Barry Ferguson will always be inextricably linked with Rangers.
As a player, he made 422 appearances for the Gers across two spells, winning five Premiership titles as well as five Scottish Cups and five League Cups, leading the team out in Manchester for the 2008 UEFA Cup Final against Zenit Saint Petersburg.
Then, last season, following the sacking of Philippe Clement, Ferguson was appointed interim Rangers manager, winning only six of 15 matches in charge, but knocking Fenerbahçe out of the Europa League and enjoying a victory over Celtic at Parkhead.
He wanted the managerial role full-time but did not get it; he almost certainly would not have done a worse job than Russell Martin, had he been given the opportunity.
As a player, Ferguson boasted all the intangibles supporters love to see, determination, commitment, passion and a will to win, something Danny Röhl’s current squad certainly lacks, but is Rangers’ “best player” starting to show signs of replicating Ferguson?
James Tavernier's role at Rangers
Since joining the club, when they were still in the SPFL Championship, from Wigan Athletic in 2015, James Tavernier has now made 537 appearances for Rangers, scoring a staggering 136 goals and registering 145 assists.
He has won all three domestic honours, while also captaining the team in the Europa League Final in Seville in 2022, as Ferguson had done 14 years earlier, his most recent goal for the club coming at Hampden in defeat to Celtic in the League Cup semi-finals earlier this month.
Last season, for the very first time, Tavernier’s place in the Rangers side came under scrutiny, with some questioning, now 34 years old, if he is the force he once was.
During his brief interim period, Ferguson trialled the Englishman in various positions, right-back, right-wing-back and right-sided centre-back in a three, which was essentially foreshadowing what was to come once Röhl arrived.
The captain has started five of the six matches under the German, the sole exception coming at Easter Road, when he was introduced at half time.
Since Röhl has switched to a back three, Tavernier has most commonly been deployed as a wing-back, although not exclusively, starting as part of the back three against both Kilmarnock and Roma, which is more reflective of Rangers’ lack of high-quality centre-backs, as this role doesn’t get the best out of him.
Nevertheless, as Röhl continues to figure out how to best use his skipper, another of his stars has come to the fore in a way that is reminiscent of Ferguson.
Rangers' "best player" who is Barry Ferguson-esque
It may only be the middle of November, but Nicolas Raskin has already enjoyed, and endured, a roller coaster campaign.
At international level, he has started each of Belgium’s last three World Cup qualifiers, scoring against Kazakhstan in Brussels, establishing himself as a key figure in Rudi Garcia’s team ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
Meantime, back in Glasgow, Raskin remains a key figure for Rangers, starting all six matches since Röhl was appointed, heading home his second goal of the campaign at Dens on Sunday.
The statistics below emphasise the midfielder’s importance to this team.
Minutes
1,669
5th
Goals
2
5th
Assists
4
1st
Shots per 90
1.4
5th
Big chances created
2
4th
Key passes per 90
1.9
2nd
Tackles per 90
2.2
2nd
Interceptions per 90
0.8
5th
Average rating
7.39
1st
As the table documents, Raskin ranks highly for a wide variety of statistics this season.
He is the club’s leading player in terms of assists, while also second for key passes and tackles per 90, underlining that he is an all-round midfield player.
Following Sunday’s victory at Dundee, speaking during Sky Sports’ coverage, Kris Boyd believes that Raskin is starting to rediscover his “outstanding” form from last season since the appointment of Röhl, while Chris Sutton asserts that he remains Rangers’ “best player”.
So, while the Belgian is stylistically similar to Ferguson, both all-action midfielders, that is not where the similarities end.
In an interview last year, Ferguson revealed that he was informed he should leave Rangers in 2007 following a falling out with manager Paul Le Guen, told “you won’t play for Rangers again”, only for the Frenchman to be sacked soon after, brought straight back into the team under interim boss Ian Durrant.
Well, Raskin endured a near-identical situation, seemingly frozen out by Russell Martin, left on the bench for Champions League qualifiers against Viktoria Plzeň and Club Brugge, before being excluded from the matchday squad altogether for home games against Celtic and Hearts.
The Martin vs Raskin battle was when supporters really turned against the manager they never wanted in the first place, very much the beginning of the end for him.
Now back in the side, the Belgian has once again taken on a talismanic leadership role, so Rangers supporters will be hoping he can carry on this excellent form for many more months and years, even if he still requires 306 more appearances to match Ferguson’s legacy.
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