One of their own: Rangers to stick by Ferguson for 2025 and beyond?

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The new Rangers interim manager Barry Ferguson is the bookies’ favourite to hold onto the job ahead of the 2025/2026 campaign.

Ferguson is 33/100 with BetMGM to become the next permanent Rangers manager, having been installed temporarily until the end of the season. 

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Former England manager Gareth Southgate is in the mix at 25/1 alongside ex-Rangers boss Steven Gerrard who's 7/1 to retake the Ibrox hot seat. 

The former Gers’ captain was working at Ibrox in an ambassadorial role when French coach Philippe Clement was sacked on Sunday following a 2-0 home defeat to St Mirren. 

Club officials moved fast to put Ferguson in charge, with his former Rangers and Scotland team-mates Neil McCann, Billy Dodds and Allan McGregor in coaching roles, alongside Clement’s assistant Issame Charai. 

However, Ferguson faces a challenge to prove that he should be given the job on a permanent basis, with a number of high-profile candidates also in the mix.

Gerrard, who guided the club to their most recent league title in 2021, is the joint-second in the betting, alongside the former Southampton boss Russell Martin, who had a loan spell at Ibrox in 2018 as a player. 

Another candidate priced at 7/1 with experience of representing Rangers is Derek McInnes, who has impressed during his time at Kilmarnock, finishing fourth in the Premiership last season. 

German manager David Wagner is available at 8/1, while Clement’s former assistant Charai who will continue to work at the club under Ferguson, is at 9/1. 

When quizzed by Rangers TV, the 47-year-old Ferguson expressed surprise at the developments. 

He said: "If I am being honest, it came out of the blue, so it has been a whirlwind 24 hours, but I am just happy to get it done, get my staff together, get to the training ground and get going.

“When I was asked about this job, it was one I couldn’t turn down. 

“Albeit it is only for three months, but it is my job to go and get a kick out of this group of players.”

Ferguson has previous experience of taking on a temporary role, having briefly become Blackpool’s player-manager in 2014, after Paul Ince was sacked. 

His first permanent managerial position came at Clyde later that year, resigning in 2017 after failing to win promotion with the Scottish League Two club. 

Ferguson was more successful at the Lowland League side Kelty Hearts, who he took charge of in 2018 and guided to League Two in 2021 before leaving to join Alloa Athletic. 

Yet the role was short-lived, with the five-time Scottish Premier League winner resigning in 2022, within his first season at the club. 

That was Ferguson’s last taste of management until his surprise appointment by Rangers, who travel to Kilmarnock on Wednesday night. 

The Gers are currently second in the Scottish Premier League, 12 points behind the leaders Celtic, while they will face Fenerbahce in the Europa League’s Round of 16 in March. 

BetMGM’s contenders to become the next permanent Rangers manager are below;  

Odds correct at the time of writing.