By Robert McElroy
Barry Ferguson takes charge of his first European tie in Istanbul on Thursday evening and for once there may be the prospect of come positive news on the injury front.
“John Souttar and Leon Balogun both trained today and it’s just a question of seeing how they react. We won’t know that until the morning of the game.”
The Interim Manager is in no doubt as to the quality of the opposition.
“We’re up against a first-class team with many quality players. They’re certainly potential winners of the competition. If we take our eyes off the ball they can hurt us. They’ve got a first-class manager as well and I’m really looking forward to coming up against him. We will need to be at our best to get a result but we’re ready to go.”
Barry was full of praise for young Turkish full-back Ridvan Yilmaz.
“I’ve always liked Ridvan – he’s got a first-class attitude. He’s a good player but the issue he’s had this season has been mostly about injuries. Now he’s back and fit. He’s one player I can rely on – he doesn’t moan when asked to play out of position.”
He agreed that Rangers’ European performances have been much beyyer than some of the domestic outings.
“I’ve been at all the games this season – home and away. Some of the club’s best performances this season have been in the Europa League – there’s no doubt about that. We’ve proved at the highest level that we can compete.”
The work on the training ground is an important part of his job.
“Things don’t happen overnight. It’s settling down a bit now.”
