Rangers: Patience is key before judging new-look side, says Barry Ferguson

Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha has seen his side drop five points in two consecutive games at Ibrox

Pedro Caixinha's new-look Rangers side should not be judged until the first round of games is completed, according to former Ibrox captain Barry Ferguson.

Following an early exit from Europe, Rangers have won two, drawn one and lost one of their Premiership games.

"It's still too early, only four [league] games in," Ferguson told BBC Scotland's Sportsound.

"You need to wait until the first quarter is out before you can really sit down and see how they're doing."

And he added: "You don't get a lot of time at a club like Rangers, I'm saying up until the first quarter of the season, then you can start to judge the players."

'He's a player that would strengthen Rangers'

Declan John became the 11th new face through the door at Ibrox during the summer window when he signed a season-long loan deal from Cardiff on Thursday.

Bruno Alves, Graham Dorrans, Ryan Jack, Alfredo Morelos are among the names who had already checked in.

Ferguson, who won five league titles, five Scottish Cups and five League Cups over two spells at Rangers, says there are "question marks" over some of the summer signings and that his former club remain some way behind last season's treble-winners Celtic.

"I still think they [Rangers] are short," he added. "Bruno Alves, you can't argue with, an experienced centre half and he's played at the highest level.

"Graham Dorrans, Ryan Jack knows the league [Scottish Premiership] and is a 'Steady Eddy'.

"I still think they're short of Celtic and I still think they need to go and spend a bit of money.

Caixinha said Michael O'Halloran has no future at Rangers while the Portuguese is in charge

"But to be fair, they've given him [Pedro Caixinha] a few pounds to go and spend on transfer fees and on wages."

One player Ferguson feels would make a positive impact at Ibrox is Jamie Walker, the Hearts winger who has been the subject of failed bids from Rangers over the summer.

"Every time I've seen him play, whether on TV or live at a game, he's always stood out for me," the former Scotland captain said. "He's a player that would certainly strengthen Rangers."

With Rangers having crashed out of Europa League qualifying to Luxembourg side Progres Niederkorn, coupled with two disappointing home results in the league, Caixinha has come under fire early in the season from some quarters.

Ferguson reckons that is "part of being at a massive club," and also believes Caixinha made a mistake in going public with criticism of Michael O'Halloran, who has moved from Rangers to St Johnstone on a season-long loan.

"I didn't like that about Michael O'Halloran," he said. "I thought that was a bit unfair on the boy. If you don't rate a player or you don't like him, I think you should do it behind closed doors, not publicly."