WHEN the chips were down, Ian Ferguson knew Rangers wouldn’t fold. Winning was not just a habit, it was a mentality.

The midfielder looked around the Ibrox dressing room and saw legends in the making. Goram, Gough, Gascoigne, Laudrup, McCoist. The list is as comprehensive as it is illustrious.

It was a squad that swept all before it in Scotland, a group of players that would leave Ibrox with medals round their necks and their names inscribed into Rangers’ history.

The opportunity is the same for everyone that pulls on the blue jersey, but the circumstances that the current crop find themselves in are very different.

Read more: Ian Ferguson: Ibrox boss Mark Warburton will have to shop smart to strengthen his Rangers ranks

The gap, both on and off the park, between the respective halves of Glasgow is significant at present. It is a challenge that Mark Warburton’s side must rise to, one that they cannot shirk.

“I can’t tell you what is in that dressing room because I have never been in it with these players,” Ferguson told SportTimes.

“What I can tell you is that our dressing room had loads of character in it. We had a hunger, a desire, a determination, a will to win.

“We were winners. When things weren’t going right, you always knew there was someone in that dressing room that would pull you through.

“I could go through the squad and name them all. It was such a quality squad that when one went out another came in.

“That was the depth that Walter had. What we also had was belief, no matter who we played.

“Celtic, if I am being honest, probably played better football but Rangers knew how to finish games off and see them out. That is why Rangers were successful.

“Mark is obviously building and he has got his own philosophy, his own structure and shape in terms of what he wants to do. He has got to find the players that meet that criteria.

Read more: Ian Ferguson: Ibrox boss Mark Warburton will have to shop smart to strengthen his Rangers ranks

“At the moment, I don’t think he has quite got that. I think he is probably three or four players away.”

It is 20 years since Ferguson and his team-mates became Light Blue legends and clinched a ninth successive title as Walter Smith led the Gers into the history books.

It was a period of dominance at Ibrox but Rangers now find themselves on the other side of the equation. Already 19 points adrift in the Premiership, Warburton and his players are powerless to prevent Celtic securing six-in-a-row.

Second place has never been accepted at Ibrox but it is the best that Rangers can hope to achieve in their first campaign back in the top flight.

There is an understanding from the supporters about the circumstances that Warburton is working under, but Ferguson knows the demands will never go away.

He said: “It is important that they do win and they keep winning. Rangers is a club that won’t accept defeat, no matter who you play. There is always an expectation there.

“I watch on TV and I see what the fans are saying. They have been brought up on success and that is what they want. We are a support that demands that success and wants that success yesterday.

“At the moment, it is going to take time and we realise that. But, we are Rangers and we want it back to the good old days and the sooner that is the case the better.

“I know it is going to be tough and Celtic are far ahead of us financially. But on any day it is 11 versus 11 and I don’t care who you are or who you are up against, it is man for man and you have got to win your individual battles. If nine or 10 of you win those individual battles, you will win the game.

“Hopefully Rangers can put together a run in the second half of the season and keep building for next year.”

Rangers will return to competitive action when they host Motherwell in the Scottish Cup this weekend and must prove that they have learned the lessons from their loss in Leipzig on Sunday.

The winter break has given the Gers three weeks to linger on their Hogmanay derby defeat and Warburton will be keen to see a reaction at Ibrox.

Any positives in the performance were outweighed by the negative of another loss to their Old Firm rivals. Rangers were better, but not good enough.

Ferguson said: “I watched the game and I felt we did well in the first half but Celtic dominated in the second half. They pushed forward and put us under a bit of pressure.

Read more: Ian Ferguson: Ibrox boss Mark Warburton will have to shop smart to strengthen his Rangers ranks

“I was disappointed with the manner of goals that we lost. The first one, Celtic’s top scorer is at the back post himself.

“Whether players are blocked or not, someone has got to go and attack that ball. Nobody done that and it left us wide open. For the second one, Sinclair has come in unmarked at the back post, we have got no full-back and the centre-back is in no man’s land.

“I was disappointed with the goals but the performance was better. There was a big difference from the 5-1 game but you can still see that Celtic were the better team.

“In saying that, we could have stolen something at the end. Kenny hit the post and Forrester was 2v1 and should have played it across the goal. I don’t know what he was thinking.

“It was better than the last couple of Old Firm games but I still didn’t like the score. I am sure the players will be determined to put it right the next time.”