While the Europa League remains a sliver of hope for Rangers this season, the reality remains that the Gers are way off the pace in the Scottish football picture, and it has been a largely forgettable campaign.
At the start of the season, most bookmakers anticipated that Rangers and their cross-city rivals, Celtic, would go toe-to-toe in an Old Firm battle royale. But with the end of the campaign approaching, it is Celtic who appear set to deliver for punters once again.
While the stark reality of Scottish football for most bettors is that both Rangers and Celtic provide the best betting opportunities, punters can often find value in the SPFL markets by ensuring they look for free bet offers
Backing the Old Firm to finish in the top two spots in the Scottish Premier League is usually a reliable bet. However, given the struggles Rangers have endured this term, it feels as if the Gers could have a job on their hands to get anywhere near Celtic by the end of the campaign.
The arrival of Belgian Philippe Clement threatened to herald a new era at Ibrox, particularly with the end of the 2023/24 season being such a positive one but with Rangers way off the pace in the Scottish Premiership, it was felt that change was needed.
Club legend Barry Ferguson has been installed as the interim manager until the end of the season, and if he can instill his combative playing style in his squad, Rangers may have a good chance of flipping the narrative this season.
Whether he can lift the gloom at Ibrox remains to be seen but there is plenty to play for between now and the end of the season.
European dream
One of the issues facing Rangers and Scottish clubs in general in recent times has been their inability to compete in European competition.
Failure to get out of Champions League and Europa League groups has been an all-too-common sight for Celtic and Rangers in recent years, but the script has been flipped in 2024/25.
Celtic defied expectations and a tough fixture list to progress to the knockout rounds of the Champions League, where they were very unlucky to be edged out by Bayern Munich.
Meanwhile, Rangers have gone one further in the Europa League, managing to reach the last 16 and with a two-legged tie against Fenerbahçe on the agenda next, the stakes continue to rise for the Gers.
It will be a baptism of fire for Barry Ferguson in Istanbul, but this is the level Rangers want to be playing at and exposure to it will only enhance the overall level of the playing squad moving forward.
Barry’s big decisions
The inflated playing squad at Ibrox has been both a positive and a negative for previous incumbents of the Rangers hotseat, with Steven Gerrard using to good effect during his tenure but it was somewhat of a poisoned chalice for Philippe Clement.
With a staggering 19 players out on loan and a 28-man playing squad packed to the brim, Barry Ferguson will be tasked with streamlining the squad moving forward.
Team cohesion will be the obvious beneficiary, with a tighter squad for Ferguson to work with having some obvious benefits, whilst financially Rangers will be looking to profit, provided they can move some players on.
Legendary status
Few players in the modern era are as synonymous with Rangers as Barry Ferguson and in an age where Celtic have completely dominated Scottish football, the return of Ferguson will instil a sense of optimism within the Rangers fanbase.
Shrewdly, Ferguson has installed former teammates and fellow club stalwarts Allan McGregor, Billy Dodds, and Neil McCann to his coaching staff—four players who are held in the highest regard by all and sundry at Ibrox.
Obviously, if results don’t go their way, the wolves will be out for Ferguson and his staff, but the level of reverence he commands in the blue half of Glasgow should buy him some time if needed.
There is plenty to play for at Rangers this season and with Barry Ferguson at the helm, could things finally be looking up at Ibrox?