The swathes of newspaper print devoted to the antics of Barry Ferguson and Alan McGregor over the last couple of weeks have ensured that every possible angle of their behaviour and subsequent punishments has been identified, analysed and then regurgitated again and again. The story has had enough twists and turns to make even Lewis Hamilton slightly dizzy and you can be sure there are more to come. While the two Rangers players shocked the nation with their reaction to being benched against Iceland; was it really that much of a surprise that they chose to act in the way they did?

McGregor is no stranger to the front page of the tabloids after all but it is Ferguson who represents the more interesting case. Captain of his club and country, a decorated footballer and someone set to be remembered as a Rangers legend? Or someone who’s had it his own way for too long and who has finally been caught out?

When Ferguson decided he had become a big fish in a small pond at Ibrox and packed his bags for Blackburn Rovers in 2003, he claimed he wanted to try his luck in a bigger league. Bored of the tedious nature of the SPL; tired of playing in front of a few thousand fans at Rugby Park; desperate to run out at Old Trafford and Anfield. So what happened to make him come back 16 months later with his tail between his legs? The midfielder claims he was homesick almost as soon as he arrived at Ewood Park but is it not possible, given recent events, that he soon realised that he was no longer the main man or the apple of his team mates’ eyes? He was surrounded by a dressing room of established Premier League players and the likes of Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Lucas Neill and Brad Friedel were never likely to be impressed by an upstart from Glasgow who was used to being the centre of attention. For the younger players at Ibrox on the other hand, here was a local boy from Hamilton who had supported the side as a kid and who had come through the ranks to captain both club and country. That would make him an idol to be worshipped in their eyes. At Ewood Park? Nothing of the sort. Perhaps a wander along the streets of Blackburn didn’t bring with it the same reaction as a stroll through Glasgow. No Rangers fans to praise him; no Celtic fans to abuse him.

Having sealed his move back to Rangers in January 2005, Ferguson enjoyed a dream return as he helped his side overhaul Celtic on the final day of the season to win the SPL title. He was once again the centre of attention and his arrival seemed set to launch Rangers into another period of dominance. The departure of boss Alex McLeish that summer led to the highly rated Paul le Guen taking over in the hot seat and having led Lyon to four consecutive league titles and the Champions League quarter finals, he was expected to deliver similar success in Scotland. There is no doubt that he made a poor start and that some of his signings were questionable at best but one of the main talking points during his short tenure was his decision to drop Barry Ferguson and strip him of the captaincy. Sound familiar? Only two years ago, it was Ferguson who came out smelling of roses and le Guen who went back to France with his reputation damaged. The Frenchman said publicly that he had been undermined by the midfielder and that he had been shown a lack of respect. The Ibrox faithful stamped their feet, threw up their arms and demanded Ferguson be reinstated. “Ferguson?” they cried, “He’s Rangers through and through and cares more about the club than anyone.” It may be two weeks since the latest incident but I can still hear those same fans choking on their words. Back then however, they were granted their wish. Le Guen was gone and Walter Smith returned to a hero’s welcome and Ferguson was back in the team. Since then however Smith has managed to win just a Scottish Cup and a League Cup while it is fair to say that Ferguson has yet to recapture his form of old. The irony of this whole situation is that neither the Rangers nor Scotland fans are likely to be too perturbed by his absence.

Paul le Guen meanwhile was appointed as manager of Paris Saint-Germain just weeks after leaving Glasgow and while he enjoyed a less than successful start; only just keeping the club in Ligue One, he has enjoyed improved fortunes this season with his side sitting in fifth place, a mere five points behind leaders Marseille while they also reached the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup. There is little point in speculating what might have happened had le Guen been allowed to remain in charge of Rangers but he did not become a bad manager overnight and he would certainly appear to be slowly but surely restoring the fortunes of the Paris club.

What does seem to be clear however is that he was right about Ferguson. At the very least he showed a lack of respect at Hampden and while Rangers were prepared to overlook his drinking session at Cameron House as long as he kept his head down, they were not going to ignore his subsequent actions. Whoever the intended recipients of his v-signs were; he let down his club, his country, his family and the Rangers fans who, rightly or wrongly, looked up to him as someone who, apparently, regarded playing for both club and country as “an honour and a privilege”. Assuming Ferguson never pulls on the Rangers jersey again, he will have to find himself a new club and that will be easier said than done. There is no where for him to go in Scotland and his best chance of a move seems to be Australia, where several ex-Gers reside, or the lower reaches of the Premiership. We all know what happened when he last dipped his toes in the ‘promised land’ and it’s unlikely that he’ll ever feel at home in another dressing room.

One thing is for sure; Ferguson has finally been found out and, at his desk in Paris, a certain Paul le Guen was no doubt nodding knowingly to himself in quiet satisfaction as he heard the news.

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