Ex-Rangers favourite delivers Barry Ferguson job verdict as former Celtic man poses big Ibrox question

The Rangers dressing room should feel a mixture of happiness and frustration after their last-gasp win over Glasgow rivals Celtic at the weekend, according to one former Hoops favourite.

First-half goals from Nicolas Raskin and Mohamed Diomande had given Rangers a commanding 2-0 lead at Celtic Park, only for Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate to level things up in the second 45 for the hosts. However, it would be Barry Ferguson’s side that would have the final say when Hamza Igamane’s 88th minute rocket secured a deserved 3-2 win for the visitors late on.

Their second successive win against Celtic, the result still leaves Rangers trailing Brendan Rodgers’ side by 13 points heading into the final throes of the Scottish Premiership season after a difficult domestic campaign saw them drop several points elsewhere.

Interim boss Ferguson stated his ambition was to restore pride to the Rangers fanbase upon his appointment last month, and it’s a feat he has certainly achieved with the result coming directly after last Thursday’s monumental shootout victory against Fenerbahce in the last 16 of the Europa League. However, the Rangers dressing room could be feeling a tinge of regret, and wondering why they are so far off the pace in the title race, according to former Celtic manager Neil Lennon.

“I wonder what the feeling is in that dressing room afterwards,” Lennon told Sky Sports. “Is it a case of you're really happy and you've had a great few days or is it a case of what might have been? We've seen them [Rangers] play like they did in the first half, and some other aspects of the season. Why are they not consistent enough to produce that week in, week out?”

Ex-Rangers favourite Scott Arfield shared his thought on Barry Ferguson's start to life as Ibrox head coach. | PA

Despite questioning Rangers’ performances over the course of the campaign, Lennon reserved special praise for one Rangers player in particular, revealing why goalscorer Raskin was key to the derby day victory at Celtic Park, singling out the Belgian as the games’ star man.

“Outstanding. He does the dirty bits of the game really well,” said Lennon. “He tackled well, filled in the gaps when he needed to. Passed it well and scored an outstanding goal. He was pivotal in Rangers getting off to a good start, a good first 45 minutes.

Former Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield, who was making his punditry debut for Sky Sports, was equally full of praise for the Belgian midfielder, but singled out another Ibrox star in his post-match analysis: “Nico Raskin is so, so important. But never underestimate the work Connor Barron does beside him. Nico walked away with the man of the match award today - and rightly so - because he was fantastic. But the workload them two get through in the middle of the pitch is so, so important for this team.

“That’s why Barry Ferguson is in there. It was so disjointed, so much disillusion in the fanbase, there was no relatability from the management to the stands to the players. It was all a bit muddled up. That’s obviously why Barry Ferguson and his staff have been brought in. But he’s now exceeded the expectations. His remit was to get a result here, and progress in Europe as far as they can. I’m not the chairman of Glasgow Rangers, but I don’t think he’s done himself any harm whatsoever.”