In beaming up four Rangers men to plug the gaps left behind by Philippe Clement’s fallen enterprise, chief executive Patrick Stewart has decided, somewhat predictably, to go where many have gone before at Ibrox.
The club’s fixation in employing ex-players as coaches hit a new level on Monday. How many Rangers men does it take to change a club? Turns out it’s four, albeit as part of an interim collective.
Barry Ferguson, who has managed Clyde, Kelty Hearts and Alloa Athletic, is head coach until the end of the season. He hasn’t held a managerial position since leaving Alloa three years ago. It’s fair to say that Ferguson’s stellar era at Rangers as a player did a whole lot of heavy lifting in his employment as caretaker boss.
He’s supported by Neil McCann, a terrific BBC pundit and a big personality. His managerial jobs were at Dundee in 2017-18 and as Inverness Caledonian Thistle caretaker in 2021. McCann is bright and energetic and has been brutally honest in his punditry about Rangers’ weaknesses.
Billy Dodds, another respected Sportsound voice, is a part of the temporary regime too. Like McCann, he’s been outspoken on where Rangers have been going wrong under Clement. Of the four coaches, he has had the most success by far.
As assistant coach at Ross County, Dodds won the League Cup in 2016 and, as manager, he took Caley Thistle to the Scottish Cup final in 2023.
The fourth man is Allan McGregor, a legend of the club in goals but whose coaching credentials are thin, to put it kindly.
McGregor has kept a pretty low profile since he retired as a player. He hasn’t given off the impression of a man desperately keen to get involved on a training ground, but here he is. Another Bear in the big house.
