Barry Ferguson’s post-match reaction to a chaotic comeback draw at Aberdeen typified the interim manager’s wild Rangers reign.
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Barry Ferguson’s post-match reaction to a chaotic comeback draw at Aberdeen typified the interim manager’s wild Rangers reign. The former captain hailed his team’s character but stressed how his players are making life hard for themselves. Things were looking ominous for Ferguson’s much-changed side at Pittodrie as they went in at the break two goals and a man down. When Pape Gueye’s close-range finish followed up Leighton Clarkson’s stunning free-kick opener, Rangers had fallen 2-0 behind for the seventh time in 10 games. Yet, with Ross McCausland dismissed for a second yellow-card offence, Ferguson’s men still managed to delay Celtic’s inevitable title celebrations. “After going down to 10 men and 2-0 down, you’ve got to be pretty happy with coming back into the game and getting a point,” the Rangers caretaker boss told BBC Scotland. “[Character] is one thing I’ve tried to drill into them. They’ll dig deep for me. They never give in. They kept going until the end. But we don’t help ourselves.”
Across their past 10 matches, the only games Rangers have not gone two goals down in are the wins at Fenerbahce and Celtic, plus Thursday’s goalless draw with Athletic Bilbao. That fact in itself tells you all you need to know about the Ibrox side’s strange, strange season. St Mirren, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Dundee, Hibernian and Aberdeen, as well as Fenerbahce at home, have all put Rangers 2-0 behind during that run. Six of those games have been under the management of Ferguson, with three resulting in defeats.
Seven of the 13 points Rangers have recovered from losing positions have come in the former captain’s short tenure, which highlights the character he has instilled. But the fact his side are consistently giving themselves a mountain to climb is a fundamental reason why they have won just three of Ferguson’s six league games. And they have now been reduced to 10 men in the first half of successive games, following their home stalemate with Bilbao with a comeback draw at Pittodrie. “They showed a bit of character, a bit of desire,” Ferguson added. “But we don’t help ourselves and that is the issue I have just now. “We’ve got to play better, but we’ve got to try and keep 11 men on the pitch. That’s becoming a recurring theme. “I know I made a lot of changes, but that is on my shoulders. I made the decision on Saturday [to make nine changes]. “Did it help? I thought it would give people the opportunity to go and give me [selection] problems.” With the second leg of the Europa League quarter-final away to Bilbao looming on Thursday, Ferguson has fitness doubts over “three or four key players” and is hoping for “good news from the medical staff”. Thelin’s second-half changes questioned Ferguson’s counterpart also left Pittodrie with frustration. The 2-2 draw would have felt like a defeat for Dons boss Jimmy Thelin. It could be a result they look back on with regret at the end of the season, given the fight for third spot with Hibs and Dundee United could easily go to the wire. Thelin hailed his team’s first-half display but lamented the approach his players took after the interval. Although Kevin Nisbet netted a third goal that was ultimately ruled out by the video assistant referee for handball, the Aberdeen manager felt his side were not positive enough. “We played more sideways and backwards,” he told BBC Scotland. “It’s a learning point for us as a team. Be more eager to make it 3-1 than defend 2-1.” Did Thelin’s second-half substitutions play a part in that? Shayden Morris and Topi Keskinen were constant threats out wide, but the Dons’ attacking drive seemed to dip when the pair were removed around the hour mark. Graeme Shinnie, who started at left-back again, was also tormenting Rangers going forward, but that spark from the left faded when the captain was moved into central midfield. Former Aberdeen captain Willie Miller said on BBC Sportsound: “I was looking after the substitutions and thinking, what is the shape? Thelin likes two wide players, but that went when he made the changes.” “Aberdeen were in complete control of the match,” ex-Rangers striker Steven Thompson added. “To throw away two points is very poor. For a side with an extra man, they didn’t have the quality. “A lot of their best play was coming from Morris, Keskinen and Shinnie – I don’t understand why Thelin made the changes he did.”
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