Barry Ferguson is to blame for Rangers' withering form. It is an easy assertion to make but one that, while containing a kernel of truth, is badly misleading.
Barry Ferguson is to blame for Rangers' withering form. It is an easy assertion to make but one that, while containing a kernel of truth, is badly misleading. The captain has hardly been a calamitous presence since his return but he has contributed to an imbalance that has afflicted the entire core of the team and, in turn, diluted the club's title challenge.
It is more accurate to point to the loss of Kevin Thomson as a legitimate reason for Rangers stuttering results, while the recent absence of Steven Davis through personal tragedy has accentuated a brittle look. Above all, and this is a bit the hardcore fans will find hard to digest, Rangers have missed the selfless industry of Kenny Miller and even the old pragmatism that sustained them until last season's late collapse.
Ironically, given the resistance to Walter Smith's conservative outlook last season, it is highly unlikely Rangers would find themselves seven points adrift of Celtic in the league (especially after a 4-2 derby win at Parkhead) if they reverted to the unpopular 4-1-4-1 formation. In Miller, they have a player equipped for the lone striking role and, it seems, the only man who can successfully partner Kris Boyd.
Smith must again wrestle with the familiar dilemma of dropping his most prolific striker for the sake of the team dynamic, or at least when Miller is unavailable. He also has the added complication of finding the best way to cultivate a rapport between Pedro Mendes and Ferguson, and fast.
A beefing-up of the midfield would doubtless have preempted the predictable and flawed debate over the compatibility of the two creative forces. The need for a holding midfielder was no more apparent than during Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle. Bruno Aguiar was able to roam at will, wriggling his way in support of Christian Nade throughout, while a chronic lack of pace in Rangers' midfield was regularly exposed by the spearing runs of Laryea Kingston and Andrew Driver. The presence of Maurice Edu would have acted as a deterrent for the inspirational Aguiar but one of the great mysteries of this season has been the disappearance of Brahim Hemdani.
The Algerian has yet to feature this season and, indeed, was expected to slip out through a side exit this summer. For as long as he remains on the wage bill, though, he remains one of the club's most efficient destructive midfielders, especially away from home in games were Rangers were expected to yield greater possession to their opponents than normal. Smith could have done with him on Saturday, but he was nursing a calf problem.
There is another aspect of Rangers' disjointed play that points to the need for additional protection: a faltering defence. Madjid Bougherra twice came off second best to Christophe Berra at set-pieces and Rangers suffered similarly aerial frailty in a 3-1 win against Hamilton at New Douglas Park.
More generally, Rangers are inviting trouble by defending deeper and deeper. It is a natural instinct for David Weir, at 38, to prevent his lack of pace being exploited but it puts greater pressure on Allan McGregor, whose less-than-commanding presence of late has been attributed to a knee problem.
In short, Rangers fortunes have not simply plummeted since Ferguson's return. If Smith can get his chemistry right, the captain might just be the catalyst for revival. Since returning from the third serious operation of his career, he has been involved in four wins, two draws and Saturday's defeat. His performances have ranged from competent, such as the 2-0 victory against Aberdeen at Ibrox, to anonymous, having been unable to keep pace with Aguiar at Tynecastle.
His presence has, unquestionably, affected the instinctive nature of Mendes' play. It is in this regard that Ferguson has been as much a curse as a blessing throughout his Rangers career. He is positionally indisciplined, a fact that exasperated Paul Le Guen but one that managers before and after the Frenchman tolerated on the law of averages. Ferguson has more good games than bad: when he performs, Rangers have a driving force capable of turning a game in their favour; when he doesn't, Rangers invariably toil.
How best to compensate for Ferguson's idiosyncrasies is the key to reviving Rangers' ailing form. He is too set in his ways to change his wandering style and, at 30, no longer possesses the dynamism of his box-to-box youth. Already, his comeback has spawned a watered-down version of the perennial Gerrard/Lampard argument over his ability to perform in tandem with Mendes.
Rangers are simply not so well-off for talent that they can afford to sacrifice either for the common good. The dilemma is two-fold: Rangers would be better served with a 4-3-3 formation, with Davis the obvious candidate to provide a buffer between the two architects, but it would then leave them with an even greater problem up front. Boyd, the club's most prolific goalscorer, cannot play without a partner and would be uncomfortable as the focal point of a three-pronged attack.
On Saturday, Ferguson and Mendes were outmanoeuvred and outnumbered by Hearts' midfield triumvirate of Aguiar and the protective pillars of Christos Karipidis and Ruben Palazuelos. Charlie Adam's lack of mobility and Kyle Lafferty's discomfort wide right hardly helped their over-extended ball players. Subsequently, neither Steven Whittaker nor Kirk Broadfoot were able to offer an overlapping outlet.
The return of Davis will remedy Rangers' problems on the right and take some of the burden off Mendes and Ferguson. The Northern Irishman is one of a host of players who has had to tailor his game to Rangers' deficiencies but for as long as the Boyd/Miller partnership continues to flourish, Smith will persist with a 4-4-2. It was, after all, what the fans demanded after last season's relative success came at a cost of limited entertainment value.
If the downturn in results persists, though, Smith might be left with no option but to return to his old ways. With less than four weeks to go before a season-defining derby match at Ibrox, Smith is entering a critical phase of his second tour of duty.
