Rangers takeover king gets close-up look at Barry Ferguson and witnesses wounds begin to heal – Keith Jackson

He won’t admit as much in public. But, then again, he doesn’t really need to.

It’s ripping out of his every sinew and fibre. Be in no doubt, Barry Ferguson is absolutely bursting to become the next Rangers manager on a full-time basis. And you know what? Over the course of the next six days and against all of the odds he will be given a once in a lifetime opportunity to earn it.

Thursday night’s jawdropping Europa League win over Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce was the moment the former Ibrox skipper announced himself as a genuine bona fide candidate for the position which he’s currently holding down in the capacity of caretaker. That the American health insurance tycoon who is about to become the club’s new owner was there in Istanbul to witness Ferguson’s landmark victory for himself will, at the very least, have given the incoming consortium a serious curve ball on which to ponder.

Andrew Cavenagh’s presence at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium will have been noted by Ferguson and his backroom team even if they had other more pressing matters on their minds as they pitted their collective wits against one of the modern game’s managerial behemoths.

And if Cavenagh should choose to return to Glasgow for the second leg on Thursday night then he will see and feel for himself how Ferguson’s work during his short time in charge has repaired and restored the relationship between the club and its supporters. The money man from Philadelphia was a guest in the directors’ box on January 12 when Philippe Clement’s side huffed and puffed its way to a 3-1 win over St Johnstone against the backdrop of a bad-tempered fan revolt.

The militant wing of the Rangers support staged an organised walk out to protest against the same beleaguered regime