Sir Alex Ferguson’s relationship with Rangers is certainly a scarred one but the legendary former Manchester United manager learned almost everything he knows from the halls of Ibrox.
A boyhood fan and former player, Ferguson has consistently admitted that the standards he instilled at Aberdeen and Man United stemmed from his time at Rangers.
But in a special interview with Rangers legend Ally McCoist, Sir Alex Ferguson has given some advice which appears to have been missed by the Ibrox hierarchy in recent seasons.
Sir Alex Ferguson gives Rangers contract advice
In an interview hosted by TNT Sports, Rangers legend Ally McCoist sat down with Sir Alex Ferguson to discuss the 82-year-old’s career.
Gers legend McCoist – who was recently awarded an OBE – is one of British football’s most popular broadcasters and it’s been a well-received conversation between two of the Scottish game’s greatest contributors.
But there’s some advice that Sir Alex received at the beginning of his legendary managerial journey which appears to have been lost on Rangers in recent seasons.
Referencing advice he received from ex-Notts County and Sheffield United manager Jimmy Sirrel, it appears even back in 1953 Alex Ferguson learned not to risk your managerial career on out of-contract or injury-prone players.
“There was a great old manager called Jimmy Sirrel,” said Ferguson, who had earlier explained he began his coaching journey at 22-years-old.
“He was the manager of Notts County and he says, ‘oh you want to be a manager, son?’
“I said ‘well, that’s what I’m intending to do,’ and he says ‘I’ll give you a bit of advice, don’t let the b****** contracts go to the same year, because you’re knackered’.”
Over the last three summers, Rangers have gambled on contract uncertainty with a whole host of players running down deals to the final minute.
Philippe Clement has lambasted the contract model, which led to the release of influential midfielder John Lundstram this summer.
Put in place by Ross Wilson, Rangers almost lost Connor Goldson amid a contract wrangle in 2022.
The following summer, Rangers saw Filip Helander, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos leave the club for nothing, whilst experienced heads like Allan McGregor and Scott Arfield also moved on.
This summer, Rangers lost Ryan Jack, Kemar Roofe, Borna Barisic, John Lundstram and Jon McLaughlin at the end of their contracts, all of whom had to be replaced.
Ex-Rangers striker also has a word on injuries
And as if what Sir Alex Ferguson had to say on contracts wasn’t enough, Rangers should probably heed the ex-Ibrox striker’s advice about player availability too.
The legendary former manager has touched on signing players with injury issues or who are not routinely available for selection, something Rangers have gotten badly wrong in recent seasons.
Ferguson added: “And the second thing he says, ‘always buy players who play every week, available for selection’.
Ally McCoist responded: “Walter (Smith) must’ve got that from you, because Walter used to say to me, ‘when you’re signing a player make sure he turns up for his work’.
”And by that he meant he was (playing every week). It seems such a simplistic thing to say, but how correct is it.”
Rangers fans remain unconvinced of the club’s transfer strategy in this regard with several in the Ibrox first-team still out with injury.
Colombian winger Oscar Cortes has barely featured in nine months with Rangers facing a hefty £4m bill from RC Lens come the end of the season.
Neither have expensive signings such as Danilo, Ridvan Yilmaz or Rabbi Matondo, who have yet to repay the stiff transfer fees the Gers paid for their services.
With the club’s propensity for signing injury-prone players a long-standing thing, from Kemar Roofe to Aaron Ramsey, Philippe Clement insists this strategy is now a thing of the past.
“In the past, there have been several transfers with players having a lot of injuries before and it kept on going here,” said Clement.
“In all the transfers that have been made, there’s a clear voice from the medical staff to dig into the past of players and to have their opinion about players who are in the building.
“If they’re sustainable [and able] to play a lot of games in a season and if they’re strong enough for that.
“That’s one of the important points to make a decision about signing a player or not.”
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