Rangers job: Ferguson makes major declaration about ‘next manager’ | OneFootball

Barry Ferguson seems to be coming to grips with the notion that the managerial position at Rangers might not be his for the long term. This realization, hinted at in recent statements, comes despite all the theatrics and suspense of those heart-stopping games at Ibrox. You have to wonder if Ferguson really believed he could navigate this ship through the turbulent seas of Scottish football without some solid backing. The Rangers’ leadership, meanwhile, has been playing its cards very close to the vest. And now, with a nod to the savvy and experience Ferguson has gained, one can at least appreciate that he’s not getting his hopes up over any promises from on high.

Let’s be real: running Rangers is not just about mastering formations or giving rousing team talks. It’s like being in a pressure cooker. Everything is magnified, and even the smallest decisions seem to be life-or-death calls when it comes to satisfying the hunger of the fans for silverware. When Steven Gerrard was in charge, and the team looked more than capable of challenging Celtic for the Scottish Premiership title, it was mission accomplished for the Liverpool legend. But he had the temporary relief of an interim manager. Ferguson, by contrast, is an interim boss. He has not yet been confirmed as the commander-in-chief to guide the ship. And stepping up from interim to permanent status is not the same as being called out from the substitutes’ bench to play in a derby game.

The story becomes even more compelling when you consider how Ferguson has kept his cool off the field. He hasn’t made any grand, public proclamations about why he should or shouldn’t be the manager. Instead, it’s all been very calm, very measured—a man seemingly making peace with the idea that he might not be the boss moving forward but still doing his job in the present. And that might be the most important thing right now for a club that’s been in need of a steady hand for quite some time. Ferguson, to his credit, has sounded more like he thinks the team needs a more experienced, more battle-hardened manager.

Meanwhile, who do the Rangers faithful think is going to take over? Are they looking at the stability of a van Bronckhorst-type appointment? Or are they thinking about someone new? No one appears to have a clue, and in the background, half of the club’s support is already dreaming up improbable scenarios in which the club is something like a dozen points better off. Half of them are probably thinking, “Well, maybe Barry Ferguson is just biding his time until another opportunity knocks.” The other half is probably thinking, “Well, maybe Barry Ferguson wants to lose this battle so he can win some other one.”