Fuming Derek Ferguson reckons his brother Barry has been disrespected by the struggling Rangers stars since he stepped into the dugout.
The legendary Ibrox skipper stepped into the hot seat on an interim basis in February after Philippe Clement was shown the door and has achieved some landmark results including seeing off Jose Mourinho and Fenerbahce to reach the Europa League quarter-final and beating Celtic on their own turf.
But a draw with St Mirren last weekend saw Rangers slump a whopping 17 points behind their rivals – just hours after Brendan Rodgers men had claimed the Scottish Premiership title.
A deflated Ferguson admitted to being frustrated with the players after the 2-2 draw – and his irked brother has now vented on the disappointed emerging from inside the Ibrox dressing room.
He told Open Goal: “You heard his interview after the game, didn’t you? He said what’s the point.
“I think Stephen Craigan (BBC pundit) picked up on it right away and said that he was fed up – he is not fed up, he is frustrated.”
Pushed by host Si Ferry on if Barry was close to erupting, his brother said: “Aye, you can tell. It’s just the frustration.”
“He is taking his time with them, he is speaking to them individually and collectively – and you are giving them all the information that they need to go out and win a game of football.
“They are basically not doing it, so they are throwing it back in his face. To me, it’s a lack of respect.”
James McFadden – Ferguson’s former Scotland teammate – added: ‘It sounds as if he is not going to erupt anymore. What is the point?
James McFadden – Ferguson’s former Scotland teammate – added: ‘It sounds as if he is not going to erupt anymore. What is the point?
“What is the point in setting standards if you can pick yourself up for the big games, but you can’t get yourself in the right frame of mind – or the performance levels aren’t good enough – to beat the teams you are expected to beat.”
The gutted boss said after the lacklustre draw in Paisley: “I know it is a difficult place to come, but when you take the lead twice, you need to maintain that lead.
“That’s been a problem all season and that’s the reason why we have not been challenging.
“You can do as much work on the training ground and say as many things in meetings, but when you cross that white line, you have to deal with it yourself.
“When you speak to them individually as a group and you ask them to do things and they don’t do it, what is the point?
“That’s the thing that frustrates me. People don’t fear playing Rangers now.
“Whether that’s home or away. They enjoy coming to Ibrox… and when you go away from home they look if they can bully you.”
