Rangers appointment for former Inverness Caledonian Thistle bosses will be a success, predicts goalkeeper
Mark Ridgers is convinced Rangers will be onto a winner with an ex-Caley Thistle double act underpinning Barry Ferguson’s Ibrox appointment.
Neil McCann, assisted by Billy Dodds, took temporary charge of Inverness for three months from February 2021 with Hearts legend John Robertson on compassionate leave.
Goalkeeper Ridgers was blown away by how the pair swept in and transformed the team’s mentality and training ground standards.
The 34-year-old also believes the duo’s influence will help Ibrox legend Ferguson avoid the pitfalls of being a fan thrust into the managerial frontline.
“Neil McCann’s man-management was brilliant and so was his training,” Ridgers, an ex-Hearts team-mate of McCann’s, recalled.
“It is the exceptionally high standards he sets, given the calibre of player he was surrounded by in his own career. He expected us to reach those same standards, no matter who we were.
“He’s fair, but if you were not performing he would pull you up, whether alone or in front of others.
“The best example was Nikolai Todorov. Toddy was struggling a bit in confidence, in and out of the team when Robbo was the manager.
“Neil somehow managed to turn him into Zlatan Ibrahimović!
“Some of the goals Toddy went on to score were incredible. Neil gave him the belief he could score in every game, get the better of any defender.”
Caley Thistle went on a six-game winning streak under McCann and Dodds, eventually missing out on the play-offs by a single point.
“Tactically and analytically, Neil is really knowledgeable. We got the bounce from the freshness he brought and it pushed towards the play-offs,” Ridgers said.
“He wanted us to play differently. It was a lot more ball on the deck, the modern way people want now. He changed the way we trained and played, just everything about us.
“Training was very high intensity with a lot more tactical work. He imprinted the style of what he wanted on and it impacted every aspect of our football.”
As for how the pair can impact at Rangers, Ridgers is hopeful for their sake they will succeed.
“Having Billy involved as well will help appease the Rangers fans for a little bit,” he said.
“Billy is also first class on the training ground and they know exactly what that football club is all about.
“I’ve never had the privilege of playing for a club as big as that, but at Hearts the demand was to win every game outwith the Old Firm.
“Having Neil and Billy, two sensible heads, will probably draw that pressure away from him quite a bit.
“Barry is a Rangers legend and Rangers supporter. He has probably yearned for a chance like this for years.
“There will be a real excitement, but those two can remove him from being a fan in mentality to being a manager.”