Barry Ferguson is the kind of player Glasgow Rangers boss Philippe Clement would kill to have in his Light Blues, especially after their lackluster performance in the season’s opening Old Firm encounter.
The Gers have been utterly outmanoeuvred in the middle of the pitch, as they have been in many of the previous games against Celtic, giving players like Callum McGregor—who scored in the team’s 3-0 loss last weekend—plenty of time and room to play to their strengths.
Gaining control of the midfield fight is crucial if Clement hopes to improve his derby record; if not, the Parkhead team will keep getting the better of the Gers.
Bringing in someone like Ferguson, who had two stints at the club and was successful against Celtic, would make this assignment a lot simpler.
Unfortunately, Clement will have to make do with what he has, but the Ibrox squad did manage to win more often than their opponents at one point, especially with the Scottish midfielder serving as the team’s vital component.
Barry Ferguson’s statistics for the Rangers
Ferguson made his Light Blues debut against Hearts on the last day of the 1996–1997 season, playing under the legendary Walter Smith. After Dick Advocaat was named manager in 1998, Ferguson gradually worked his way into the starting lineup.
At the age of 22, Ferguson would become the youngest player to lead the team under Advocaat. He was instrumental in the team’s success as they once again dominated in Scotland, winning a treble and a double in consecutive seasons.
Following an unsatisfactory last 18 months for Advocaat, Ferguson was fortunate to have Alex McLeish appointed in December 2001, who quickly proved to be the perfect manager.
In the 2002 Scottish Cup final, he hit an incredible freekick against Celtic to help the Light Blues win 3-2 and cement his legend.
throughout the 2002–03 season, McLeish pushed Ferguson to attack more frequently from the center of the midfield. Ferguson was rewarded with a career-high best of 18 goals throughout the season as the team won another domestic triple.
Although the captain was their most valuable player, McLeish had to sell players and reduce the salary bill that summer owing to financial difficulties at the club, thus despite their success on the field, it turned into a frugal summer.
Ferguson was eager to stay at the club under McLeish, but it was obvious he would have to be sold as the most valuable commodity at Ibrox.
The sum at which the Rangers sold Barry Ferguson
Ferguson was still a member of the team that began the 2003–04 season, helping his team get off to a strong start at home and defeating FC Copenhagen to return to the Champions League group stages after a three-year break.
The Scot joined the Premier League at the end of August after it was revealed that Blackburn Rovers had bought him for a reported sum of £7.5 million.
“He is 25 years old, has been captain of Rangers and an international for a number of years, and I see him being an outstanding player for this club,” said midfielder Graeme Souness.
Ferguson probably would have stayed if the Glasgow team’s financial problems hadn’t arisen. Though it wasn’t the greatest transfer price McLeish got during his tenure as the Gers’ manager, it was one of the highest payments ever made to a Rangers player.
Statistics for Jean-Alain Boumsong’s Rangers
McLeish said in December 2003 that Boumsong had signed a pre-contract deal with the club. It was quite a coup, given that Premier League teams like Liverpool and Arsenal were snooping about the French powerhouse.
Throughout the first half of the season, the center-back made 26 appearances for the Glasgow team, making an impression with his strength and tough defense strategy.
It was immediately apparent that McLeish might earn handsomely from Boumsong should teams begin to show an interest in him, even if he hadn’t fully anticipated this to happen after just six months in Scotland.
McLeish was desperate to hang on to the French international defender as the end of 2004 drew near, but it was clear he wanted to go on to a more challenging role.
The price at which Rangers sold Boumsong
The team that expressed the greatest interest in Boumsong was Newcastle United because Souness, once more, was eager to get him into the Premier League.
The transfer was finalized on January 1, 2005, when the former Rangers manager paid an incredible £8 million—a substantial sum at the time to acquire a player from Scotland—to get the center-back.
“Jean-Alain Boumsong has an agreement with us and we have an agreement with Rangers,” said Souness, beaming with happiness. As we speak, he is getting a medical. We believe he will have a significant impact on the club in the near and long terms.
Since Blackburn had to pay £500k more for Ferguson than McLeish did to recruit him, McLeish had raised nearly £15 million by selling two players in just 18 months.
Even if it eventually didn’t completely solve their financial problems, it was nonetheless impressive that both players—especially Boumsong—were able to make money.
After a stint in Greece, the Frenchman retired in 2013 after failing to reach his peak performance during his tenure with the Magpies. He then played for Lyon and Juventus.
Given that the former Auxerre sensation didn’t pay a dime to sign with the team in the first place, selling him was one of the better transfer transactions the team has made in recent memory.
It is evident that Clement is working to put in place a system that will allow great players to leave for substantial salaries. The club will benefit in the long run if he can get deals for £8 million for a number of players.
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