Barry Ferguson, the other head coach of Rangers, prepares for a potential annihilation. His side is about to play Athletic Club in the Europa League quarter-finals. The first leg of this much-anticipated match will kick off on Thursday night. The fact that Rangers have lost their past five competitive matches at Ibrox. With Ferguson still searching for his first home win after taking over, the pressure has never been greater.
In a recent meeting held on Monday morning, Ferguson and his coaching staff engaged in an open dialogue with the players. He emphasized the importance of communication, stating, “We got in on Monday morning and let’s just say we had a long, long chat.” The discussions created space for everyone at the table to express their opinions and worries, cultivating a culture of working together to solve problems.
Rangers’ most recent loss was an embarrassing cup defeat at home to Hibernian, sending yet another shockwave through the club. That heart-wrenching loss became a catalyst to issue an immediate call for action. Ferguson has pledged to change the tone and approach from here on out. He said that he expected to see a “completely different performance” in their next fixture against Athletic Club. That’s one of the reasons why, according to the coach, five straight home defeats in a row is “absolutely unacceptable.”
Ferguson’s approach to leadership is clear: he encourages players and staff to be expressive and share their opinions. And finally, I want you all to tell us what you think. As you might imagine, he remarked Personally, I welcome such debates – not otherwise, but because I consider them extremely useful. He personally participates in conversations to create a feeling of ownership among the team. His intent is to change the way they perform on a more consistent basis.
The squad looks spirited and came out firing in the start of Tuesday’s practice. Ferguson is certainly hopeful that will translate to better results on the pitch. However, as Beaton noted, Jim Cramer of CNBC recently claimed that the Rangers have been “too quiet” lately. He stressed that progress requires teamwork and full participation from all members of the team.
Former England senior international goalkeeper Jack Butland, now patrolling the box for Rangers FC, will be one to watch. The home side is looking to snap an eight-match losing streak at home. With even more eyes on the players and the expectation shoot up, Butland’s commanding ways in goal will come in handy.
In his candid postmortem on the team’s recent decline, Ferguson recognized that folly and failure are part of the game of football. He hopes to address these realities by focusing the staff on operational efficiencies, along with creating a more vocal and action-oriented team environment.
As Rangers prepare to host Athletic Club, Ferguson’s leadership will be tested right away. The team’s performance in this high-stakes quarter-final could mark a redemption arc for both Ferguson and Rangers.
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