Barry Ferguson fires back at Michael Beale over 'snakes' rant as flop Rangers boss told he has a cheek

Barry Ferguson has fired back at flop Rangers boss Michael Beale for claiming he was undermined by "snakes" during managerial career.

And Ibrox legend Ferguson insists the Englishman was skating on thin moral ice from the moment he pitched up in the club’s directors’ box while eyeing up Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s job. Beale was given the VIP treatment in the stands as Van Bronckhorst faced a high pressure game against Aberdeen in November 2022, when the Dutchman was battling to survive in the dugout.

Weeks later Van Bronckhorst was sacked and Beale was appointed as his replacement. Beale - who this week rejoined former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard in Saudi Arabia - made the eyebrow-raising comments in a podcast saying he saw 'snakes come out of the woodwork' during his time in the job, and that impacted his decision-making. But, writing exclusively for Record Sport, former Rangers skipper Ferguson hit back: “Let’s get one thing perfectly straight, Beale was entirely responsible for the decisions he made during his time in charge. For him to suggest that people around the club wanted him to fail is simply not the case.

“I have no idea what he was hoping to achieve by coming away with that kind of stuff as it makes him sound silly. He had his shot and, let’s be honest, it wasn’t a good time for anyone. He should simply move on and accept that it didn’t work out for him.

“Remember, this is a guy who was prepared to be seen sitting in the directors box when Gio van Bronckhorst was under pressure and fighting to stay in control. So maybe he’s not best placed to start talking about the morales of anyone else. It didn’t sit well at the time and it reflected badly on him when, a few days later, he ended up taking Gio’s job. But