The fact that there are no cards on the table did not prevent Barry Ferguson from doing everything.
Sitting on the podium inside the media suite after his team’s draw with Celtic this weekend, the acting director of the Rangers underlined his file for having received the permanent position.
While the old skipper spoke well, a jump of faith was needed to buy the argument he presented.
He recognized that there had been “a few bumps” since he was asked to succeed Philippe Clement, but said that they had been instructive in terms of what was necessary to make the necessary progress. “It doesn’t scare me a single piece,” he said.
Any equitable assessment of his 10 weeks in work must take into account the fact that he inherited someone else’s team, who had stopped under the Belgian.
He chaired some moving feedback – at Dens Park and Kilmarnock. He took Jose Mourinho’s scalp while the Rangers exceeded Fenerbahce in the Europa League. There was this late dramatic victory to Celtic Park in March.
Almost as soon as the Ferguson train had a certain momentum, however, a wheel was released. The Rangers also lost against Motherwell and Hibernian. They drew with St Mirren, Aberdeen and Celtic, the latter of a winning position on Sunday.
Barry Ferguson inherited a rangers mess but is undefeated against the Amers Celtic rivals
Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers put his team in the last derby of the old Sunday company
Celtic singer Adam Idah made sure that visitors left Ibrox with a part of the loot
There was no shame in the global defeat against Athletic Bilbao which ended the race, but the loss guaranteed that there would be no weak hope for the salvation of European glory.
It may be a somewhat rough approximation, but the four victories of Ferguson in 12 games do not seem good since Clement was shown at the door after a series of seven victories in so many games.
The Scottish has won none of his five home games in charge of the global sequence without a victory in Ibrox which now extends to seven.
It is difficult to say that he made an appreciable difference. It is difficult to imagine that it even appears in the thought of Kevin Thelwell, the entrant sports director, because English identifies the best individual to advance the rangers.
On a key point, however, it was impossible to challenge Ferguson. That of the urgent time scale for all kinds of decisions to be made.
The Rangers will have to play the first of the three Champions League qualifiers on July 22/23.
Whoever is at the helm of this match will want a minimum of a month to prepare and that will not grant him only five weeks when this miserable season is over. So the clock is already checked.
The size of the work that must be done in this short time is the Gargantusen.
The team that will end the season is clearly not suitable for use. How can it be when he can defeat Celtic in successive matches, draw with Tottenham but lose at home against Queen’s Park and ship 32 points in the champion matches.
In any case, a infusion of belief and mental strength was needed.
Aside from an influx of a series of players from the first team, there are other important questions to resolve if Celtic hegemony in Scotland must be threatened anytime soon.
In the current state of things, Leon Balogun, Ianis Hagi and Tom Lawrence will evolve at the expiration of their transactions.
Balogun was an excellent signature on two spells, but he was 37 years old in June and at the twilight of his career. Rangers must obtain an appropriate younger replacement.
Hagi was unhappy with injuries. Even if a new contract was now put before him, he needs a new challenge for his career. Lawrence simply did not do enough over three years to deserve consideration for a new case.
Vaclav Cerny should also return to Wolfsburg once his loan agreement expires.
The Czech winger may not have impressed Ferguson with his display on Sunday, but he was one of the few players in light blue who can look back over their season with any feeling of pride.
His permanent signature would undoubtedly be considered a coup. It would depend on his ready -made parent club at the right price.
The rangers seem to be enlisted on the signature of Oscar Cortes. If it was not for bad luck since he moved to Glasgow from the goal in two loans of loans, the Colombian winger would have had no chance at all.
He has only played half of football since January 12 and does not seem to have done a lot to convince Ferguson that he is still up to the task.
“I looked at what’s going on on the training field,” said the manager after Sunday’s match.
“I see the opposition against which we faced ourselves and which will suit me for their counter them.
It was not an approval that sounds. Under the terms of the agreement, the Rangers are about to write a check of just under 4 million pounds sterling to the objective. Thus, Cortes must have time. It is a commodity that tends to be insufficient in this part of the world.
There are other players whose situations must quickly contact even if they are contracted in the Rangers in the predictable future.
Barry Ferguson called for the decision of a new manager quickly
The current Jack Butland agreement takes place until 2027. But if the former goalkeeper of England should still warm the bench in July, then a decision will have to be made for the benefit of all parties.
If Liam Kelly must continue with the aim, it will have to agree on new conditions to take it beyond 2026.
John Souttar’s contract also expires in a year. Thelwell must establish whether the Scottish man is open to the extension of this arrangement. If it is not, then this summer is the last chance of the Rangers.
With his contract until 2027, the situation of Nicolas Raskin is not as pressing. Nevertheless, the Rangers must either protect their asset by doing it on a longer agreement, or start to source a buyer for a year later.
Nedim Bajrami, Danilo and Robin Propper have a lot to do if they want to have a future at the club.
The Albanian is not about to justify the 3.4 million pounds sterling that the Rangers overwhelmed to sign it from Sassualo. Danilo has at least excused injuries annoying him since his move of 5 million pounds from Feyenoord. Propper seems completely poorly suited to Scottish game.
Does the new responsible man get away with the hope that the better days await us? Or does the club now cut its losses and does it move on?
It has become more and more difficult to imagine that Ferguson will have a contribution to these decisions.
The Americans arrive at Edmiston Drive. They will bring new ideas, essential investments and will want a new face to develop a new side for this next chapter.
The pressure on them to succeed will be the same as that of these regions. As welcome to this new potential union, there will not be a lot of honeymoon.
