I didn’t view Allan McGregor as the coaching type - but Ibrox faithful won’t get someone more Rangers-minded
A former teammate of McGregor’s at club and country has offered his take on the decision to return to Ibrox in a coaching capacity
Barry Ferguson’s decision to bring in Rangers heroes Neil McCann and Billy Dodds to make ups his interim coaching team came as little surprise - but the addition of fellow Ibrox legend Allan McGregor raised a few eyebrows.
The iconic former title-winning Light Blues goalkeeper has kept a relatively low profile since hanging up the gloves at the end of the 2022/23 season, despite failing to officially confirm his retirement. The 43-year-old has since appeared as a pundit on Premier Sports, but very little had been heard of him.
Ferguson’s offer of a first coaching role much earlier than McGregor had anticipated and his decision to accept the position despite his lack of experience - or even desire - has left one of his former Gers and Scotland teammates surprised.
Ex-Hearts boss Steven Naismith spent five years working alongside McGregor for club and country between 2007 and 2012 and revealed he never saw his old No.1 as the type to step into coaching.
Appearing as a guest on The Warm Up, Naismith said: “I definitely didn't! I can understand why Barry brings him in because of his association with the club, he's again talking about the desire, and saying 'this is what it takes to play with Rangers.'
“You're probably not going to get someone who's more, more Rangers minded than the goalie, so I can understand it. I don't think he ever showed, in any time you would speak to him as a player...”
Former Celtic stopper David Marshall, who joined Naismith on the show, believes the Gers goalkeeping role and the opportunity it brings could 'spark' McGregor's coaching ambitions.
“I think for Alan, this is just me speaking, how I see it. I think he would like to go in at that level,” Marshall said.
“It’s an amazing opportunity, it’s very rare in life, especially in football, you have to work your way up but he’s probably earned the right for that with his career, and he knows exactly what it takes to be in there, but to go in at first-team level is an amazing opportunity, and it might just spark him into being that obsessive coach that you have to be to make it work.”
David Marshall and Steven Naismith appeared on The Warm-Up, the William Hill SPFL’s weekly preview show. Check out the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheWarm__Up