Tam McManus has shared his thoughts on the possibility of a foreign manager being appointed at Rangers instead of Barry Ferguson.
Ferguson, the former Rangers captain, was given the role on an interim basis after Philippe Clement’s dismissal and has impressed so far, leading the team to victories over Celtic in the league and Fenerbahce in the Europa League.
McManus believes that if Ferguson guides Rangers past Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League quarter-finals, many Ibrox supporters will push for him to be appointed permanently.
Speaking to PLZ Soccer at 49:02, McManus said: “There are still doubts about his tactical abilities, to be fair. He had spells at Alloa and Clyde that didn’t quite work out, although he did well at Kelty. But people will ask, ‘Can he really compete with someone like Jose Mourinho over two legs? There’s only one winner there.’
“However, Barry showed his tactical awareness in those two legs and made a bold call at Parkhead. Whether he would take those risks if he had the job permanently is another question. Right now, he probably feels he has nothing to lose.”
McManus acknowledged Ferguson’s tactical strengths but remains doubtful about Rangers’ chances against Bilbao. “I think Bilbao will be too strong for Rangers. But if they manage to pull it off, there will definitely be a section of the Rangers support asking: ‘Why bring in a foreign manager? Would he really be better than Barry?’ I think Ferguson has definitely put himself in contention.”
