Raw meat! Barry Ferguson gets the Battle Fever ready for Clement’s defining double header

Barry Ferguson would be digging out the raw meat as he prepares for a week that will decide the fate of Phil Clement.

Matches against Spurs and Celtic have an ominous feel for the Belgian Beale but that’s not the sort of news that Daily Record readers want to hear about.

Ferguson knows his audience, digging deep into own career to reheat dewy eyed stories is standard fare for the former Rangers captain who twice left the club that he loved.

Regular readers will know how staunch Ferguson was as a player, the mention of Celtic or the sight of a green and white shirt or scarf was enough to transform him completely.

On the park he would see red, pitchside he would throw ice at opponents, after a heavy defeat he’d put on his club trackie and head for a quiet night out in Bothwell.

Fergie’s life revolves around beating Celtic, more than a week before the League Cup Final the Battle Fever is in place.

He told Record readers:

What’s that old saying again, one swallow doesn’t make a summer?

Well, one 6-0 win over Kilmarnock isn’t going to guarantee that things are about to warm up over the winter period at Ibrox. With my old club currently shivering 11 points adrift at the top of the table, I’m not daft enough to suggest otherwise. But what I would say is that, over the last week or so, there have been signs of genuine encouragement for Phillipe Clement and his players.

It’s one step at a time right now for this team given the difficulties they’ve had since the season got up and running way back in August. But a brilliant European result in Nice, a sleeves rolled up win in Perth and Wednesday night’s second half demolition job of Killie just might help repair the damage which has been done to the confidence levels around Clement’s dressing room. And not a minute too soon, given what is just around the next corner of this campaign.

I used to live for weeks like the one Rangers are just about to begin. The thought of facing Spurs at Ibrox and then a cup final against Celtic at Hampden would have me eating raw meat in anticipation. These big games on the biggest stages are what representing Rangers is all about.

As a club Ambassador Ferguson is only a phone call away from getting into the dug-out with Alex Rae the other obvious contender for the Caretaker job.