Rangers secured a place in the Premier Sports Cup final with a win over Aberdeen at Hampden Park, but former captain Barry Ferguson has warned that the team must now address their away form to maintain their title challenge.
Ferguson, who was at the national stadium for the semi-final, said the only thought on his mind before and during the game was the need to win, regardless of the performance. He noted that the current Rangers squad do not have the same luxury of proven pedigree that his teams had, which added to the pressure as the game remained goalless for long periods.
Pressure and relief at Hampden
Ferguson admitted he felt the tension building as the match wore on, with Aberdeen coming into the game more towards the end of the second half. He acknowledged that Rangers had been the better side throughout, but said the players would have known the criticism they would face if they had failed to reach the final on December 13.
He credited manager Derek McInnes and his players for not flinching under that pressure, with Ryan Naderi eventually poking home the winner. Ferguson said the victory was a season-defining moment, as a defeat would have rocked everything McInnes is trying to build.
Next challenge: away form
Ferguson said his immediate thought after the winner was to move on to fixing the next problem: Rangers have failed to take all three points in their last two away games at Dundee and Hearts. He said this cannot become a habit, as it sends the wrong message in the title fight.
He noted that McInnes has fixed the home form, with Rangers looking solid at Ibrox, but said doubts will creep in if they continue to wobble away from home. Ferguson said Rangers must be relentless to get back to where they belong.
Title race implications
Following the win, Rangers watched Celtic suffer a heavy defeat at Falkirk, leaving Rangers able to cut the gap to a single point if they win at St Mirren on Saturday night. Ferguson said the cup final is on the back burner for now, with the immediate focus on taking three points from Paisley and seeing how Celtic respond at home to Kilmarnock the following day.
