The fact there were no cards on the table didn’t prevent Barry Ferguson from going all in.
Sat on the podium inside the media suite after his side’s draw with Celtic at the weekend, Rangers’ interim manager outlined his case for being handed the job on a permanent basis.
While the former skipper spoke well, it required a leap of faith to buy the argument he was presenting.
He acknowledged there had been ‘a few bumps’ since he was asked to succeed Philippe Clement, but claimed they’d been instructive in terms of what was required to make the necessary progress. ‘It doesn’t scare me one single bit,’ he stated.
Any fair assessment of his 10 weeks in the job must take heed of the fact that he inherited someone else’s team, one that had completely ground to a halt under the Belgian.
He’s presided over a couple of stirring comebacks – at Dens Park and Kilmarnock. He took the scalp of Jose Mourinho as Rangers squeezed past Fenerbahce in the Europa League. There was that dramatic late victory at Celtic Park in March.
Almost as soon as Ferguson’s bandwagon has got some momentum, though, a wheel has come flying off. Rangers have also lost to Motherwell and Hibernian. They’ve drawn with St Mirren, Aberdeen and Celtic, the latter from a winning position on Sunday.
Barry Ferguson inherited a mess at Rangers but is undefeated against bitter rivals Celtic
Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers put his side ahead in Sunday’s final Old Firm derby
Celtic frontman Adam Idah ensured the visitors left Ibrox with a share of the spoils
There was no shame in the aggregate defeat to Athletic Bilbao which ended the run, yet the loss ensured there would be no faint hope of the salvation of European glory.
It may be a somewhat crude approximation, but Ferguson’s four wins in 12 matches doesn’t look good considering Clement was shown the door after a run of seven wins in as many encounters.
The Scot has failed to win any of his five home games in charge with the overall winless streak at Ibrox now stretching to seven.
It’s hard to argue that he’s made any appreciable difference. It’s hard to imagine that he even figures in the thinking of Kevin Thelwell, the incoming sporting director, as the Englishman identifies the best individual to drive Rangers forward.
On one key point, though, it was impossible to take issue with Ferguson. That of the pressing time scale for all manner of decisions to be made.
Rangers will be due to play the first of three Champions League qualifiers on July 22/23.
Whoever is at the helm for that match will want a minimum of a month to prepare and that will only grant him five weeks by the time this wretched season is over. So, the clock is already ticking.
The size of the job which needs to be done within that short time-frame is gargantuan.
The squad which will finish the season is plainly not fit for purpose. How can it be when it can defeat Celtic in successive games, draw with Tottenham yet lose at home to Queen’s Park and ship 32 points in league matches outwith the four derbies?
It needed a complete overhaul in any event, an infusion of belief and mental fortitude.
Aside from an influx of a raft of first-team ready players, there are other significant matters to be addressed if Celtic’s hegemony in Scotland is to be threatened any time soon.
As things stand, Leon Balogun, Ianis Hagi and Tom Lawrence will be moving on when their deals expire.
Balogun has been an excellent signing across two spells, but he’s 37 in June and in the twilight of his career. Rangers need to source a suitable younger replacement.
Hagi has been unfortunate with injuries. Even if a new contract was now put in front of him, he needs a new challenge for the sake of his career. Lawrence simply hasn’t done enough across three years to merit consideration for a fresh deal.
Vaclav Cerny is also due to return to Wolfsburg once his loan deal expires.
The Czech winger may not have impressed Ferguson with his display on Sunday, but he’s been one of only a few players in light blue who can look back on their season with any sense of pride.
His permanent signing would unquestionably be seen as a coup. That would be dependent on his parent club being willing to do business at the right price.
Rangers appear to be boxed in on signing Oscar Cortes. If it wasn’t for bad luck since moving to Glasgow from Lens in two loan spells, the Colombian winger would have had no luck at all.
He’s played just one half of football since January 12 and doesn’t look like he’s done much to convince Ferguson that he’s yet up to the task.
‘I’ve watched what happens on the training ground,’ the manager said after Sunday’s game.
‘I see the opposition we’ve come up against and who’ll suit to play against them.’
That was not a ringing endorsement. Under the terms of the deal, Rangers are about to write a cheque for just under £4m to Lens. So, Cortes will have to be given time. It’s a commodity which tends to be in short supply in this part of the world.
There are other players whose situations quickly need addressing even though they are contracted to Rangers for the foreseeable future.
Jack Butland’s current deal runs until 2027. But if the former England keeper is likely to still be warming the bench come July, then a decision will have to be made for the benefit of all parties.
If Liam Kelly is to continue in goal, he’ll need to agree new terms to take him beyond 2026.
John Souttar’s contract also expires in a year’s time. Thelwell must establish if the Scotland man is open to extending that arrangement. If he’s not, then this summer is Rangers’ last chance to cash in.
With his deal running until 2027, Nicolas Raskin’s situation isn’t quite as pressing. Nonetheless, Rangers must either protect their asset by getting him on a longer deal or start sourcing a buyer for a year down the line.
Nedim Bajrami, Danilo and Robin Propper have much to do if they are to have any future at the club.
The Albanian hasn’t come close to justifying the £3.4m that Rangers forked out to sign him from Sassualo. Danilo has at least had the excuse of injuries hampering him since his £5m move from Feyenoord. Propper just looks completely ill-suited to the Scottish game.
Does the new man in charge stick with them in the hope that better days lie ahead? Or does the club now cut its losses and move on?
It’s become increasingly hard to imagine that Ferguson will have any input into those decisions.
The Americans are coming up Edmiston Drive. They’ll bring fresh ideas, much-needed investment and will want a new face to craft a new side for this next chapter.
The pressure on them to succeed will be the same as it’s always been in these parts. As welcome at this prospective new union will be, there won’t be much of a honeymoon.
