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By CALUM CROWE Published: 03: 43 AEST, 26 April 2025 | Updated: 04: 53 AEST, 26 April 2025 View comments With all competitive interest in Rangers’ season now extinguished thanks to a 2-0 Europa League defeat to Athletic Bilbao, Barry Ferguson has had much to ponder over the past week or so. Firstly, whatever slim chance he may have had of retaining the job as Rangers manager beyond the summer hinged on winning in Bilbao and claiming a place in the semi-finals. When Ferguson spoke at his media conference yesterday, he was in defiant mood and sounded like a man who hasn’t yet given up all hope of staying long-term. But, realistically, a tame display at the San Mames surely dynamited any prospect of his position as interim boss being firmed-up with more permanency for next season. Affording his players a couple of days off after they had travelled home from Spain, Ferguson asked them to come back in refreshed and recharged for one last push. One final run of games to salvage some pride from an otherwise dismal season — and one final opportunity to finish the season on some kind of positive note. Barry Ferguson has challenged his players to take maximum points from their final five games Defeat in Bilbao last week ended Rangers' Europa League journey at the quarter-final stage Kevin Thelwell (left) has this week been confirmed as the club's new sporting director It all begins this afternoon with a trip to face a St Mirren side whose 2-0 victory at Ibrox back in late February led to the immediate sacking of Philippe Clement. By the time Rangers kick-off in Paisley, Celtic could well be popping the champagne corks if they can claim the point they need at Dundee United in the lunchtime kick-off to clinch the league title. Should Celtic lose at Tannadice and Rangers were to beat St Mirren, that would prolong matters for another week and raise the prospect of Brendan Rodgers’ side winning the title at Ibrox next Sunday. After the Old Firm clash, Rangers then face two more home games against Aberdeen and Dundee United, before finishing the season against high-flying Hibs at Easter Road. Yet, a lot has happened over the past week or so since the full-time whistle was blown in Bilbao. For the first time, official confirmation of the takeover talks with 49ers Enterprises came via a joint statement released on Wednesday. Truthfully, the statement didn’t really tell us anything we didn’t already know. Talks remain ongoing with the Americans with regards to the takeover and fresh investment. It wasn’t exactly a blockbuster update, but it was the first public utterance from both sides that negotiations are continuing as they work towards a deal. Ferguson's future remains uncertain after enduring a mixed spell as interim manager Some of the bricks are already being put in place for the rebuild. As revealed exclusively by Mail Sport on Tuesday night, Kevin Thelwell has been appointed as the club’s new sporting director. Taking up his new role once his contract finishes with Everton at the end of the season, Thelwell will oversee the entire footballing operation at Rangers from first team all the way down to academy. As he watches from afar, what happens over these final five games may well shape his views on what needs to happen in the summer. What players need to be moved on, who could perhaps be sold for good money in the summer, and who should be retained for next season? Ferguson hasn’t yet had a chance to speak with Thelwell. But one thing’s for sure, when that conversation does eventually happen, he won’t hold back in terms of delivering some harsh truths about what needs to happen moving forward. ‘I said last Thursday after the Bilbao game that there’s a lot of changes needed, and that’s one of the changes — a sporting director has now been announced, ’ said Ferguson. ‘I’ve always maintained if the club wants to go and challenge and move forward, there’s a hell of a lot of changes needed. It’s great to see that starting. ‘I gave the players a few days off after the Bilbao game, just to reflect, because it was a disappointing night for us in terms of result. ‘But this week’s been pretty positive. I’ve given them a challenge, we’ve got five games to go and we want 15 points. Nedim Bajrami has proved to be an expensive flop since making the summer switch to Ibrox ‘I’m clear on that, the players understand that, and the training has been really good this week. ‘At a club like Rangers, there’s demanding expectations every single time you cross that white line. You’re expected to win games, you’re expected to win trophies and if you don’t, you’re going to come in for criticism. ‘When you get that criticism, you need to handle it. I come in for a lot of criticism, it’s not nice, but you know what? It made me even more determined to go and prove people wrong. ‘That’s what the group of players need to do in this short period of five games. ‘We need to go and show, or they need to go and show, that they want to be part of this club going forward. ’ Ferguson made it clear that the future essentially starts now. For any Rangers player wishing to survive the clearout and remain at the club next season, they need to step up and prove their worth. Captain James Tavernier still has another year to run left on his contract. But, after yet another costly mistake for Bilbao’s second goal last week, fans are calling for him to be dropped. Striker Cyriel Dessers has come in for severe criticism from the Rangers support this season Jack Butland has lost his place in goal. Robin Propper is weak and unconvincing in central defence. Nedim Bajrami has been an expensive mistake. The same could well be said of Oscar Cortes, the injury-prone loan winger whom Rangers have already committed to buying in summer. Cyriel Dessers is not the answer up front and neither is Danilo. Any young striker would be worth a go ahead of those two, or Hamza Igamane should be restored to a central role. Zander Hutton is a young right-back of decent potential and probably deserves a chance to show what he can do at first-team level. Bailey Rice has already shown he is capable of cutting it in midfield, with the 18-year-old in talks to extend his current deal with Rangers. Findlay Curtis is another of the young guns who has broken into the first-team setup in recent weeks. Goalkeeper Mason Munn and midfielder Paul Nsio are also close. It is understandable that fans are calling for Ferguson to continue to blood these young players over the final five games. 18-year-old Bailey Rice could be set for a run in the first team to show what he can do What value is there to be found in persisting with players who have failed repeatedly, several of whom are likely to be moved on in the summer? With injuries to Leon Balogun, Ridvan Yilmaz, Dujon Sterling and Tom Lawrence, the options available to Ferguson are already limited in some areas. Asked whether he may give opportunities to younger players, he said: ‘It’s about winning the last five games of the season, you’ll find out if I give young players the opportunity. ‘I’m not going to give young players an opportunity just for the sake of young players, they need to show me in training. ‘You’ve seen over the last maybe three or four weeks since I’ve come in, I’m not scared to give a young player an opportunity. But they need to show me enough in training, and if they do that, then they’ll certainly be given an opportunity. ’ Asked about the prospect of Celtic wrapping up another league title this weekend, Ferguson added: ‘Well, it would be painful for me. ‘It would be painful for my staff, it would be painful for the supporters — and I want it to be painful for my players. Because you’re at Rangers and we need to start challenging, properly challenging for trophies. ‘They are horrible summers [when Celtic won the league in his own playing career]. I was ready to come back in and work my backside off to make sure that didn’t happen again. ‘It’s sore when you see your fiercest rivals win trophies, you don’t like to see that. It should make you even more determined and hopefully that’s going to be the case next season. ’

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