BARRY FERGUSON once said he’d “run back” to Rangers if they needed him as manager.
And he’ll have his training gear looked out again to take up the reins at his old club this week.
Ferguson has since taken up the reins at Rangers[/caption]
He replaces Philippe Clement for the remainder of the season after the Belgian was sacked[/caption]
It’s always been an ambition of the former captain and Light Blue legend to boss the team.
So much so, he brazenly warned a previous gaffer he was directly eyeing up his job at Ibrox.
It was a typically confident prediction from the midfield marshall who was as gallus as he was class when he strut around the centre-circle at Ibrox over the course of 428 games and 13 seasons.
And it’s one that came true this afternoon when he was appointed caretaker manager to replace Philippe Clement.
Ferguson has previously been a manager himself – at Clyde, Kelty Hearts, Alloa and a caretaker spell at Blackpool.
But he was once close to dugout duties at Rangers too – as Pedro Caixinha’s assistant.
The Portuguese boss was looking for an assistant with a link to the club when he took over for an ill-fated spell.
He eventually settled on Jonatan Johansson but interviewed a variety of club stalwarts until he settled on the Finn rather than Ferguson.
But five-time title winner Barry recalled his honest answer that might have worked AGAINST his chances of landing the gig. As we now know, it didn’t work against his hopes in the long-term.
Infact he looks positively predictable given the forthright ‘five-year-plan’ response he shared with the team on OpenGoal podcast five years ago.
Andy Halliday said: “So apparently he said to you, where do you see yourself in five years? And you went, ‘sitting in your seat‘.
“Everybody loved it – but we were like ‘five years? what about five weeks, get him out’.
And Ferguson confirmed: “That’s right, it was at the end of the meeting. And he just looked and he’s done that [offered his handshake] and said ‘Right, thanks, nice to meet you’.”
The bold prediction, delivery and response brought guffaws from the podcast panel – but it’s Ferguson who has had the last laugh by bagging the job – albeit on an interim basis.
Open Goal recalled their old pal’s prediction – five years on[/caption]
Halliday added: “What I will say is what a f****** thing to say when you’re trying to get a first-team coaching job – I want your job.”
The former captain has drafted in old team-mates Allan McGregor, Neil McCann and Billy Dodds to his backroom team – but kept Clement’s new number two Issame Charai on the staff.
Previous coaches Colin Stewart, Alex Rae and Stephen van der Heyden have also followed Clement out at Ibrox.
Clement leaves with a win percentage of 64pc – 55 matches in 86 games.
That’s 13th in Gers’ all-time boss list – narrowly ahead of Steven Gerrard.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
