SNS GroupIt’s almost impossible to believe that it’s only been five weeks since Rangers finished their League Phase campaign with a win over Union Saint-Gilloise to reach the Europa League last 16.
Goals from Nico Raskin and Vaclav Cerny earned Rangers three points, and results elsewhere meant Rangers skipped the play-off round and moved forward as one of the best in the competition. It was further evidence that, despite domestic difficulties, Philippe Clement’s side were cut out for continental football.
Fast forward little over a month and Clement has left Glasgow after those domestic difficulties turned into a pair of dismal home defeats that spelled the end for his reign.
A US consortium has reached an agreement in principle to buy a controlling stake in Rangers, fueling hopes among fans of investment that can take the team to the very top level.
On top of that, an interim management team led by the former Rangers captain has taken charge until the end of the season. The upcoming knockout tie against an in-form Fenerbahce team managed by self-styled “Special One” Jose Mourinho had almost gone under the radar against more eye-catching news.
Now, the first leg is just hours away and Ferguson will face a huge test early on as Rangers boss. The former midfielder was once at the heart of a run to the final of this competition in its UEFA Cup days, and he will be dreaming of another glorious journey that gives Rangers fans something to enjoy in a season that has no other potential for real glory.
To do that, Ferguson will have to combine the balance and discipline that marked the best European performance under Clement with the confidence and desire he felt was missing in recent domestic defeats.
The Ibrox favourite’s potential to get the best out of the players by communicating the expectations of the club and support was something Mourinho touched on in his pre-match media conference.
SNS Group“I don’t know much about his career as a coach, but I respect a lot the connection, the emotional connection between him as a coach and his club now,” the Portuguese said.
“I think that is a very important thing in a football club, the connection between the fans and the coach.
“You can tell me that he doesn’t have much experience in European football as a coach.
“You can tell me all the negative things that you could find. I prefer to go on the positive side. I think it’s going to be much more difficult with him as a coach than with the previous coach.”
In typical Mourinho style, the answer was partly a dig at Clement, part-praise and also raising the interim boss’ lack of European experience.
Ferguson’s prior management experience at Clyde, Kelty Hearts and Alloa didn’t take him above League 1 level, though he did have a spell as caretaker boss of Blackpool in the Championship.
With just two Rangers games under his belt, he now pits his wits against a manager coming up on a quarter-century as a top-flight boss and who has over 1,100 games to his name, eight league titles spread across different countries, Champions League wins from two different clubs and a full set of Champions League, Europa League and Conference League medals in his collection.
That impressive career has led to Mourinho being tasked with taking Fenerbahce to heights they haven’t reached in a long time and his time in Turkey so far has been in line with much of his career.
Fenerbahce sit just behind rivals Galatasaray at the top end of the Super Lig, and boast the joint-best defensive record in the division. There’s been progress in Europe, though a mixed League Phase meant having to see off Anderlecht in the play-off, and plenty of controversy, not least recent allegations of racism aimed at the manager after he’s waged war on referees.
On the pitch, things have been going pretty smoothly recently. Fenerbahce haven’t lost since mid-December, drew away to Galatasaray only a fortnight ago and have won their two most recent games with ease, scoring seven goals in the process.
The attack has the experience and craft of Dusan Tadic and Edin Dzeko, with record signing Youssef En-Nesyri having already found the net 26 times this season. Caglar Soyuncu was added to the defence last year, while Sebastian Symanski, Filip Kostic and Alain Saint-Maximin are among the other eye-catching names in the squad.
Ferguson knows his side travel to Turkey as underdogs, at least with bookmakers and especially after Saturday’s home defeat to Motherwell.
Speaking on Saturday, he said it was “clear they will suffer a heavy defeat” in Istanbul if there isn’t an improvement but as he tries to lift spirits, he’ll no doubt point to how Rangers have coped with tough European opposition already this season.
To raise confidence he might highlight the team’s draw with Spurs, a strong performance against Manchester United and wins over Nice and Malmo on the road this season. The manager can also take heart from the goal threat his side can pose, where eight players have shared 16 goals in the competition so far.
Ferguson is also boosted by the fact that Ianis Hagi and Danilo are available for Europa League games for the first time this season after being left out of the initial squad. Of even bigger importance is the return of John Souttar and Leon Balogun to training, after a makeshift defence has struggled recently.
With the return leg to be played at Ibrox in a week’s time, the main objective will be to leave Istanbul with a scoreline that keeps the chance of progress alive.
After a difficult time for the team since their last European outing, Ferguson will be aiming to deliver a memorable result on his European debut as boss.
Outwitting Mourinho would see the Rangers fans take to him as a “Special One” in the dugout, having already established his place in their affections as a player.
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