Irate interim manager's list of must-keep stars will be short

IF there are any small mercies left for this stumbling Rangers squad, it is the soon-to-be scheduled sit down between Barry Ferguson and KevinThelwell did not take place at 5pm on Saturday.

- By Andy Newport

Had it done, in the raw moments after yet another dismal afternoon following a 2-2 draw at St Mirren, the brutal truth the interim boss has promised to deliver in his meeting with the incoming sporting director would likely have been dished out with such savagery each and every Gers player would have booted out there and then.

Ferguson cut a seething, snarling figure on the touchline as he watched a performance that has surely killed off any faint hope of him remaining in charge of the club he loves next term.

For the former skipper to get the job, he had to do something remarkable to convince the doubters he was a better manager than his lower-league record with Clyde, Kelty and Alloa suggested.

But four wins from 11 games is simply par for the course where this misfit collection is concerned. And it’s also a scoreline that could yet have dire consequences for those hoping to be part of Andrew Cavenagh’s rebuild.

Ferguson said as much after the game, warning players who have fallen short of the Premiership title pace this season they face being left behind when the club’s new American owners arrive with the revitalising Rangers.

“I’ve said to them, even if you're in contract, everybody’s playing for their future,” the caretaker manager fumed.

“There’s going to be a lot of changes and there needs to be a lot of changes. These changes are starting to happen.