Barry Ferguson is a Rangers legend but a man in the know says Celtic can bear huge influence on if he sticks about as manager. A man inside Barry Ferguson’s inner sanctum has paved the Rangers road that will need walked for the interim manager to become full-time gaffer – and it includes Celtic.
The legendary midfielder is at the helm until the end of the season after the sacking of Philippe Clement. While defeat to Motherwell was a blow, progress in the Europa League against Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce has bolstered his stock after a last eight tie was set up with Athletic Bilbao. They face Celtic in the Premiership this weekend and while the title race looks over, victory in Glasgow’s east-end would fully set the debate alight over whether he is now a credible next Rangers manager candidate. A man in the know when it comes to Ferguson has shared what needs to happen for him to become the main man long-term. Derek Ferguson is a former Rangers player and brother of the current interim manager. He says that achieving success over Celtic with two Old Firm games to go and European progress will put his relative on a collision course with work at Rangers beyond the summer. Speaking to Ibrox News, he said: ““He was already there in an ambassador role so he knows the ins and outs at the club. It was a case of him getting the right people beside him. Neil McCann and Billy Dodds are good appointments as well. He looks comfortable in the job, especially when dealing with the press. He looks the part and I think it’s a no-brainer for him to take it. “The way that will happen is by getting results. The result against Fenerbahce was marvellous, brilliant. But you’ve got to remember that has been the case for Rangers this season – they’ve been excellent in Europe. What Barry’s got to do from now until the summer is win every game. If he does that he’ll get the job. That means beating Celtic at Celtic Park, which is a big ask. “But on the basis of the Fenerbahce performance, the players are capable of that. I’m not surprised he wants to job full-time. I said to him, and this is going back a bit, I couldn’t fathom why he worked with part-time clubs in Scotland. The Clyde one was fair enough, getting your foot through the door, but some of the full-time teams in Scotland were willing to take Barry on but for whatever reason he didn’t want to go down that route. “This is a different kettle of fish now. I took him to Rangers as a boy. The club is ingrained in him. There’s only one conclusion: He wants the job but will need to win games.”
Euro delight
In the meantime, the interim manager is basking in the glory of a penalty shootout success over Mourinho. He told Rangers’ official website: “It was eventful, that’s for sure! We knew what we were coming up against: a very good team. One thing that my group of players showed tonight is character. They dug deep.
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