MIKE MULRANEY has provided the opportunities. It has been up to others to grasp them.

That chance – like it has been for several managers during Mulraney’s tenure at Alloa Athletic – has now been afforded to Barry Ferguson.

The former Rangers captain has succeeded Peter Grant as Wasps manager following their relegation from the Championship last term.

While Grant has gone on to earn himself a position at Dunfermline, it is three other of his predecessors – Paul Hartley, Jack Ross and Jim Goodwin – that stand out in Alloa’s recent history.

That trio would enhance their reputations in the game during their time at the Indodrill Stadium and Ferguson now has the platform to do likewise as he looks to lead Alloa to promotion from League One next term.

There is no exact science when it comes to picking a manager. The strike rate makes for pleasing reading from Mulraney’s perspective, though, as he backs his latest choice to go on and take his career to the next level.

“To be fair, I think from my point of view the first thing you have got to believe is that you can work with someone,” Mulraney said. “It is not just about getting a template and you go ‘yeah, that will work’.

“You have got to sit down with someone and convince yourself and hope they are convinced that you can work together. It is a two-way process and that is the first thing.

“If you don’t and you don’t believe that when you first meet someone, I don’t think it will ever work.

“The second thing is that anyone that comes with the ambition, enthusiasm and confidence of those managers that you refer to, and Barry as well, will tend to be successful.

“I am very fortunate that I get some of the reflected success of that, but the truth is that it is not about me and not about the club, it is about us being able to get fantastic candidates, fantastic young managers who have developed.

“We have simply afforded them that opportunity and I am sure they would all have done it wherever they went.”

The departure of Grant following Alloa’s relegation put the pressure on Mulraney to deliver a manager that could take the Wasps back to the Championship and out of a competitive third tier next term.

He would go for the man who had just delivered his own promotion after leading Kelty Hearts to the play-off win over Brechin that took them into the League structure for the first time.

Now Mulraney will look to give Ferguson the support – both emotionally and financially – required to ensure the Rangers legend is able to fulfil his potential and ambitions.

“I think we have got a track record, and I am very grateful for that, of being able to attract quality candidates,” Mulraney said.

“I think, once again, someone of the calibre of Barry, who has very recent success, it shows that we are a club who are ambitious and want to develop further. We are not at the end of the journey by any manner of means and we want to continue to improve.

“I would hope [he would be able to attract players]. I know he has got his targets and we have discussed them. As Barry said, it is about getting the right players and I am absolutely sure and confident that he will be able to do that.”

Ferguson spoke of his satisfaction at the squad he has inherited as he was unveiled as manager on Thursday morning and the coming weeks will be spent adding to the ranks that are in place at Alloa.

The targets, in terms of promotion and challenging for the title, seem easy to define. Ferguson will be asked to do his best in the hope that those efforts prove good enough.

Mulraney said: “I think the Championship and [League One] are two incredibly difficult leagues. So financially, not only will be not be cutting our budget from last season, we will probably increase it.

“That is not because Barry has asked us to. It is because we feel that to ensure we put together a squad that is capable of competing in an incredibly competitive league. That requires an appropriate budget.

“It is not about budget. It is about the right players coming here to the club, that is much more important. It is our confidence that Barry will target the right players.

“I think, as the chairman of Alloa Athletic, my main target is to give my manager the tools to do the best job that he can and to have confidence in him to set his own targets.

“I have not given Barry an objective other than to do his best because I am absolutely convinced that his best will be good enough for Alloa Athletic.”