The Ibrox club won 4-2 despite going 2-0 down after just 15 minutesFerguson wins first game in interim charge after Clement was axedLight Blues remain a distant 13 points behind Old Firm rivals Celtic
Barry Ferguson last night praised the resilience of his Rangers players after they fought back from two goals down to claim a dramatic victory away at Kilmarnock.
Picking up the pieces after Philippe Clement was sacked last weekend, Ferguson’s first match as interim manager got off to a nightmare start at Rugby Park.
Goals from Joe Wright and Brad Lyons saw Killie surge into a commanding 2-0 lead after just 15 minutes, with Rangers looking totally shellshocked.
Clearly unimpressed by what he was watching, Ferguson hooked young centre-back Clinton Nsiala after half an hour as Rangers began the fightback.
Vaclav Cerny started the recovery mission when he scored on 35 minutes, with Cyriel Dessers then scoring twice in 10 minutes early in the second half to put Rangers 3-2 up.
Nedim Bajrami added a late fourth to ensure that Ferguson made a winning start on a chaotic and thrilling night at Rugby Park.
Barry Ferguson celebrates Rangers’ equaliser and demanded his side to kick on
Cyriel Dessers scored a double as Rangers fought back from 2-0 down to win 4-2
Dessers produced a clever volleyed finish to put Rangers 3-2 in front at Rugby Park
Asked what was going through his head after 15 minutes, Ferguson said: ‘All sorts. It wasn’t the start I expected or what I demanded, but one thing I have to give my players is credit.
‘It’s easy to fold – and that’s been aimed at them this season. I spoke about character and desire – and that’s one thing they showed me. I have to praise them.
‘There are a lot of things to work on but when you come here it’s tough. Kilmarnock have a good manager, they are a real physical outfit with some really good players.
‘For us to come back from 2-0 down, and with what’s been aimed at these players for a number of months, I’m delighted for them.
‘But it’s only one game. The journey starts now. We go back and re-focus and it needs to be the same level of performance in the second half.
‘I thought some of the football at times was really good. They showed desire and that’s what my teams are going to be about between now and the end of the season.
‘We need to show it every game. That’s the demands I’m putting on the players. They looked nervy [at 2-0] but they showed real desire.
‘We’ve not had much time together on the training pitch, basically just one session. That’s not an excuse. But we controlled the second half.’
Nsiala was subbed after half an hour, with the 21-year-old French centre-back paying the price for an error-strewn performance.
But, given how the more experienced Robin Propper also struggled alongside him, Ferguson admitted he could have hooked any of his players.
‘I’ve got to make decisions,’ explained the 47-year-old. ‘He’s a young player with huge potential but it could have been a number of players.
Joe Wright (centre) found the net for Kilmarnock but the hosts could not maintain their fast start
‘I’ve been brought for a job and I have to make tough decisions. I’m not scared to make them.
‘It worked but Clinton, we’re going to work with him and make him better and he’ll learn from it. He has a bright future ahead of him.’
Meanwhile, Killie boss Derek McInnes was left to bemoan a dreadful collapse which sees his team still struggling down in the bottom half of the table.
‘The two goals we scored we could have probably added to,’ he said. ‘The response from Rangers was good and half-time came at a good time for them.
‘Their goal, we played a part in that. There was an opportunity to make them play a different pass and they were good enough to punish us.
‘We became a bit excitable in the game. I loved the personality of the team.. I don’t thing we reacted well at 2-2. Rangers sniffed blood.
‘We have to learn from that but we gave it a go. Some bad decisions and defending allowed us to come away with nothing.’
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Interim boss Ferguson hails resilient Rangers for battling back after horror start at Rugby Park
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Author : rugby-247
Publish date : 2025-02-27 03:36:05
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