Rangers takeover chiefs made to look wet behind the ears by this whole carve up – Keith Jackson

So now we find out what the men in charge of the new star spangled version of Rangers are really all about.

Over the course of this coming week Andrew Cavenagh will instruct sporting director Kevin Thelwell and Gretar Steinsson of the San Francisco 49ers to conduct and oversee a series of interviews with a number of candidates for the manager’s position.

Barry Ferguson had already been spoken to as one of the last men standing. On Thursday of last week Ferguson held discussions with Thelwell and Steinsson and he left that meeting with enough serious reason to believe he was a front runner for the post.

But all that changed suddenly yesterday when Ferguson was called and told his services - and that of coaches Neil McCann, Billy Dodds and Allan McGregor were no longer required.

This bolt from the blue will have come as a hammer blow to all four of them and to Ferguson in particular. He was growing into the role and looking like he was born for this very moment even if he was lumbered with a group of players who could not be relied upon to turn up for work.

In fact CEO Patrick Stewart and chairman Fraser Thornton have been so impressed at the manner with which Ferguson handled himself throughout that they will probably attempt to tempt him into taking on another position at the club.

Something bigger, better and more significant than the ambassadorial gig he had been holding until he was asked to hold the fort on the back of Philippe Clement’s sacking.

Whether or not Ferguson is minded to stick around remains to be seen. He will, with some justification, believe that he has been slighted by this decision to look elsewhere when he sees himself as the solution staring them in the face.

It may take him time to process the