Barry Ferguson insists he has qualms about making tough decisions at Rangers after he substituted dismal defender Clinton Nsiala at 2-0 down before they came back to win 4-2 at Rugby Park.
It was a nightmare start for the former Gers captain in his first game as interim boss as defender Joe Wright and skipper Brad Lyons had Derek McInnes’s men two ahead in 14 minutes before the 21-year-old Nsiala, signed from AC Milan last summer, was replaced by Ridvan Yilmaz on the half-hour mark in a bid to stop the rot.
Vaclav Cerny pulled a goal back in the 35th minute before a Cyriel Dessers brace after the break and a late strike by substitute Nedim Bajrami got Ferguson off to winning start.
He said: “Clinton’s a young player, he’s got huge potential, but it could have been a number of players.
“But I’ve been brought here to do a job, I have to make some tough decisions at times.
“I’m not scared to make tough decisions, but it worked.
“But listen, Clinton, we’re going to work with him, we’re going to make him better, and he’ll learn from it.
“So it’s nothing against the young man, as I said, I think he’s got a bright, bright future in front of him. ”
Ferguson, who took over from sacked Philippe Clement on Monday, admits “all sorts” were going through his head after 15 minutes but claimed his side showed character and desire to rescue the game which left them 13 points behind William Hill Premiership leaders Celtic.
He said: “It wasn’t the start that I expected, what I demanded. But one thing I’ve got to give my players is credit, because it’s easy to fold.
“That’s been aimed at them all season. I spoke about character, about desire, and that’s one thing that they certainly showed me. I’ve got to give them praise for that.
“There’s a lot of things to work on, but when you come to a place like Kilmarnock, it’s never easy, it’s tough.
“So for us to come back from 2-0 down, and what’s obviously been aimed at this group of players now for a number of months, I’m delighted for them but it’s only one game.
“We go back, we refocus, and it needs to be the same sort of performance, level of performance that we certainly showed in the second half.
“Some of the football we played at times was really good, but they showed a real desire, and that’s what my team is going to be all about from now until the end of the season.”
McInnes believes his side got too excitable after going 2-0 up so early then missing a couple of good chances.
He said: “It shouldn’t be having to get three goals or four goals.
“I just thought we became a bit excitable in the game.
“We did everything I was hoping we would do in the first period that first 35 minutes.
“I loved the personality. I love the aggression of the team. I loved how we played the game.
“We took on an instruction. We unsettled Rangers and we made it the type of game that needed to be.
“But I just feel we get caught up in the game a bit and we’ve got a bit excitable.
“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.”
[(Gangwon FC) Strength]: 1. Last season in the Korean FA Cup, Gangwon FC were eliminated in the Round of 16. This season, the team have made a breakthrough so far and have advanced to the semi-finals. In this second leg, they will play at home and have a strong desire to win.2. Lee Ji Ho, a forward of Gangwon FC, has had limited playing time this season. However, he has maintained high offensive e...
[(Everton F.C.) Strength]: 1. On August 24th, in the 2nd round of the Premier League, Everton F.C. secured a comfortable 2-0 home victory over Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., with Jack Grealish providing two assists and putting in an impressive performance.2. Everton F.C. kept unbeaten in the last 3 Premier League home games with 2 wins and 1 draw, showing excellent performances.3. Everton F.C. h...
[(Nagoya Grampus) Strength]: 1. Nagoya Grampus are on a 2-game losing streak. They are motivated to win this home game to boost their morale.2. Soichiro Mori scored a goal and made an assist in the last game, showing outstanding form.3. Nagoya Grampus secured a 3-game winning streak in their last 3 encounters between both sides, giving them a better mentality.[(Nagoya Grampus) Neutral]: 1. Nagoya ...
[(Grimsby Town F.C.) Strength]: 1. Grimsby Town F.C. player Jaze Kabia scored in the last game, with reliable form.2. Grimsby Town F.C. drew 1-1 against Accrington Stanley in the last game, but they still kept unbeaten among all events in the new season, being in stable form.3. Grimsby Town F.C.'s home performance was outstanding. They won all the last 3 home games.4. Grimsby Town F.C. have a good...
[(FC Machida Zelvia) Strength]: 1. FC Machida Zelvia are undoubtedly motivated to win this home game to qualify for the semi-finals.2. Yuki Soma scored 10 goals and made 6 assists across all competitions this season, being important on the team's offense.3. FC Machida Zelvia drew 0-0 with Yokohama F. Marinos in the last game. They were unbeaten with 11 wins and 1 draw in the last 12 games, showing...
[(Reading F.C.) Strength]: 1. Reading F.C. are playing in the EFL League One this season and are on a 3-game winless run lately. They need to return to winning ways, indicating full motivation in this game.2. Lewis Wing scored a goal and made an assist in the last game, helping the team tie with Wycombe Wanderers F.C.3. Reading F.C. won the last 2 games in AH, revealing recent performances in line...
[(Sheffield Wed) Strength]: 1. Sheffield Wed have a rather impressive track record in the EFL Cup. In the first round of this season, they defeated Bolton Wanderers F.C., another team from the EFL Championship, and have posted 3 wins and 2 draws in their last 5 EFL Cup games.2. Sheffield Wed lost only 1 of the last 5 games in AH with stable performances. They ended all the last 4 games with OVER.[...
[(Eintracht Braunschweig) Strength]: 1. As a 2. Bundesliga side, Eintracht Braunschweig have made a solid start to the new season. Having been eliminated in the first round of the DFB-Pokal in each of the past two seasons, the team will undoubtedly be eager to achieve a better performance when they compete in the tournament again this season. Therefore, they will be full of determination when faci...
[(Sturm Graz) Strength]: 1. Sturm Graz suffered a crushing defeat in the first leg on the road. In this home match, they have to go all out to attack, with full motivation to win.2. Sturm Graz midfielder Otar Kiteishvili scored 4 goals in three league games this season, performing excellently in the league. As the starting forward of the team, his performance in this match is worth keeping an eye ...
[(Burnley) Strength]: 1. Burnley's key midfielder Josh Cullen not only opened the scoring for the team in the last game but also provided an assist, emerging as the biggest contributor to the victory with an outstanding individual performance.2. Burnley claimed a comfortable 2-0 win over Sunderland in their last game, securing their first victory of the new Premier League season and boosting the t...
- 1 Ruben Amorim gives cryptic response when asked about Andre Onana returning to starting XI for Fulham clash after Altay Bayindir blunder handed Arsenal victory
- 2 'Victory Bodes Well for Future' – Gasperini Delighted with Roma’s Opening Day Win
- 3 TIPS - Eintracht Frankfurt VS Werder Bremen
- 4 Transfer rumors, news: Arsenal could turn to Lyon's Fofana
- 5 Antony’s Man United Exit Hopes Rest on Fresh Real Betis Bid Within 'Next 24 Hours'
- 6 TIPS - Cerezo Osaka VS Vissel Kobe
- 7 TIPS - Gamba Osaka VS Yokohama FC
- 8 TIPS - Schalke 04 VS VfL Bochum
- 9 TIPS - Sunderland A.F.C. VS Huddersfield Town A.F.C.
- 10 TIPS - Olympique de Marseille VS Paris FC