Connor Barron and Barry Ferguson preview Rangers - Fenerbahce leading 3-1
12/03/2025
Ibrox, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
12/03/2025
Ibrox, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Afternoon everyone, can I just ask anyone who is asking questions,
00:08please have a microphone and if I can ask you to please speak slowly and
00:12clearly for the translator to pick it up.
00:15Okay, so we'll just get ready.
00:18Gav, do you want to start us off?
00:20Conor, how excited are the boys, the whole squad about tomorrow night's game and
00:24the opportunity to get to the quarterfinals?
00:26Yeah, all the boys are buzzing.
00:27It was obviously a great result over in Turkey last week.
00:31We've obviously got a massive tie tomorrow and we know it's not done so
00:34everyone's fully focused on making sure the job's done on tomorrow night.
00:38What did you make of the manager's decision with the formation last week?
00:41How do you feel it suited yourself and the whole team?
00:44Yeah, I thought it obviously worked. I thought we implemented our game
00:49very well and we've obviously came away with a positive result.
00:53It worked to a T and all the boys dug in deep. It was a real team
00:56performance.
00:57Is it something you could see happening a lot more before the end of the season?
01:01I'm not sure. It's obviously not my decision. Whatever the formation is,
01:05whatever jobs we get told to do, we go out and we do our job and
01:09it's important that everyone knows the game plan and everyone's on the same
01:12page, which we were on Thursday night and
01:14yeah, we've just got to continue that.
01:16Just on your own personal performance, you obviously played
01:19all the game last week. Coming back from an injury, how are you feeling? You're back
01:22to full fitness and how excited are you about the prospect
01:26of these final few months of the season?
01:28Yeah, it was obviously a tough time being out injured, but
01:32for me, I tried to look at the positives and what I can improve as a player.
01:35I went away and done that in different aspects of my game, which I could try
01:38and improve and obviously, yeah, I look forward to
01:42the next few months, the last few months of the season and hopefully I can do all
01:45I can to keep myself on the team and keep
01:47improving as a player.
01:48Fraser?
01:50Connor, it was almost the perfect team performance in Istanbul last week. Do you
01:54feel it's going to take at least the same, if not better, tomorrow night to
01:58guarantee progress?
01:59Yeah, definitely. As I say, it was a good performance, but
02:02the game's done now and we're on to the second leg now and
02:05we know it's not done, as I've said. So yeah, we need to be better than what we
02:09were over there and we expect Fenerbahce to come over
02:12and they're a top, top side, so we respect them and
02:15we've got to make sure that we're on the ball tomorrow.
02:17Matt, I think the manager himself said there's been problems at Ibrox of late.
02:21I mean, does that play into, does that create a nervousness ahead of the game
02:24or are you ready to meet this head-on out there?
02:26Yeah, you've got to go and meet every game head-on. You're at a big club,
02:30these are big matches, every game's a big match, so you've got to go out and
02:34apply yourself properly and make sure that you do all you can to get through
02:37the tie.
02:38The previous three results here, the three
02:40defeats, that doesn't play in the mind at all?
02:42No, not at all. You go out there tomorrow with confidence and
02:46you look to get through to the next round. That's all that our team's
02:49focused on. Every single one of us are focused on
02:52getting through to the next round and that's the only thing that we need to
02:54care about.
02:56Just more on your own position there, you were up against
02:59Adich and Amrabat last week. Do you now feel that you belong in this kind of company?
03:04Yeah, it was great, obviously. Every game in Europe you're always playing
03:07against top, top quality players and it's nice to challenge yourself
03:11in games like that. Just go out and play football,
03:15that's what you've got to do and you've got to go and win matches and that's all
03:18that is in my head, to be honest. It's not who I'm playing against, it's
03:22what I can do to help the team and what we need to do every game is win
03:25matches and that's the important thing for me.
03:28Conor, what difference has Barry made since coming in, in your mind?
03:33Yeah, he's been great. I said last week after the game we've done a few
03:37individual sessions after training and he's kind of taken me under his wing
03:42and taught me different things in my game that I can improve on, which has
03:45been great. He's obviously been a top, top
03:48player himself and it's great to learn
03:51off him and pick up every little bit of advice he's got for me and try and
03:56help improve myself. And as a coach, how is he a motivator
04:00and a kind of figure behind the scenes for you personally but also for the
04:03team, for the squad? Yeah, him and all the staff have been
04:06great and they've been writing about the boys and
04:08it's been really clear messages we've had going into the games
04:12and yeah, no, they've been brilliant. I can't speak highly enough of what
04:15they've done since they've come in. They've been great and
04:18it's just about us continuing that now. Maybe a wee vote of confidence in
04:21yourself as well because you've not started that many matches this calendar
04:24year but it looks like you might do from now on in? Yeah, you've
04:27got to play well, you've got to keep yourself in the team, that's down
04:30to me, that's down to nobody else. Obviously it was great that I was
04:33in last Thursday after being injured, it was a positive
04:36but as I say, it's down to me to keep myself in the team and it's nobody else.
04:40Ronnie? Conor, just considering what this squad has gone through this season and
04:45the sort of knocks you've taken, the
04:48obstacles that have faced you, how big an achievement do you think it would be
04:52to make it through to the next round of this competition? It would be a massive
04:56achievement of course. We want to go as far as we can in the
04:59competition. As you say, there's been a couple of
05:02knocks and bumps on the road but it's about how you overcome them and
05:06how you look in the future now and we've got to take every game as it comes and
05:10make sure that we win every game we play in.
05:14Guys, any other questions for the side? Conor, I think a lot of folk are saying
05:18this is a good addition for Barry for the top job but do the players also feel
05:22like these big games are a chance to prove
05:24themselves and they have a future here? Yeah definitely, every game's a big
05:29game for this club like I've said. No matter the occasion or anything
05:33you've got to go and apply yourself and make sure that
05:36you're putting in a good performance to first of all help the team and
05:39of course these games you're going out to prove yourself as well of
05:43course. Every time you step on the pitch
05:45you've got to have that in your head but as I say, tomorrow we've got a job to do
05:49and we'll be ready for that. Okay, thanks very much everyone.
06:13Okay guys, just saying again, just remember to wait for the microphone please.
06:33Okay and when we're ready we will start with Luke.
06:39Barry, after such a good result in the first leg, how do you approach this one?
06:43Is it a case of stick or twist? How do you find that
06:45balance in what you do? Well I don't want to give too much away
06:49but listen it was a really good performance. I still think
06:52there's areas where we can improve and that's what we've tried to do
06:57over the last three days. We're under no illusions that it's
07:00going to be a different game. Fernabachi will be hurting, I know that
07:04and my players know that. They're well aware of that as well so we spoke about
07:08that over the last couple of days so we've prepared in the right manner
07:12and there might be one or two tweaks. We'll just need to wait and see but
07:17look it's been a good three days.
07:21That's the first time I've really had the players to go and work on certain
07:24things that I think they can improve on and they've worked ever so hard so
07:27that's all I can ask as a manager. Your team showed that they have a
07:31flexibility and they're able to be flexible in games like this.
07:34Is that going to be important tomorrow night?
07:37Yeah I believe if any game, whether it's in Europe or
07:40domestically, I think you have to have a flexibility and that's something that I
07:44don't think this team's had. So that's
07:48some things we've had to go through, we've worked on and within a game
07:52if things aren't going according to plan that we can go and change that.
07:55So that's certainly something that I've got to give the boys credit for.
07:58They've took things on board that I've wanted them to take on
08:02and we'll approach a game in a manner that we need to go and try and win.
08:06Recently at home it's not been great in terms of results.
08:10How do you make sure you change that and you come in with a mindset to use
08:13this as a fortress? Well we've got to have a different
08:16mindset. That's been a big issue. They know that.
08:20I'm not going to sit here and I think you all know that as well.
08:23It has been an issue at times throughout the season
08:26and that's something that I'm tasked with trying to change and I'm working
08:30ever so hard to do it and so are the boys as well. So they're
08:33taking everything that we're giving them on board and what I've seen in
08:38the last three days, it's certainly going well.
08:42You obviously played at a time when
08:45Ibrox was such an energising force for your team
08:48in the weight of 2008 and so again in 2022.
08:52I know results the last three games at home haven't been great
08:54but do you believe that this is still a place that can raise this team to new
08:58levels rather than drag it down? Listen, see if you get this place
09:01rocking. It's a proper place to play football
09:05and that's my... I've told the guys that and they know that. They know how good
09:09they've played and some of the guys that are in the squad have played in
09:11European nights here. When you go out with a certain attitude
09:15to play the game, there's no better place to play football.
09:19So we'll go on and we'll embrace the challenge tomorrow night because as I
09:22said it's going to be a different game in my opinion but we
09:26need to stand tall and we need to go head to head with
09:29Fernabaci because they'll come and they'll go for us.
09:32So we need to be strong in the mind but I certainly believe
09:35that my group of players
09:39over the last three days certainly know what's going to come at them so we're
09:42prepared for it. How's Robin Proper after a concussion last
09:45week? Yeah, he's done a couple of training
09:49sessions. He's not been with the team. He was with the team today and there's
09:54been another one or two slight issues. Ideally I would love to
09:58have everybody available but that's just
10:01the way it goes sometimes. So I'll just need to wait again
10:04tomorrow morning. I'll see how they wake up
10:08and hopefully I'll have a full squad to pick from.
10:12Who are the players that are doubtful? Larry, can you tell us?
10:16Do you think I'm going to tell you? There's two or three.
10:20That's all I'll say. I'm hopeful that they've come through the session today
10:25okay. It's just something you've got to deal with as a manager.
10:29As I say, in an ideal world everybody would be fit and available 100%
10:34but that's never the case. That's why you carry a squad.
10:37That's why it's important that the guys that have not been involved, certainly
10:42last Thursday, that they need to make sure they take information on.
10:45But as I said, I just need to wait until tomorrow and hopefully I get good
10:49news rather than bad news. What have you seen in the guys? What have
10:53you learned about them in this past wee while? Now you've had a chance to
10:56maybe do more on the on the training field.
10:58What is it that you've kind of identified as maybe been missing up till
11:01now? They're a very good
11:05group of players. That's one thing I will say.
11:08They're hard workers. They've took information in
11:12that we've given them. Not just me as a manager but my staff also.
11:17I went through difficult periods and I was trying to explain myself and
11:21the staff. We've been through the same thing so
11:23we can relate to that and it's important.
11:27But look, there's no getting away from it. In Europe it's been really good at
11:30home but domestically it's not been what
11:33we're wanting. So that's our job to change it and the
11:37guys understand what it takes to play here.
11:40Just the very first question,
11:43when not just European nights but domestically, if you've got this place,
11:46if you've got a team that are playing good football with loads of energy and
11:50passion, this crowd will be right behind you.
11:53Given your form in Europe across the season and the fact your two goals up
11:57in this tie, are you comfortable? Are you happy
12:00with the favourites tie? Because a lot of people will be thinking
12:03Rangers should go through here. I would rather have another couple of goals,
12:07if I'm being honest with you. But it is what it is.
12:11But that's the pressure. You've got to handle pressure
12:15when you're at Rangers and that's something that probably the squad will
12:18admit they've not handled too well at times.
12:20But other times they have handled the pressure really well.
12:24We're not thinking about we're favourites or they're favourites. We've got a game
12:27that we have to go and take head-on because what an
12:31opportunity we've got to go into the last eight.
12:34But also we've got to be respectful. We're coming up against a very good team.
12:38I said that last week. We've got players that can really hurt you
12:42and we all know about the manager. In my opinion he's been one of the best ever.
12:47So we're prepared for all different scenarios
12:50and we're just ready and raring to go.
12:52Barry, you say you're prepared for all different scenarios. You expect the game
12:55to differ from last Thursday. What do you expect Fenerbahce to do
12:58differently? Do you think they might come out more? Obviously they're two goals down.
13:01Do you expect them to try and play on the front foot and then
13:05could that benefit you if they leave space in behind?
13:08Yes, but listen, I expect them to come for us because they're
13:11three-one down. There's no doubt about that. So we're prepared for that
13:14and they've got guys, as I said, that can hurt you for the wide areas.
13:17They like to get balls into the box. So my back two or my back three or back
13:23five, whatever it's going to be, need to be
13:25prepared for that and ready for that. So look, we've covered all sorts of
13:30scenarios as you have to do when you're playing against
13:33very good teams. And just in terms of the atmosphere tomorrow night, you say
13:37on nights like these there can be no better place to play football. Do you
13:40think a win putting you through to the
13:42quarter-finals of the competition can almost
13:44reignite the rest of the season, Barry? It can be a massive final two months of
13:48the campaign for Rangers? Yes, well in terms of playing here,
13:53I know what it's like in European nights and as a football player
13:59you've got to want to play in front of this
14:02crowd. I've been here this season when it's been
14:06Lyon, when it's been the other games, Tottenham game, should I say. I've been
14:13to previous ones and the place is electric and we need to
14:17light that fire in the stands. That's what we need to start doing
14:21and the guys are well aware of that. But as a footballer, as a manager,
14:27I can't wait. You've got to be excited about this. You've got to
14:31embrace the challenge that's in front of us and my group of players are ready for
14:35that. You mentioned, Barry, about that mindset
14:40shift towards playing at Ibrox. In the short
14:43time you've been here, have you seen that change already even in the
14:46short time that you've been with the players? No, because the model game wasn't
14:50good enough. Plain and simple, the first 45 minutes
14:55were nowhere near what I expect from a team of mine and they were
15:00made well aware of that after the game.
15:03The pressure was really on us last Thursday when we went away to Fernabaci
15:07in an intimidating atmosphere. But I say to the players,
15:11if you want to play at this place, at a club like us,
15:14you need to take these challenges on and I thought they took the challenge on
15:17really well. I know we got a lot of plaudits but
15:20I've still seen some things within our system and the way
15:25that we played that we can certainly improve on and that's what we've tried
15:27to do the last three days. So yeah, look, the guys, as I
15:32said, the guys have been great. They've really
15:35took everything on that I want them to do. I know they're
15:39good football players but there's more to being a good footballer than you play
15:42the Rangers. And what you're trying to do and change
15:45the mindset and get these players back on track
15:47to make it through to the next round, put out a team like Fernabaci,
15:51how big an achievement would this be and how big of a lift would it give,
15:55not just the players, the whole club? Yeah, it's important. It's not about me, it's
16:00about the whole club. To get into the last eight, I think, would
16:04be a fantastic achievement but we've still got 90 minutes to play
16:08against a very good team. As I said, it's easy to get carried away
16:12when you have a performance like we did last Thursday
16:14but there's absolutely no chance I was allowing that to happen.
16:17They had a couple of days to go away, spend a bit of time with their family,
16:21a bit of rest which was well earned but they knew coming back in
16:26there's a job half done and may need to complete that job on Thursday.
16:31Barry, it looked last week like there was a lot of
16:34mutual respect between yourself and Mourinho on the touchline and
16:38how you both spoke about each other. Did you get a chance to speak to him at all
16:41after the game? And also, is his presence in there dug
16:46out a real factor in your thinking about this game tomorrow in terms of the
16:48respect for the job not being done yet?
16:51First and foremost, I've got huge respect.
16:54I said last week I think it's 26 trophies he's won at a number of
16:57different countries and he's managed at the highest level
17:01and it is a real challenge for me but listen, I'm not scared of a challenge.
17:05Standing on the touchline, it was an honour for me
17:10but look, as I said, he's got a real good team, he's a top class
17:16manager. He would have been hurting. I know that
17:20for a fact and you'll see a different Fernabacci
17:23here tomorrow night, there's no doubt about that.
17:25And as I said, we have worked the last three days on
17:30different scenarios that I think will happen within the game and
17:33we just need to wait and see what happens come eight o'clock but
17:37I've got every faith in my group of players.
17:42Barry, obviously your regard for Jose Mourinho is obvious but are you
17:46prepared maybe for some of the more streetwise
17:48elements that might come tomorrow, maybe some of the darker arts?
17:52Yeah and I think we need to be better at those things as well.
17:56I've mentioned that to my players, sometimes we're too nice.
18:01We can't be nice all the time and I expect
18:05Fernabacci to be a bit like that tomorrow night
18:09but I expect us to be a bit like that as well.
18:12Last one, Andy.
18:13Barry, there's been a lot of chat this week after last week's result
18:17getting the better of Jose Mourinho. A lot of people say maybe if you can get a
18:20result tomorrow night, if you can get a result on Sunday, that perhaps your name
18:24might come into the thinking for the job permanently. Do you believe that you have
18:28got the skill set to take this job on a longer basis?
18:32If I'm being honest, Andy, I'm not even thinking about it. I've been brought in
18:36here for three months and that's my full focus this three months.
18:40Got off to a good start, really good start at Kilmarnock apart from the first
18:4320 minutes. Motherwell, nowhere near
18:48good enough. Last week, very good but I think it can be better.
18:53I need to continue that but I'm not thinking ahead
18:57in which I've seen loads of people talking about things. I have no interest.
19:01I've got a job to do here and that's to make sure that
19:04I get a Rangers team winning on a more consistent basis.
19:08That's my thought process.
19:13Just a very quick last one first, Alan.
19:17Barry, Jose Mourinho warned Rangers against over-celebrating
19:20last week. Was there ever any danger of that happening and did you have to
19:24impress upon the players that it is still 0-0 in the tie?
19:28I stress to my players, if you win a game, enjoy it.
19:32There's fans that pay a fortune to come and watch us. Go over,
19:37appreciate how far they have travelled, how much they have paid.
19:41Get in the dressing room, we put a bit of music on. Once we get on the bus and
19:45back to the hotel, the focus was on next Thursday. It was clear.
19:50That was the clear message from me but I think you've got to allow yourself
19:55to go and be happy with the performance and the result.
19:58As I said, I'd be an absolute idiot if I thought the game was
20:02over and done with. There's no way I was thinking that. That was mentioned
20:06straight after the game. We'll go back, we'll go away a couple of
20:09days, get a bit of well-earned rest and then
20:13we'll come in fully focused on what's going to be a tough, tough game for us.
20:17Thanks everyone.