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00:00Moving on to Rangers then, a weekend off for them this weekend. Barry Ferguson's side have a full week of preparation ahead of the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie against Fenerbahce.
00:13The lead going into the second leg with a 3-1 advantage, a two-goal cushion after that sensational victory in Istanbul on Thursday night.
00:22Certainly a result that not many, even the die-hard Rangers fan probably expected given their recent woes domestically. But there's just something about Rangers on a Thursday night, isn't there Martin?
00:37Yeah, it's uncanny, isn't it? Like you say, no one saw it coming. I think when Rangers saw the tie they definitely would have felt they had a good opportunity to get through.
00:46But to take a two-goal advantage away from home after the first leg, that's just absolutely brilliant and well-deserved. Rangers were by far the better team on the evening.
00:57You can say Barry Ferguson's outcoached one of the greatest managers of all time, but that was how it looked on the park.
01:05So yeah, I think, like you say, there's just something about Rangers on Thursday nights.
01:11If they can comfortably, they'll just want a nice quiet evening at Ibrox this week, I think. Get this tie put to bed.
01:20You would expect Fenerbahce are going to have to go quite hard from kick-off in that game, so they'll have to weather that storm.
01:30But that will present them a good opportunity on the break, which I think they'll really be able to exploit.
01:35The team selection will be quite interesting, I think, in terms of how much pace he wants to fit into that side.
01:43I would personally be starting Desserts after his performance last Thursday.
01:48But, you know, whoever maybe kind of opts for something slightly a bit different, I don't know.
01:54But overall, I think, yeah. And listen, you look at the other teams that are left in the competition,
01:59obviously there are big name clubs in there and Rangers are going to be second favourites against most of the remaining teams in the competition.
02:10But there's no one that's really striking fear into your heart when you look at it,
02:15especially after the results in the first leg where the likes of Tottenham were beaten and Ajax were beaten.
02:23I think Roma and Lazio present significant challenges. Lyon, obviously, are a terrific team.
02:30I haven't looked, but I would imagine they're probably favourites for the competition.
02:36I say that not knowing anything about their league form in France, because I haven't been keeping up with that,
02:40but I see the players they have in that squad and that it's real quality.
02:44But like I say, no one that's really going to strike any fear into the heart of Rangers fans.
02:49And that's the key thing. A real shock, again, at making a decent run deep into this competition.
02:57Yeah, it just kind of sums up how bizarre their season has been, hasn't it?
03:00They're so far off the pace domestically, but they have a potential place in the Europa League quarterfinals.
03:06As you say, I mean, Jose Mourinho, technically one of the best managers in the world and can mastermind.
03:12He's obviously urged Cam among the Rangers players not to celebrate too soon.
03:19Are you quite confident, then, Martin, that the Rangers will get the job done?
03:24And what impressions have you had from Barry Ferguson so far since he's kind of taken up the interim post?
03:30Obviously, defeat against Motherwell, but bounce back with a terrific result on his coaching debut in Europe.
03:41Obviously, it's fantastic for him, but as Rangers coach, you can't get by on just a European record.
03:47If he's going to have any shot of getting this job on a full-time basis, realistically, no one thinks he does.
03:56But as I said a couple of weeks ago on this show, when an interim coach brings success,
04:02he leaves the powers that be no choice but to give him the job if he wants it.
04:07And we've seen that happen at some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
04:10And we've seen it happen in Scottish football plenty of times as well.
04:13Barry Robson, Stephen Naismith were all guys for whom he took advantage of this.
04:18Listen, at clubs like Aberdeen and Hearts, which isn't the same as coaching Rangers,
04:22there's much more demand in coaching Rangers, and it never really seems to work out.
04:27But, yeah, if he gets even to the semifinals, then he's definitely in the mix for this job on a full-time basis if he wants it.
04:37But I think you could get as far as the final. If you fall just shy of it, if you get as far as the final,
04:44but Celtic win the league, win the remaining derbies and win the league by a really, say, a 20-point margin if it finished in the end,
04:53then no, I don't think he would be in the conversation at all.
04:57Regardless, like I say, unless he actually won the Europa League, even getting to the final,
05:03if Celtic extend the gap from where it is now, then I don't see him being a contender.