BAZ IS THE ROCK SOLID CHOICE FOR IBROX ROLE
Rob: Fergie’s ideal EfaornrsGhawe:rBslaackfpteoorl Bbalaptciskmpoof ofirelchahsaos prepared Gers legnd Fergie for anything and he’d be the perfect pick for Caixinha
ROBERT EARNSHAW saw how ex-Blackpool boss Barry Ferguson handled the chaos at Bloomfield Road – and reckons that makes him the ideal candidate to join Rangers’ backroom team.
The Welsh striker was one of the former Ibrox skipper’s first signings for the Seasiders as he made the transition into management after taking over from Paul Ince in 2014.
Shambolic Blackpool were then toiling in the Championship and facing fan protests over owner Karl Oyston but caretaker player-manager Ferguson managed to keep them up by the skin of their teeth.
Earnshaw – now coaching himself in Canada – was impressed with how Ferguson handled the on and off-field pressures. And he believes those qualities would make him a great asset to Ibrox boss Pedro Caixinha.
He said: “The period I worked for Barry was brief but I totally respected him from the start given what he had achieved in his career as a player and what he was taking on at Blackpool.
“It was the most incredible learning process for him. Barry’s first job in coaching was dealing with everything that was going at Blackpool while also playing for the team.
“Blackpool offered so many challenges. Everything was going on at the time – picking a team was probably the easy thing.
“It really was a case of being thrown in at the deep end. But I’ve found the deeper you are thrown into the fire at the beginning of your coaching career, the better it becomes for you in the end.”
Ferguson left Blackpool at the end of the 2013/14 season to continue his managerial education at Clyde and is now destined for a post at Ibrox.
New Gers gaffer Caixinha wants a local-based coach for the position of No.3 and the former skipper is at the head of the list.
As a player, Ferguson won all the major honours while wearing the captain’s armband and he has the backing of the Rangers support, having been a fan himself.
Earnshaw can see no better man for the No.3 job based on his wealth of experience.
He said: “Barry is well-respected for his character. He’s a born winner and a fighter.
“It was proven to me in how he controlled his dressing room and conducted himself in there.
“He wanted to push people and push players. In Barry’s eyes, you had to perform and push yourself in just the same way as he did.
“The drive he has transfers to his players and that would happen in any dressing room that he walked into.
“That desire would be heightened even more at Rangers because that’s his club. I enjoyed my spell with him because I could see all of the good things in him.
“It is invaluable to have people at your club who know exactly what is going on.
“I have found that myself going out to Canada to coach. Having locals there to guide you on certain issues and parts of the job particular to that area of the world is crucial for anyone going to a new country.”
Earnshaw reckons Ferguson’s knowledge of what is expected at Rangers will be crucial to Caixinha’s success at Ibrox.
He said: “Rangers have a new boss from a different country and, no matter how much homework he does, there are certain things he won’t be able to understand at this time without having been through it before.
“Barry knows everything about Rangers, the area, the places where they are going and who they are facing in games. More importantly, he knows Rangers and the feel of the place. “Barry can help the new boss understand some things and would make sure standards don’t slip. “The manager just cannot be there all of the time and you need someone there to ensure the squad doesn’t lose drive – and Barry would do that. “There is a perception that Barry would fly off the handle but I didn’t find that. He was concise but he was also calm. Of course he’d let people know if standards slipped and on occasions anger would slip out. “But, generally, it was controlled and you need that with players now – the game is changing. They need to know the standard expected. “In Caixinha’s coaching team, he needs people who are able to ensure those are met. Barry would do that.”