Ferguson’s Rangers veer from ‘horrendous’ to ‘different class’

Barry Ferguson, a legend for Rangers, had long-awaited a moment that he believed had long since vanished into the night.

Less than 15 minutes into his debut as boss in his boyhood club’s dugout, he must have thought he was locked in a nightmare.

“It was horrendous”, Ferguson said of the way his players started against Kilmarnock, his new side going two goals down inside 14 minutes at Rugby Park.

“I was wondering at times if they were listening”.

Ferguson couldn’t possibly be to blame for his questions as his side fought to breathe in Ayrshire. His significant return to Rangers was ruined.

The former Ibrox captain has had a whirlwind few days. He has spent more time on the training pitch than possible during those days.

When asked about that woeful first 30 minutes, when Kilmarnock were cruising thanks to Joe Wright’s header and Brad Lyons ‘ lasered strike, Ferguson conceded he “maybe gave the players too much information”.

You might anticipate ways to correct the mistake that one of the first messages to be made was Philippe Clement’s struggle with defending set-plays. On the evidence of the first goal, it wasn’t.

Rangers players either marked fresh air or fell to the ground during a well-known scene. Watching on from the sidelines, Ferguson frowned.

That threatened to be the case again on Wednesday. Heads were down or shaking, shoulders were slumped, and confidence was devoid.

Before the break, Vaclav Cerny cut to half the deficit. Nsiala was hooked in a matter of seconds.

What followed was “different class”, said Ferguson.

It was certainly a different Rangers.

Cyriel Dessers, who first hauled his side level and then shot them in front, revealed that Ferguson told them at half-time that “we’re still in this”.

“We came out and felt, ‘ hey, we’re going to get them today ‘ after that goal after half-time”, the striker told Sky Sports.

After what turned out to be a fairly comfortable win, Ferguson, an emotional man, couldn’t hide his emotions at the final whistle.

Relieved, yes. But rational enough to realize Rangers are not yet back on track.

“You’ve got to be resilient at Glasgow Rangers”, Ferguson said. Every game has requirements and requirements, and failing to do so will attract criticism and be handled accordingly.

” There’s a lot to work on and we’ll work on it, but one thing they showed tonight was character. “

What did you think of the Rangers’ performance under Ferguson?