Barry Ferguson revealed Rangers had “long, long” discussions in the wake of Saturday’s loss to Hibernian as they prepare to face Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League.
Rangers have lost their five matches at Ibrox with Ferguson yet to win a home game since replacing Philippe Clement as head coach until the end of the season.
It was far from ideal preparation for Thursday, although European football has been Rangers’ sanctuary during a dismal domestic campaign.
“We got in on Monday morning and let’s just say we had a long, long chat. I aired my views, so did my staff and so did the players, which I was happy with – I’ve said before I think we’ve been too quiet,” the former Rangers midfielder said.
“I want people to be opinionated, I want people to debate with each other and I found it really helpful and now hopefully, going forward, I’ll start to see a bit more consistency.
“We’ve played really well in some games. In other games, it’s just been a totally different team and that’s something that hopefully we’ve got to the bottom of.
“I’m expecting a totally different performance. Five games without a win at Ibrox is just not good enough.
“I would rather keep it in house [what was said]. But I thought the time was right to spend a bit of time with them and go through a lot of things I clearly wasn’t happy with.
“It’s good to get their point of view as well, because we need to get to the bottom of it. It’s been a real issue.
“I came out of the meeting, training was bubbly on Monday. That’s what I want, I don’t want anyone moping about and being unhappy. There were a lot of things said.
“We had a good session on Tuesday. We’re totally clear on how we’re going to approach the rest of the season, not just Thursday night.”
Ferguson promised a series of changes and a switch in style after their latest defeat and insists he is happy to make tough calls.
“I’ve told everybody now, there’s places up for grabs,” he added.
“When you go into my team and you play, you need to earn your right to play on the team. And I’ve had to make, or I probably will have to make, some difficult decisions going forward.
“I’ve had to make some difficult decisions since I’ve come into the job. But it’s one thing I’m not afraid to do to try and better the team.
“But I’ve got a job to pick the XI that I think is the XI that will go and win the game and that’s what I’ve done for Thursday night.”
Goalkeeper Jack Butland has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks, with a number of costly errors, including in the 2-0 defeat to Hibs, but Ferguson would not be drawn on whether or not his place was at stake.
“Players make mistakes and players maybe underperforming is part and parcel of football,” he continued.
“It’s tough at times. I’ve been through many of them myself, and there are a few players maybe not playing at the level that they would want and what I would expect.
“But in terms of changes, I’m not going to sit here and tell you what’s going to happen.
“I’m not going to say whether I’ve had a conversation with Jack or any other player.
“I’m not going to sit here and tell you this is who I’m going to play and this is the formation we are going to play – I’d be crazy to do that. We will just need to see the decisions that are going to be made for Thursday night.”
