Barry Ferguson says Rangers ready for backlash from Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce

Barry Ferguson has warned his Rangers players to be braced for a Jose Mourinho-inspired backlash as they bid to finish off Fenerbahce at Ibrox on Thursday and reach the last eight of the Europa League.

Gers pulled off a stunning 3-1 win over the Turkish side in the first leg of their last-16 tie in the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium last Thursday.

But Ferguson has too much for respect for the decorated former Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham boss to assume his side already have one foot in the quarter-finals.

“First and foremost, I’ve got huge respect for him,” said the interim Rangers manager, when asked about the dynamic of trying to close out a tie against a manager of Mourinho’s pedigree.

“He’s won 26 trophies in a number of different countries; he’s managed at the highest level. It’s a real challenge for me, but listen, I’m not scared of the challenge.

“Standing on the touchline (alongside him last week), it was an honour for me. He’s got a real good team, he’s a top-class manager.

“He would have been hurting, I know that for a fact. You’ll see a different kind of Fenerbahce tomorrow night, there’s no doubt about that.

“We have worked the last three days on different scenarios that I think will happen within the game. We just need to wait and see what happens come eight o’clock, but I’ve got every faith in my group of players.”

After the first leg, Mourinho reminded Rangers “don’t celebrate too much because there is a second match”. Ferguson insisted on Wednesday there was never any chance of that.

“I stressed to my players, if you win a game, enjoy it because there’s fans that pay a fortune to come and watch us,” he said. “Go over, appreciate how far they have travelled and how much they have paid, get in the dressing room, put a bit of music on.

“Once we get on the bus and back to the hotel, the focus was on the second leg. That was the clear message for me.

“I think you’ve got to allow yourself to be happy with the performance and the result. But I’d be an absolute idiot if I thought the game was over and done with. There’s no way I was thinking that.”

Rangers are bidding to avoid a fourth successive defeat at Ibrox for the first time in their history, but Ferguson told his players they must embrace playing in front of their own supporters.

“Listen, see if you get this place rocking, it’s a proper place to play football,” he said. “I’ve told the guys, and some of the guys in the squad have played European nights here.

“When you go out with a certain attitude to the game, there’s no better place to play football.

“I’ve been here this season, Lyon, the Tottenham game. I’ve been to previous ones, and the place is electric.

“We need to light that fire in the stands, that’s what we need to start doing. As a manager, I can’t wait. You’ve got to be excited about this.”