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.”
Ange Postecoglou insisted his controversial cupped ear celebration to Tottenham fans in a 1-0 loss at Chelsea had been misinterpreted on another bad night for the Australian.Spurs slipped to a 16th defeat in the Premier League this season thanks to a 50th-minute header by Enzo Fernandez, but it only told half the story of a typically frenzied London derby.VAR was required to rule out a fine strike...

Chelsea climbed back into the Premier League’s top four as Enzo Fernandez’s header early in the second half earned a 1-0 derby win over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.Enzo Maresca’s side were under pressure after limping into the international break playing football that had ceased to excite home fans, but they largely had the better of a disappointing Spurs team that failed to tak...

David Moyes believes James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid a red card for his reckless challenge on Alexis Mac Allister as Everton were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal, which Moyes claimed should have been ruled out for offside, gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were...

Jack Grealish dedicated his goal to his late brother after scoring in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Leicester on Wednesday.The England international hit his first Premier League goal for 16 months, on his first start in the competition since last December, as City moved back into fourth with a comfortable success at the Etihad Stadium.It came on the 25th anniversary of...

David Moyes bemoaned an “offside” goal that gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Everton – but admitted James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid an early red card on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were left unhappy with decisions from referee Sam Barr...

Eddie Howe hailed Sandro Tonali’s shooting power after seeing him cap a fine display with a stunning winner to edge Newcastle into the race for Champions League qualification.The 24-year-old Italy international brought an incident-packed encounter to a fitting conclusion with a 74th-minute piledriver which beat goalkeeper Mark Flekken from an improbable angle to hand the Magpies a precious 2...

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery believes Marcus Rashford is “progressively getting better” in all aspects of his game following his first Premier League goal for the club.The on-loan Manchester United forward set Villa on course for a comprehensive 3-0 win over fellow European hopefuls Brighton with a 51st-minute finish at the Amex Stadium.Rashford’s milestone strike came three days ...

Southampton boss Ivan Juric vowed to keep fighting as relegation moved sharply into focus after Crystal Palace denied them only a third Premier League win of the season.Substitute Matheus Franca’s stoppage-time header, to secure a 1-1 draw for the Eagles, means Saints will be down at the weekend if they lose at Tottenham and Wolves beat Ipswich.If relegation is confirmed on Sunday, Southampt...

Derby boss John Eustace insists his side are reaping the rewards for the hard work they have put in since he was appointed as manager after the Rams earned a 2-0 win over Preston to climb out of the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.Derby came out firing after a lacklustre opening period and Craig Forsyth coolly slotted the hosts in front with his fourth goal of the season.The Rams doubled thei...

Notts County manager Stuart Maynard hailed a “massive” three points as his side comfortably saw off MK Dons at Meadow Lane to maintain their promotion challenge.Two stunning strikes from David McGoldrick and Will Jarvis from the edge of the box, either side of Nick Tsaroulla’s close-range effort, earned County a convincing 3-0 win.“I think every three points is massive now,...



- 1 Hot WAG flaunts 'astonishing' washboard abs in bikini
- 2 Danny Rohl hails Sheffield Wednesday resilience in draw at Cardiff
- 3 Alfie May double sends Birmingham step closer to Championship
- 4 Marcus Rashford scores first Premier League goal for Villa in win at Brighton
- 5 Ryan Lowe and Conor Hourihane felt team deserved more as Wigan and Barnsley draw
- 6 Mat Sadler hails Taylor Allen set-piece skills after Walsall snatch draw
- 7 Chris Davies says Alfie May’s goal drought never concerned him
- 8 Football fan 'eats' raw pig's head in ultimate insult
- 9 Marcus Rashford still looking to improve after firing Villa into FA Cup semis
- 10 Chelsea prepare €70m for Barcelona defender