Barry Ferguson faces ‘Monumental’ Rangers call v Fenerbahce as team news emerges
Barry Ferguson is quickly preparing his Rangers team for a huge trip to Fenerbahce in Europa League action on Thursday.
Ferguson was appointed as interim Rangers manager until the end of the season after Philippe Clement was eventually sacked at Ibrox.
With the Europa League seen by many as the final chance of silverware, the Bears must shake off yet another embarrassing loss to Motherwell last time out, as they head to Turkiye.
Michael Stewart highlights Ferguson decision at Rangers
Ferguson has only overseen two games since coming in as interim boss at Ibrox, first beating Kilmarnock 4-2 before losing 2-1 against Motherwell on Saturday (1 March).
However, there is increased pressure on the Europa League this term with the Gers having been beaten in the League Cup, knocked out of the Scottish Cup, and out of the title race already.
If the Light Blues are going to achieve anything this season, it has to be in Europe.
| Scottish Premiership | 2nd (16 points behind Celtic) |
| Scottish League Cup | Lost the final on penalties to Celtic |
| Scottish Cup | Knocked out in the fifth round, beaten by Queen’s Park |
| Europa League | Round of 16 v Fenerbahce (ongoing) |
With that in mind, Ferguson has a tough week ahead of him with the away leg being played on Thursday (6 March) before facing up again at Ibrox on 13 March.
Speaking on the Premier Sports Podcast (3 March), Michael Stewart said: “Barry Ferguson has got monumental decisions to make with this defence in particular.
“By the way, he needs a bit of luck here because if he picks some of these guys who aren’t 100 per cent fit, he needs a bit of luck to get through the game.”
Rangers face tough Europa League test
It’s understandable why the Rangers hierarchy wanted to bring someone into the club who knew the environment and where the standards should be.
However, Ferguson’s appointment has also come under criticism due to his lack of relevant experience in a season where the Light Blues need to show the best version of themselves to try and win something.
Too often this term, the Gers have shown a lack of organisation particularly in front of their own goal and they cannot afford to make these same mistakes against Fenerbahce on Thursday.
Furthermore, although John Souttar is expected to be available for selection, rushing him back too soon to play a full 90 minutes could be just as detrimental to Rangers.
It’s fair to say the boss hasn’t got the easiest of circumstances to deal with heading into the game and it will take a big performance from his side to see themselves through to the home tie in a comfortable position.
However, with the general feeling being that the Gers will need some luck to get a result from this game, Ferguson’s men could well use this to their advantage with some of the pressure lifted from their shoulders.