Rangers confirm Barry Ferguson will not be in charge of club going forward

Rangers have confirmed Barry Ferguson will not be the club’s head coach.

Ferguson was installed as interim boss in February until the end of the season and amid an impending takeover by an American consortium of Andrew Cavenagh and the 49ers Enterprises.

He oversaw just six wins from his 15 matches in charge after succeeding Philippe Clement, with Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Hibernian his final game in charge.

Ferguson will remain at Rangers as an ambassador.

Rangers chief executive Patrick Stewart said the search for a new head coach “is progressing well, and we look forward to concluding our process in the coming period”.

“I’ve already lived the dream as a player and as captain of Rangers, and to do so as head coach in these last three months has been an enormous honour for me,” said Ferguson.

“There have been some ups and downs, but I have loved this experience and given it my all throughout.”

He added: “I have said, no matter how this period panned out, I would always remain a committed supporter of the club, and I look forward to remaining a Rangers ambassador.

“I wish whomever becomes the new manager every success in the job.”

Who will be Rangers’ next manager?

Davide Ancelotti, son of Carlo, is one option of interest to Rangers. Sheffield Wednesday’s in-demand manager Danny Rohl is another option that could make the final shortlist.

Rob Edwards, who has been out of work since leaving Luton Town in January, is also among the names under consideration with former Southampton, Swansea and MK Dons boss Russell Martin – who played for Rangers in 2018 – had been sounded out over the job.

Others to be linked to the job include former manager Steven Gerrard, plus ex-Bournemouth and Wolves boss Gary O’Neil who has been out of work since December 2024.

Boyd: Rangers cannot afford gamble on next coach

Kris Boyd believes Rangers need an experienced manager with a knowledge of Scottish football if they are to end Celtic’s domestic dominance.

“Every appointment is a gamble. It doesn’t matter who you are, if you’ve managed 500 games or you’re a novice. They cannot afford to take this risk,” he told Sky Sports News.

“I get the fact that Ancelotti Jr has coached at a level. He’s obviously a good coach, but we’ve seen it before. There have been good coaches that have come to Rangers and struggled to deal with the managerial side of it.

“I know people will think that we are sometimes crazy up here, but Rangers and Celtic are a different animal from anybody else. The scrutiny and the pressure and everything that is on coaches, players, every single game is huge. They expect to beat Real Madrid, never mind St Johnstone or Motherwell.

“It would be better for Rangers right now to get someone who has an understanding of the Scottish game or the British game and understands what it means to so many people in Scotland.