Everything Rangers Aim to Improve on during Barry Ferguson Interim Spell and Beyond | OneFootball

It’s not been the best season for Rangers. Trailing leaders Celtic by 15 points, it’s been a campaign fans will swiftly want to forget when it comes to the summer. After a year of disappointment and upheaval, the focus for everyone at the club will be putting it right in the 2025/26 season.

Manager Philippe Clement was sacked following a dismal run of form and club icon Barry Ferguson took charge on an interim basis. The former Ibrox star has overseen a mixed run of form and it remains to be seen who will be in the hotseat next season and lots of questions remain.

The Story of the Season

After three campaigns of finishing second, the Gers were determined to take the next step and claim a 56th Scottish league title with Celtic trailing them by one. However, the season never got going and failing to finish first meant the Bhoys ended a 95-year wait to draw level with Rangers for championship triumphs.

The team weren’t able to keep the pace at the top of the table and Belgian Clement was coming under more serious pressure. The noise and fan unrest grew stronger when Rangers lost in the Scottish Cup at home to Queen’s Park. The decision to dismiss Clement was then made in February after another Ibrox loss at the hands of St Mirren.

Barry Ferguson was then appointed caretaker boss in an attempt to steady the ship. In his first game as boss, Rangers trailed 2-0 at Kilmarnock but pulled off an impressive turnaround to win the match 4-2. The Gers also won in Europe against Fenerbahce and defeated rivals Celtic with an 88th-minute winner at Celtic Park in mid-March. However, since then, the run of results have been a little more patchy, with Ferguson winning four, drawing four and losing four.

Where do Rangers Need to Improve

With standards sky high at Ibrox among the fanbase, it is more than likely supporters will be demanding that the playing squad is improved in the majority of positions. So determined will the loyal and passionate followers of Rangers be to wrestle the title back from Celtic, they will hope to see vast improvements made so they can make a serious challenge for the top while also going far in Europe.

The team have only won 20 of 35 matches and a greater tally of points is required to make a sustained push for first. Rangers have scored 30 fewer goals than Celtic and so one of the main jobs for the recruitment team will be to target more firepower. While two goals per game is a strong return, Rangers need to be more decisive in goal and grab more winners which turn one point into three.

Defensively, the team has conceded 15 more goals than the leaders and so that is another area where Ferguson or a new manager will look to improve by shoring up the backline. Rangers have massive pulling power as one of the most successful, storied and historic clubs in football and so should be adept at landing free agents from south of the border or huge potential from European leagues.

The Favourites for the Job

In April, Ferguson himself insisted he would improve Rangers if he was to stay on and would like the job beyond this season it seems. However, if he isn’t appointed, he is content continuing to be an ambassador at Ibrox.

“In terms of in the future, managing elsewhere, no,” said Ferguson. “I enjoyed my role at Rangers before, and if that’s not going to be managing, then hopefully I’ll just go back to that and enjoy what I was doing.

“If I get the job, I will make my club a better club. If I don’t get the job I will still support the club.”

Former Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig Marco Rose has been linked with the position and would be a relative coup for the Gers to land considering the state of play in the modern game while former boss Steven Gerrard has also been linked with a return. Other names in the frame include highly-rated Sheffield Wednesday coach Danny Rohl, Sean Dyche and Russell Martin.

Making Plans

With Rangers eager to return to the top at the earliest opportunity, chief executive Patrick Stewart announced a root and branch review of club operations and revealed appointing a sporting director was a priority at Ibrox. That led to Rangers targeting Kevin Thelwell who will arrive from Premier League side Everton in the summer.

“Thelwell will assume overall responsibility for all areas of the football operation, including men’s, women’s and academy,” the club said in a statement.

With a fresh approach and new ideas, the Gers fanbase will be hopeful this strategy will lead to silverware success and a title triumph.

Predicting Rangers Results

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