Barry Ferguson raring to get started as Rangers interim boss

Former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson has reflected on “a whirlwind 24 hours” after being placed in charge of first-team affairs until the end of the season following Philippe Clement’s sacking.

Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to St Mirren proved to be the final straw for Clement, with the club announcing the Belgian’s departure on Sunday night after 16 months at the helm.

The surprise loss left second-placed Rangers 13 points behind Old Firm rivals Celtic in the William Hill Premiership and came after a damaging Scottish Cup reverse to minnows Queen’s Park on February 9th.

Ex-Scotland midfielder Ferguson won five league titles, five Scottish Cups and five League Cups across two spells at Ibrox.

“If I am being honest, it came out of the blue, so it has been a whirlwind 24 hours, but I am just happy to get it done, get my staff together, get to the training ground and get going,” Ferguson told Rangers TV.

“I had to be respectful that my backroom staff were in jobs elsewhere, so we had to get all this sorted. Thankfully, the guys worked hard, and so did the chief executive and the chairman, and we got it done quicker than expected.

“When I was asked about this job, it was one I couldn’t turn down. Albeit it is only for three months, but it is my job to go and get a kick out of this group of players.

Assessing Rangers this season, Ferguson added: “In terms of Europe, some of the performances have been top class, but domestically, that is your bread and butter, that is where you have got to win most weeks.

“You are always going to have a bump in the road, but I think there have been too many bumps in the road, so it is my job as a manager and the staff’s job to try and get a level of consistency in the squad.

“There are