BARRY Ferguson reckons the next manager of Rangers must know the club inside out as the search begins for Pedro Caixinha’s Ibrox replacement.
The Portuguese was relieved of his duties yesterday following a poor start to the campaign that has seen the Gers crash out of the Europa League and Betfred Cup and fall off the pace in the Premiership.
Chairman Dave King and his board are now on the hunt for their third manager in three seasons following the unsuccessful spells under Mark Warburton and Caixinha.
And former Light Blues captain Ferguson reckons the next man at the helm has a big job on his hands after another tumultuous period on the park.
He said: “I just want somebody who knows the club and the expectations.
“I want someone who knows what it’s all about to manage Rangers, and can get that hunger back into the team. The next appointment has to be right.
“That’s me speaking as a fan. I just want somebody who knows the club and the expectations.
“We know we’re a bit behind Celtic just now, but when you go out there [on the pitch] the fans expect 100% work rate.
“The only issue is Pedro signed 10 or 11 players – a new manager coming in, does he fancy those players? Do you think they’re good enough? That’s going to be an issue. So it’s a big rebuilding job again.”
Caixinha watched on from the stands at Ibrox as his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Kilmarnock on Wednesday night.
That proved to be the final straw for chairman King and his board as Caixinha’s seven month tenure was brought to an end.
Rangers are eight points adrift of Celtic in the Premiership standings and five behind Aberdeen in the race to be best of the rest this term.
Caixinha suffered a series of big-games defeats during a rollercoaster reign and Ferguson isn’t surprised to see him head for the exit door.
He said: “At full time last night I did think that it could be the end for him.
“I did expect him to get a few more games, simply because of the money they’d invested in the summer in the players Pedro Caixinha wanted. I thought he might have got another game or two.
“But I know what it’s like at Rangers with the high expectations: going out of Europe early and being beaten in the semi-final and a winning run of only two games – I can see why he got sacked but again, he spent a lot of money in the summer, not just on transfer fees but also wages.”
Rangers will kick-off the post-Caixinha era with a trip to Murrayfield this weekend as they attempt to get back to winning ways.
Under-20 boss Graeme Murty will step into the dugout for the second time and take the team.
The former Scotland defender had a short stint in charge following the departure of Warburton in February, with the highlight of his tenure the 1-1 Old Firm draw in his final match before Caixinha assumed control.
Murty earned three wins from his six matches in charge and will remain at the helm while the search for Caixinha’s successor continues in the coming weeks.
“A lot of people go back to the Celtic game at Celtic Park when he got a point,” Ferguson said.
“Fair play to him, he did a good job. I would like to think that the board have got a few names in mind. Now, they’ll be getting down to work that they’ve sacked Pedro.
“They’ll have people that they want to talk to in the next few days or next week. I’d like to get someone in with experience and a guy that knows the club inside out.”
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