Rangers will soon have to make a decision over whether they want interim manager Barry Ferguson to remain in charge at Ibrox long-term.
Now, Simon Jordan has sent the Scottish giants a warning about a move to make the 47-year-old’s position with the club a permanent one.
A legendary former Rangers player, Ferguson returned to the club as interim manager back in February following the sacking of Philippe Clement.
Prior to that, the ex-midfielder’s only managerial spells had been a caretaker stint with Blackpool in 2014, and spells lower down the Scottish leagues with Clyde, Kelty Hearts and Alloa that yielded mixed results.
Barry Ferguson future remains unclear
Rangers have endured a contrasting set of results since Ferguson took charge, with a run to the quarter finals of the Europa League a particular positive.
They have though, also had to suffer defeats at home to the likes of Motherwell and Hibernian, and are still yet to win at home under Ferguson.
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With his interim deal due to come to an end this summer, it remains to be seen if he will remain in charge beyond then, with that just one of the issues surrounding the club at the moment.
Leeds United owners the 49ers Enterprises are currently involved in a takeover of Rangers, which could have an impact on the future of their interim boss.
Previous reports have indicated that the 49ers are already looking for new managers for Rangers, suggesting Ferguson may not keep the job long-term.
Jordan has now suggested that is the right approach to take, after he was asked on talkSPORT if a longer wait for confirmation makes it less likely the 47-year-old will keep the job.
| Barry Ferguson as Rangers manager | Total (Transfermarkt) |
| Played | 12 |
| Won | 4 |
| Drawn | 4 |
| Lost | 4 |
In response to that question, the former Crystal Palace chairman said: “It depends how foolish they are. If they want to be unsuccessful then give him the job.
After presenter Jim White then suggested that assessment was “cruel”, Jordan continued: “It’s an honest assessment in my view.
“If you’re getting beat by teams like St Mirren at home and Hibernian, and you’re able to play individual games and yes you’ve got a few outcomes, but predominantly I don’t think anything’s been particularly better.
“Maybe the style of football’s been slightly better than perhaps his predecessor Clement. But there was nothing in his track record that indicated that indicated that he was going to be a successful Rangers manager.
“The only thing that even indicated he’d be in the conversation is because he played for them, and I think if you want to make a foolish mistake and take it on the basis of emotional logic rather than look at the evidence in front of you.
“Do you put Barry Ferguson in that dugout and say he’s better than [Celtic manager] Brendan Rodgers? Because that’s what you’re competing with.
“You’re not competing with other teams in the league, you’re competing with Brendan Rodgers. So unless you’re going to give him more money than Brendan Rodgers has got in terms of spend on players, what advantages are you going to have, by having Barry Ferguson because he kicked a ball for you once.
“And he was completely unsuccessful in any other management guise that he’s had.”
Rangers have to take tough stance
Under Ferguson, the ‘Gers have failed to take advantage of some of the opportunities given to them by poor results for Celtic to close down their rivals in the title race.
As a result, Rangers will end the season without a trophy, while Rodgers‘ side are on course to claim a domestic treble.
Once this takeover is complete, it is hard to imagine new owners who look likely to invest a significant amount into the club being happy with those results.
The 49ers will also have been keeping a close eye on events at Ibrox while going through the process of their takeover this season.
They should therefore be well aware of how Ferguson has performed as interim manager, with all indications suggesting he will struggle to find the consistency needed to close the gap to Celtic.
Considering that has to be the immediate priority for Rangers, it is hard to see how they can justify keeping the 47-year-old in charge for next if, as Jordan suggests, they want to be successful.
