'Special' ex Celtic coach backed for Hoops return as manager, new Rangers board must take Ferguson 'seriously'

Celtic remain on course to complete a historic NINTH domestic Treble this season after reaching the Scottish Cup final at the weekend following a 5-0 annihilation of St Johnstone at Hampden Park.

Meanwhile, Rangers are still licking their wounds after last week’s Europa league exit all-but confirmed they will end the campaign without a trophy. Here’s the latest news headlines this lunchtime:

Damien Duff tipped to manage Celtic by old teammate

Ex-Celtic first-team coach Damien Duff has been backed to make a shock return to Parkhead in the future - as the club’s new manager.

Duff’s old Fulham teammate Giorgios Karagounis reckons he could be the perfect fit to replace Brendan Rodgers one day, admitting the Irishman has what it takes to become one of the best managers in the country.

Speaking to Spin Genie, the Greek legend and Euro 2004 winner said: “Could Damien Duff manage Celtic or Chelsea? Why not. As a team-mate, Damien Duff was special. He was very professional at Fulham and he helped me a lot. He always gave everything 100%.

“He was a great team-mate and a very good friend, I think he will have a very good career as a coach. He has a winning mentality and I wish him well, he is an extraordinary guy.”

Duff - who has enjoyed an impressive start to his career in the dugout with Shelbourne in recent years - will face serious competition if he were to throw his hat into the ring for the Celtic job. He created history by leading the League of Ireland side to their first title in 18 years last season.

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Barry Ferguson rated 50-50 to land Rangers job full-time

Derek Ferguson reckons his brother Barry has a “50-50” chance of being appointed Rangers boss on a permanent basis this season - despite his job prospects suffering a major hit last week.

A 2-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao in Spain last Thursday saw the Ibrox side exit the Europa league at the quarter-final stage, severely denting Ferguson’s chances of landing the position full-time. It leaves the Light Blues facing up to five post-split dead-rubber games including a final Old Firm clash against Celtic as they prepare to end the season without silverware.

Despite that bitter blow, Gers hero Ferguson insists the new hierarchy must take Barry into serious consideration for the way he has stepped up to the plate in a caretaker capacity.

Speaking to Ibrox News, Ferguson said: “The club have probably been waiting to see how this European campaign pans out really, but they have to be taking him into consideration. He’s come in and been no-nonsense, plus he’s spoken really well.

“He’s brought in two other guys, (Billy) Dodds and (Neill) McCann, who know the Scottish game inside out, so you can look at him and his staff and say together it ticks a lot of boxes.

“For Barry, it’s about managing the players, which I think he’s done. The fans have enjoyed seeing his passion and that gives the players energy. They have to take him seriously, but at the end of the day, it’s probably 50-50.”

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