Rangers boss Barry Ferguson reacts to 0-0 Europa League quarter-final first leg with Athletic Bilbao

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Rangers boss Barry Ferguson reacts to 0-0 Europa League quarter-final first leg with Athletic Bilbao Ibrox, Glasgow, UK Courtesy of UEFA

Transcript

00:00C, sorry.

00:18Barry, how's the heart rate?

00:22It was a bit all over the place, I haven't been honest with you during the game,

00:25but really proud of the effort and the commitment.

00:30That my players showed tonight, obviously difficult when you go down to ten men.

00:36You have to go and play two banks of four, really deep.

00:41But I thought the game plan that I gave them,

00:45they worked ever so hard to make sure they never get broken down.

00:48They had a couple of chances like every very good team is going to have against you,

00:52but I thought we defended really well and we coped with their threat.

00:57Can you make it make sense that a team that had gone ten games without keeping a clean sheet

01:02and losing a player so early on tonight against one of the top teams in La Liga

01:07is able to keep them out even with nine men in what was a lengthy stoppage time?

01:12Well, listen, it has been a problem conceding goals.

01:16Even before that, I came in.

01:18Since I've come in, that's one of the areas where we've tried to work really hard at it.

01:23We worked really hard Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday on it.

01:27And that's what I want to see from my defenders that want to defend.

01:31And it's not just about the defenders.

01:33I need my midfield to chip in and I need my forward players to chip in

01:37because you've got to remember it's not all about individuals, it's a team sport.

01:41And what I've seen tonight out there was a team that took the instructions on.

01:46Obviously, the chat we had on Monday really sunk in and they took the information in as well.

01:58And that's important.

01:59And I think anybody watching the game tonight would have seen a team that will run through brick walls for each other.

02:07Barry, any complaints with the sending off?

02:10No, I've seen it. I can see the reason why the referee gave the red card.

02:15I've seen them giving and I've seen them no giving.

02:18It is what it is, the referee makes a decision.

02:21We just have to go on with it.

02:23It kind of curtails our game plan.

02:27Then we need to go back to something different.

02:30But again, I'm proud of the guys, how they took that information on.

02:35It's not the way that we wanted to play this game.

02:39But I thought overall, the boys, after letting them know a few home truths on Saturday and Monday,

02:48I've got to give them a lot of credit for tonight.

02:51Just on that, Barry, you said after the weekend's game that you were going to make changes.

02:57I just wondered how tough a call it was for you to replace Jack with Liam

03:02and what a way he's taken that opportunity.

03:04One of the toughest things I've had to do.

03:06Firstly, I think Jack Butland is a top goalkeeper.

03:10Secondly, I've got a very, very good relationship with Jack.

03:14I've known Jack a long time.

03:15He was a young kid coming through at Birmingham when I went down to play for Birmingham in the Premier League.

03:21Thirdly, I've got to know it's hurting Jack and I've got to be mindful of that as well.

03:27Because I care for him.

03:29So I just had to make a decision and it was a tough decision when I spoke to him.

03:34I could see he was hurting.

03:36So, yeah, you go with decisions.

03:41It's not one that I decided on Saturday night or Sunday.

03:44I thought long and hard about it.

03:46And when I spoke to him, it was a tough 10-15 minutes conversation.

03:51But, listen, Jack still got a huge part to play here.

03:54But in terms of Liam coming in, I thought he'd done well tonight, Liam.

03:58Barry, Liam's obviously one of six changes tonight from the team that started on Saturday.

04:06You said in the press conference earlier this week that you should have the responsibility for that.

04:10Are you satisfied with how the changes worked?

04:12Second of all, how's Bailey Rice?

04:14For 10 minutes, I was satisfied because I had 11 men on the pitch.

04:18Then it kind of goes to pot.

04:23But in terms of the changes, it's an opportunity.

04:25I'm going to give people opportunities.

04:27I'm happy with performance.

04:28I'm going to make changes.

04:30That's just part and parcel of being a manager.

04:33Some of them are tough at times.

04:37And, again, a lot of people seeing an 18-year-old kid who I think is behind in development.

04:44But I've been working really hard with Bailey for five and a half weeks since I've been through the door.

04:48I think there's a real footballer there.

04:49He's just got stuff he needs to learn.

04:51But I thought he handled the occasion brilliantly.

04:54One coming in and the other one's robbing obviously 10 minutes.

04:57He last.

04:58Leon Balligan.

04:59I know what I'm getting from him.

05:01Ridvan's been carrying an injury.

05:03Come on.

05:04He's had to come off with another injury.

05:06But listen, I was happy with everybody.

05:08But also the guys that come on as well because they're disappointed in the bench.

05:11But I want to see players disappointed because that means they care.

05:15If I don't play people and they're laughing and joking, that's when I've got a problem.

05:20But in terms of the changes, yep, they come in and they've done their job.

05:24But also the guys that come on have done the job also for the team.

05:29As you sit here just now, Barry, how do you feel to set up for the second leg and do you?

05:32Are you going with the rest guys at the weekend but next week in mind?

05:35Or how do you think we go out?

05:37Robert, I don't even know how many players I've got available.

05:39I need to wait until tomorrow.

05:41We're in tomorrow.

05:42There's a number of guys struggling, they're going for scans tomorrow.

05:48There was a couple of guys that I risked tonight.

05:52But I just thought it was a big occasion for the club and I had to go with the risks

05:58and they might backfire on me.

06:00I just need to wait and see the kind of results and the reports I get back from the doctor

06:05and the medical staff.

06:08Yep, we're still in the tie.

06:09I said to them before the game, we need to make sure we're in this tie.

06:13And certainly the tie is there for us to go and try and get through into the semi-finals.

06:20But it's the same for Bilbao.

06:21They're still in the tie, they're at home.

06:24But we'll go and give it our best shot.

06:29We'll set it up in a way that he'll try and get us hopefully into the semi-final.

06:34Barry, you mentioned the goalkeeper and the defence there.

06:37I think in the second half, Bilbao had over 80% possession, but their only shot on target

06:41was the save penalty.

06:42How pleased are you with that?

06:44Yeah, I couldn't care less of the 100% possession.

06:46I said that to the boys.

06:48So making sure we don't concede.

06:50And we've done that.

06:52We had to play a certain way, as I said, really low, two banks of four really tight together.

06:58And if somebody jumps out of that, then it causes his problems.

07:02But again, I'm delighted that they took the information on.

07:05And it was key that we had to do that.

07:07But look, they're a quality team.

07:12You've seen it.

07:13They've got very, very good football players.

07:15And look, it'll be a tough one for us next Thursday.

07:18Last one, Andrew.

07:19Barry, you talked about getting the response you wanted from your players for the talks

07:22earlier on in the week.

07:23But is this just the start really?

07:24It needs to just keep on continuing?

07:25You keep on getting the response game on game from the players?

07:28Yeah, I'm not happy with one game.

07:30Listen, I'm delighted for them and I'm proud of them.

07:32Standing in the touchline was a totally different feeling I had from Saturday.

07:37I felt empty on Saturday, the last 10-15 minutes, just like the stadium.

07:41But standing there at the side, I was proud of them.

07:43And that's the way I need to feel.

07:44And that's the performances and the effort that this group of players need to put in.

07:49And I've told them, if you do that, you have better chances of winning games of football.

07:54And as I said, that's what I asked.

07:57And that's what I got tonight.

07:59And that's what I need to see going forward.

08:01Thanks, guys.

08:02All right, cheers.

08:04Thanks.

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