘Bears Up Ben Nevis’ challenge on June 14 and are keen to see supporters sign up to show their backing for the Rangers Charity Foundation.
Park’s Motor Group have offered to provided coaches to transport any interested parties from Ibrox Stadium to the base of Ben Nevis on the day.
‘I have really enjoyed the Ben Nevis Challenge previously and was keen to come over and do it again to help raise funds for the Rangers Charity Foundation — a charity very close to my heart that runs over 20 community programmes along with a wide range of charitable work,’ said Mols.
‘I’m excited for the challenge and to see us all turn Ben Nevis blue in June.’
Further information is available at: www.rangerscharity.org.uk
Rangers legend Michael Mols has signed up for Ben Nevis climb to raise vital cash for charity
Experience will be vital as women seek a cup Treble
Rangers’ women are hoping that their experience of winning cup competitions will serve them well this weekend, when the first major trophy of the season is up for grabs.
Having lifted the League Cup in each of the last two campaigns, Jo Potter’s in-form side aim to make it three in a row when they play Hibs at Fir Park on Sunday.
It is a mouth-watering clash, with Hibs topping the SWPL table and Rangers on a run of nine unbeaten matches since the turn of the year. The only flaw in that sequence was a draw at Hearts.
KIrsty Maclean, above right, says experience can help Rangers lift a cup Treble
An 8-0 thrashing of Motherwell last weekend moved them to within two points of Hibs in the title race. And there is also a Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen to look forward to.
All of which means that a potential treble is still on for Rangers, although Potter and her players know better than to look too far ahead. They didn’t win a cup double last season by taking their eye off the ball.
That experience will be important against Hibs, a team that Rangers have not beaten this season. According to midfielder Kirsty Maclean, it might even be the difference between the sides.
‘Yes it could be,’ said Maclean. ‘As a group we have got loads of experienced players. It is our cup, we want to keep it and we managed to win two trophies last season in the cups.
‘We have been there before so hopefully we can get over the line and do it again.’
