Barry Ferguson was happy living the easy life.
A cushdy job acting as a club ambassador at Ibrox, some part-time work writing his Record Sport column, a couple of shifts on the wireless — it all added up to a stress-free existence for the former Rangers skipper. Well, that’s all gone now he’s been named caretaker boss at his old club … as the bags under the 47-year-old’s eyes will testify.
By stepping into fill the manager’s post on an interim basis, Ferguson knows he’s walking back into the world of pressure, strain and scrutiny he left behind when he walked out of Ibrox to join Birmingham 16 years ago. No wonder he’s already he’s already starting to show the wearing effects. It’s now his job to drag a team that has hit rock bottom off its knees and attempt to reestablish some kind of self-respect at Ibrox from a season verging on the mortifying.
Fergie returned to the club’s Auchenhowie training base late on Monday afternoon, just a few hours after Philippe Clement checked out following some final goodbyes. The ex-captain and his new team of iconic assistants – Allan McGregor, Neil McCann and Billy Dodds – didn’t leave themselves until after 2am as they began piecing together a game plan for this evening’s Rugby Park showdown with another of their old team-mates, Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes.
Some would say he’s crazy to take the job on, especially given he himself admits he’d all but given up on a return to management after an ill-fated spell in charge of League One Alloa ended in resignation this time three years ago. But then they should know by now that when Rangers call, Ferguson will always come running.
Looking back over a remarkable 48 hours, he said: “I’ve not had much sleep, as you can see with my eyes. But I’m not complaining. It was a whirlwind couple of days. Hardly any sleep.
“It was about getting my coaching staff together. Getting in, getting told that I had to take the game for Wednesday. And then getting to meet the players.
“We’ve had one training session, so there’s been a lot of things going on. I’m sure in the coming days it will start to hit a wee bit. But listen, I’m excited and proud to be asked to become the Rangers manager until the end of the season.
“I’m going to give it my all. And so is my staff. And so is this group of players. I had a quiet life for a few years. I was enjoying a new role at the club. I was a club ambassador for the past year and a half.
“Did I want to go back into coaching and management? If I’m brutally honest, I wasn’t thinking about it. But when that phone call comes, there was no way that I was going to turn it down. And being back now a couple of days, it just excites me.
“I’m desperate to get started. I loved being out on the grass today with the players and I can’t wait to get out in the touchline come 8pm tomorrow night. We’ll see where it goes. But I’m confident. I’m confident in my ability, my staff’s ability and also the players.”
Fergie was saying all the right things but he’ll know the plain truth of the matter is he is taking over a team that is failing spectacularly. Thirteen points adrift in the title race having missed out on both the League and Scottish Cups – the latter in humiliating style after defeat to Queen’s Park – the team Clement leaves behind only has a Europa League long shot to play for this term.
But he is confident the Ibrox faithful will see “a different Rangers” when they head down the M77 tonight. “Listen, this club’s built on winning trophies and it’s not won enough over the years,” he bluntly admitted. “That’s clear for everybody.
“We’re still in one trophy, the Europa League. But domestically, we need to have a level of consistency. We need to start winning games on a regular basis.
“When I spoke to the players, I had a 10-minute meeting and I was straightforward. I told them this is a brilliant place to be. You’re lucky to be at a place like this. You look at the training facility, at the stadium, at the support. They’re well looked after in terms of the staff at the club.
“So I feel it’s going to be a good place to be. Certainly today, I felt a difference. I was at both games [recent defeats to Queen’s and St Mirren]. It’s clearly a group of players low in confidence.
“But my job today was trying to pick that up a bit. And I certainly got a response. When I was driving in this morning at 7am, that was my thought process. ‘I need to get a kick out of these guys’.
“But they certainly gave me a reaction. I couldn’t ask for any more. Now we’ll meet up tomorrow and see where it takes us. But I’m confident I’ll get a rise out of them.”
Ferguson has got the band back together having asked goalkeeping great McGregor to return alongside McCann and Dodds. The later two have coaching experience but lately, they been more familiar face sitting on the pundits’ couch passing judgement on all manner of Ibrox slip-ups.
McCann was at it only on Saturday night while appearing on Sportsmen, berating the staleness that had crept into Clement’s team. But Ferguson believes his mates are also the personality needed to breath some fresh life into Gers.
The quartet have 13 league winners medals between them but played only once together – a 2002 Scottish Cup rout of Forfar. “I didn’t even know that,” admitted Fergie. “Listen, they’re bubbly about the place.
“They’re big characters, they like to get in amongst the boys and I think that’s important because obviously the last couple of weeks has been difficult for this group .Also, for myself, it’s important that the players feel comfortable around good people, but also good coaches.
“I know the way football operates nowadays, some players need an arm round about them. Some maybe need a wee clip round about the ear. I’ll suss out who needs what.”