Neil McCann on the Rangers DNA running deep as multiple Bazball changes named that fans will revel in
McCann is loving life back at Ibrox alongside his old team mates Ferguson, Billy Dodds and Allan McGregor.
They've both swapped TV and radio studios to return to the big stage on the training pitch and touchline.
But many of the key details have remained the same for Barry Ferguson and Neil McCann as part of the interim Rangers management team. Mainly analysis of the product in front of them - and getting their message across to those listening.
As a pundit McCann was sharp and insightful to the punters tuning in. But now it’s the players at Ibrox who are being asked to switch on to that expertise.
It starts with the values and DNA of the club which McCann insists Ferguson is already well down the road to instilling. After that it’s about making those players better.
It’s a work in progress but progress has been made. Ferguson and his interim team, which also consists of Billy Dodds, Allan McGregor and Issame Charai, were challenged with improving the squad and getting the fans back on side when they were handed the reins after Philippe Clement ’s sacking.
They’ve done that with big wins in Europe and at Parkhead. McCann said: “I've known Barry for a long time now. He's trying to bring the character he had as a player, the demand he had as a player. Doddsy’s the same, Greegsy too
“On the whole, the four guys that have come in here, we all probably share a real fighting Scottish spirit that I think is good.
“The group got it right away. It was very, very clear what we expected. It's never been let go. It's relentless in terms of what we expect from them, work rate, intensity in training.
“That's maybe something that they've had to adjust to. We found that in the first week or two, we were driving them really, really hard. And it was taking a lot out of them.
“But we felt that we had to hit levels that we expected them to see in order to then face the opposition. So, yeah, Fergie’s not changed in any way. Still moaning!
“But we all like a wee moan. It's done in a manner that, as a staff, we work very, very hard in terms of coming up with the right plan. And sometimes it doesn't always work. But what we're good at is having a second and third option and the players are able to adapt to that, which is great.
“I love the whole strategy and management. I've loved my time already and being part of Rangers is something I'm very proud of. I was a player and now I’ve been given the chance to come back and put the badge back on again as part of the coaching team. But if I need to go back to punditry I'll give it 100 per cent as well.”
McCann knows all about the character required to play for Rangers. In five seasons as a player at Ibrox he won nine trophies including three league titles and a Treble. Values he insists are being drummed into the squad.
He said: “A draw is not a good result at Rangers, domestically. If you're away from home in a European tie, you get a draw and you come back to Ibrox, you fancy your chances. But the whole DNA of this club has not been lost on the four of us coming in, certainly.
“It's not just all about the character. We have to try and make them better footballers.
“We were three very different types of players. With that, you can get a hold of a lot of the squad and offer them a lot of advice. Wingers, strikers, midfielders, each of them with some defensive stuff as well.
“Having analysed everybody in the league this season through my previous job, you've got good knowledge of what can work but that can be dictated to by the opposition.
“I think our ability to change shape, the information we've given them, we absolutely have changed how we attack but we're still conceding goals.
“As a coaching staff, that's absolutely something that we've got to try and eradicate. On the flip side of that, I think we've shown that we've got a wee bit of guts about us, a wee bit of determination.
Ferguson has batted away questions regarding his future beyond the end of the interim contract in the summer by which time the new owners should have their feet under the table with a decision on the permanent management team their likely first move.
Asked about his own prospects, McCann said: “I haven't even looked. Listen, this is a coal face.
“I love it.There's nothing better than being on a touchline, on a training ground, preparing for a game. There's nothing better. I loved my time at Dundee. I loved my time at Inverness. It's taken a different avenue afterwards. I haven't looked any further forward.
“You can't because the contract is a contract. We're in here to do a job. As I've said, we're working very, very hard at it.
“What we're charged with is making improvements to the group, making improvements to the individuals, getting the fans back seeing a team that is really, really fine, showing all the qualities you have to have as a Rangers player. “
One of the non-negotiable on that front is a will to win. Rangers have thrown away 23 points this season and with that any chance of the title. Only three of those points were to Celtic. Another defeat was turned into a victory with a remarkable fightback that saw a 3-1 deficit turned into a 4-3 win at Dens on Saturday.
McCann isn’t for sticking the knife into the former regime. But he said:“Doing my punditry stuff watching the team, I just felt that maybe towards the latter end of Philippe's tenure that I felt that the group lacked a wee bit of spark at times, a wee bit of energy, a bit of tempo and aggression in their play.
“That was something that we tried to set out very, very early coming in. Every game has to be showing that character. There needs to be a real willingness to win.
“A game can be won in an ugly manner. Sometimes you've got to roll your sleeves up, you've got to be prepared to put your foot in. Sometimes you have to go right to the end and show that you've got a wee bit left in the tank.”