Barry Ferguson doesn’t often get an easy assignment from Rangers. His trip to Parkhead last weekend tested that loyalty more than most.
Away fans have been banned from this season’s Old Firm fixtures. That’s the backdrop to the Barry Ferguson Rangers Celtic story this week. He didn’t hesitate when the call came through.
Speaking to the Daily Record, Ferguson explained why he took on the role despite the awkward circumstances surrounding the fixture.
“The ban on away fans at this season’s Old Firm games is obviously a set of circumstances which are far from ideal.
“So when I was asked to represent my old club in my ambassadorial role by going behind enemy lines at Parkhead, I wasn’t about to say no.
That willingness to show up, even with the away end silent and the reception hostile, says plenty about how much this rivalry still means to him.
He wasn’t there for applause. He went because someone from the club needed to, and he wasn’t about to turn that down.
The Eight-Point Swing: How Rangers Slashed the Gap
A week earlier, at Ibrox Stadium, Rangers had produced the result that made Ferguson’s trip so much easier to take.
Supporters who watched the team lineup at Ibrox take shape that afternoon saw a side built to seize the moment, and it delivered exactly that.
The gap at the top would have been eight points had they got it wrong against Celtic. It’s now down to just two.
Eight points would have made the title challenge very difficult, even this early in the season.
Two points leaves everything still open, and it changes the tone of every conversation around Ibrox this week.
Anyone who followed the tactical performance against Celtic in the days after the win could see exactly why the gap closed so sharply.
Title Race Momentum: Ferguson on the Two-Point Margin
The mood inside Ibrox has shifted under Derek McInnes, especially now the gap is just two points.
Nobody at the club claims Rangers have reached the top of the pile, or that the two Old Firm wins mean more than they do.
Nothing is won in September, but momentum sits with the Gers after a week that began with an uneasy cup tie at home, followed by the visit to Parkhead with the title race blown wide open.
Ferguson’s reading of the numbers, laid out in full in his comments in the Daily Record, makes clear how much one result can reshape a season.
“Two points separates two old rivals now, not eight, and that gap will keep both dressing rooms honest for the months ahead.”
It’s the kind of margin that turns every fixture between now and the run in into a genuine title moment.
Comments.
Loading comments…