FORMER Rangers boss Barry Ferguson has dismissed suggestions by his own staff that the players couldn’t cope with the pressure at Ibrox.
Ferguson took over on an interim basis after Philippe Clement was sacked in February last season, and was tasked with rejuvenating a beleaguered Rangers team trailing Celtic by 13 points.
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Ferguson brought in Neil McCann, Billy Dodds and Allan McGregor as part of his backroom staff but, despite reaching the Europa League quarter-finals, they finished 17 points behind champions Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
Since then a new era has been ushered in at Ibrox and the club is under American ownership with Russell Martin appointed as the new boss.
In his first interview since leaving Rangers, Ferguson admitted there were a “few bumps along the road but he loved every minute of it”.
He also disputed claims from his assistant Dodds who, after exiting the club, told the BBC that the majority of players at Rangers couldn’t cope with the pressure.
Dodds said: “When you go to a club, you tend to find that 30% of signings are not right and 70% are, and that 70% pulls the 30 along. But at Rangers it was probably the opposite.
“Too many players you could see going into their shell.
“You could see there was no response either in their eyes or in their brain – they couldn’t handle going behind.”
Ferguson now back as a pundit on Go Radio said on Monday: “Everybody has got their opinions.
“I just think the squad need a little bit of help and I’m sure Russell knows, that’s why he’s trying to make these signings which will hopefully kick on.
“I can only say my piece, when I went in there, the guys were brilliant to work with, they gave me everything and that’s all I asked.
“There are always going to be players that leave that’s always the case at Rangers and Celtic – money talks.
“There’s a lot of talk about [Hamza] Igamane even [Cyriel] Dessers so we will just need to wait and see over the next few weeks.
“There are definitely a lot of good players there, there is no doubt about it.
“And, added in with the quality that the new manager has brought in, you’ve got to be optimistic with the season ahead.”
Ferguson had used the time off to “recharge the batteries” and spend time with the family.
He also revealed he’s had offers from Scotland, England and abroad to go back into management but turned them down.
Asked what he thought of Martin at Rangers, he said: “I think Russell Martin is a very good appointment if you watch they way his teams play.
“I think the Rangers fans will enjoy his approach to it.
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“I spoke to him a few weeks ago and I was very impressed by him and I’ll get right behind him and I hope he’s a very successful Rangers manager.
“I think it’s important he’s allowed time but I think he’s a manager that has got huge potential.”
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