Ferguson leaves Rangers to join Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) - Barry Ferguson joined Birmingham from Rangers Friday after an acrimonious end to his second spell with the Scottish champions.

Ferguson's time at Rangers soured last season when he was stripped of the captaincy following a breach of discipline while on international duty with Scotland.

Ferguson was filmed making obscene gestures during Scotland's match against Iceland days after being dropped for a late-night drinking session. He was subsequently banned from representing Scotland again.

The 31-year-old Ferguson signed a three-year contract to return to the Premier League for the first time since an injury-plagued stint at Blackburn between 2003 and 2005.

Ferguson will be reunited with Alex McLeish, who managed him at Rangers and Scotland.

"I think Barry can play on for a good few years yet," McLeish said. "He's a guy that always turned up for work. By that I mean that his appearances over the years have always been fantastic.

"Barry has got the culture of the true-grit Brit, who will go through brick walls to play football. He has a winning mentality, and that is proven by all the winners' medals he has won."