Rangers legends Barry Ferguson and Ian Durrant have spoken out after their side's heated Tennent's Sixes final defeat to Celtic at the weekend. The Gers had looked favourites to lift the trophy after thrashing Celtic 7-1 in the group stage on Saturday night, but Tom Boyd's Hoops twice came from behind to win a dramatic 5-4 final.
Mulgrew's taunts explained
The drama continued after the final whistle, with Charlie Mulgrew spotted taunting the Rangers bench and directing a 'get it up yous' gesture towards the dugout. The 40-year-old former Celtic defender made no apologies for his celebrations, saying they were largely down to Durrant's conduct, claiming the Ibrox hero "completely blanked" the Celtic contingent throughout the tournament.
Mulgrew had joked earlier this week that he and Ferguson needed a "wee cuddle" following their dugout spat. But speaking for the first time since the indoor event, Ferguson made it clear he won't forget Mulgrew's antics any time soon.
"One thing I would say about the group of boys we had was their attitude was brilliant. They were desperate to win," he said. "You could see that after the game. They were a wee bit emotional, a lot of disappointment. But listen, we ran ourselves into the ground. We just ran out of steam a wee bit.
"And then we made a couple of mistakes which we hadn't done in the previous games. It only makes you more determined. If it comes along next year, don't worry, we'll have another good go at it. But it was a brilliant weekend. I've not played with some of the boys, but you could see what it meant for them to put that Rangers jersey on.
"We were looked after. We had a good time, just the disappointment, obviously, of losing in the final. Then a couple of things happened after the game, which will stick in my mind. But we move on. When you're in it and you get to the latter stages, you're obviously desperate to win. You can't win every time. But that was sore. I'm fine with saying that. We move on, wait to next year and we'll give it another bash."
Durrant hits out at rule changes
Durrant, who served as Ferguson's assistant at the Braehead Arena, also criticised tournament organisers over a series of unexpected rule changes. The 59-year-old was unhappy that Ross McCormack, originally on Motherwell's squad list, was allowed to play for Hibs after Kevin Harper's withdrawal left them short.
Durrant was also aggrieved that injury-ravaged Dundee were able to draft in Niall McGinn at the last minute for the knockout stages, while the final was extended from eight minutes to ten minutes per half. He told the Five Stars podcast: "It was a great spectacle. Working alongside Barry, it was great. The boys and the team we had were excellent.
"But there were just things being made up over the duration of the tournament. There were emergency loans. I think Ross McCormack played for three teams, the way it worked out. Dundee brought in McGinn, again playing against us with fresh legs. So he was really fresh. Not using that as an excuse, but there rules getting made and rules getting made.
"We didn't even know about the final. They said it was 10 minutes each way. They are elderly players, give them a bit of slack."
