WALTER'S RIGHT HAND MAN

Cuellar says Barry can bring same commitment as gaffer

- SCOTT MCDERMOTT

CARLOS CUELLAR used to call him boss Walter Smith's right hand at Ibrox.

That's how important he believed Barry Ferguson was to the Rangers team.

On the pitch, during the Spaniard's solitary 2007/08 season, he led the club to a cup double and the UEFA Cup Final in Manchester.

Yet, if you ask Cuellar about Ferguson's qualities, he was even more impressed by what he did for his teammates OFF it.

The big center-back enjoyed the best campaign of his career in Glasgow, with Smith as gaffer and Ferguson as captain.

It was an incredible year for Scottish football, with both Old Firm clubs fighting to the death for the title and Rangers creating history in Europe.

Cuellar was a colossus for Smith's side.

Along with Allan McGregor in goal, Davie Weir beside him in defence and Ferguson in the middle of the park, they provided a solid spine.

With barely a word of English, it wasn't easy for him arriving in Scotland from Osasuna for nearly £3million.

In the space of 12 months, he would excel at Ibrox and earn a £9million move to Premier League side Aston Villa.

Cuellar will never forget Ferguson's role in that - and ensuring the new boy was immediately integrated into the Rangers squad.

That's why he's now delighted to see his old team-mate impress as interim gaffer.

In an exclusive interview with MailSport, Cuellar said: "When I read that Barry was to be in charge I thought: 'Rangers are now going to be very good! "Because as a player and captain, he organised us from the middle. On the pitch he was the right hand of Walter. Davie was the same.