Dream boss at Rangers cheers Celtic

It has now been established that Barry Ferguson is a disruptive influence at Ibrox Park and footballing genius Paul Le Guen has taken strong steps to eliminate such elements from his team. This should be welcomed by everyone who loves football – therefore Celtic – and can’t help chortling at the Gorgie-esque pantomime that is currently developing at Rangers.

It is well worth remembering that Wee Bazza is the same veteran of the Battle of Bothwell and a younger sibling of Derek, who Graeme Souness once sold to Hearts without consulting him, apparently believing that Fergie major would prove to be the undoing of Ian Durrant. And that should be remembered for two reasons – as a reminder that Bazza hadn’t benefited from the ideal example of how to handle the Old Firm ”goldfish bowl” and, more importantly, the strides that he has taken towards attaining the maturity required to recognise the potential for good or ill that attaches itself to an Old Firm captain.

Many Celtic fans seem to feel that antipathy towards Barry Ferguson should be a natural response, given his foolish youthful ventures, and chest-pounding demonstrations of his near-obsessive love for Glasgow’s second team. Yet, it is clear that he has grown up and learned that a degree of dignity doesn’t take 132 years to develop. That has translated itself to a degree of – whisper it – respect from a substantial number of Celtic fans who are prepared to forget youthful aberrations and maybe even see shades of Paul McStay in the loyalty Ferguson has shown to a club in decline.

But of course, loyalty is in abundant supply at Ibrox, according to Sir David Moonbeam, who brushes over the hundreds of staff who lost jobs at Rangers shops when he talks of how cleverly he moved on Walter Smith, Dick Advocaat and Alex McLeish. And already Ferguson’s loyalty to Rangers is being questioned by the “please let’s have a miracle” element of the Govan Thistle support. After all, didn’t Bazza run out on the club – having signed a contract and then accepted a move to the Blackburn Bank of Souness that many cynics interpreted as the ultimate act of sacrifice from a player who had been made aware of the fact that his beloved club’s desperate need for money was more pressing than their need for a midfielder.

Then, the revisionist story goes, he “came running back” from a far better opportunity, with Rangers ploughing through a quagmire and commentators questioning the fine line between loyalty and insanity.

Today, his failings are more extreme. He has been trying to exert too much influence on a Rangers team that is, quite frankly, abysmal. This is not working the way Paul Le Guen wants. But Le Guen, before his crude attempt to cash in on and vilify Ferguson in one move is more reticent on a number of key facts
- the ONLY players at Rangers who have been any good this season are those who were deemed inadequate by Le Genius
- Ferguson has been the best of all of them
- Le Guen has demonstrated the sort of horse sense in the market that sees people come home with 20-year-old Clydesdales with ginger under their tails.

But more importantly, it seems that Ferguson’s complaints that his team-mates haven’t performed to an acceptable level equate to unwelcome interference, as interpreted by Le Guen. Luckily, the fair and loyal Sir Dave is on hand to repay loyalty with a P45.

All of this is great news for Celtic. Our only credible rivals are in a financially frail condition while their manager gets rid of his best player for suggesting that standards improve.

2007 looks like being a happy and prosperous gloat-fest of a year. Enjoy it!