It might not have seemed possible, but Ibrox icon Barry Ferguson has found a way to portray Rangers’ Scottish Cup humbling at the hands of Queen’s Park in an even darker light.
This, Ferguson points out, was not merely a second-tier outfit rocking up to the hallowed turf of Glasgow Rangers and pulling off a ‘cupset’ to rival that of any in the tournament’s history.
It was a Queen’s Park outfit in the midst of a dismal run of seven defeats in ten Championship outings.
A Queen’s Park outfit who’s confidence was venturing near rock bottom after losses to Ayr United, Raith Rovers, Greenock Morton, Falkirk, Hamilton Academical, Partick Thistle and, earlier this month, Airdrie.
Given how important the Scottish Cup was to Rangers this season – their best, if only chance of securing silverware – Barry Ferguson could scarcely believe what he was watching as Vaclav Cerny, Ianis Hagi, Mohamed Diomande, Robin Propper, Hamza Igamane and James Tavernier, the latter seeing a stoppage time penalty saved by Calum Ferrie, toiled against a side who suffered defeat in front of just 1,486 fans at the Albert Bartlett Stadium only a few days earlier.
Barry Ferguson blasts Rangers after Queen’s Park upset
“It is a disastrous result, there’s no getting away from that,” Ferguson, a five-time Scottish Cup winner in two spells at Ibrox, seethes. “It was a trophy that I believe Rangers had to win because they are 13 poitns behind Celtic in the league.
“The Scottish Cup would be one trophy that I believe they club had to go and make sure that they picked up.
“They were miles of it. They had 27 attempts on goal [but] I think virtually most of them were routine saves. Overall, so disappointed with the level of performance.
“Queen’s Park came with a gameplan, and it worked. Rangers couldn’t get through them and I thought, when they got into the last third, the quality wasn’t there.
“Disastrous.”
Shot-stopper Ferrie set the tone for what could be a career-defining performance when he denied Diomande, Cerny and a disappointing Bajrami – Kris Boyd hammered Rangers’ £3.5 million man for a ‘really poor’ performance – inside the first 20 minutes.
Hagi had one effort cleared off the line while Igamane forced Ferrie into another reflex stop from a corner early in the second-half, before the Englishman became the 17th goalkeeper to deny Tavernier from the penalty spot during the captain’s Rangers career.
Ferrie’s finest save was arguably still to come. Robin Propper’s point-blank header looked destined for the top corner before Queen’s Park’s answer to Iker Casillas tipped it over.
Jefte beaten as Seb Drozd scores famous Scottish Cup winner
Ferguson’s main frustration, however, was not with the wastefulness of Bajrami, Igamane and co at one end but with the slackness of the defending at the other. Particularly Jefte, the left-back caught square on as Queen’s Park’s Seb Drozd breezed past him in the penalty area before slotting under Liam Kelly.
“Defensively, they are all over the place, Rangers,” Ferguson sighs. “Jefte, he sold himself. Fair dos to the guy [Drozd], he’s went past him and he’s put it in the back of the net, and then [Queen’s Park] defended for their lives. Thats’ what you do.
“Queens Park are struggling in the Championship and that makes the result even worse!”
Jefte was linked with Premier League giants Chelsea during the January transfer window. But, for all the progress the Brazilian has made since arriving in Glasgow from Fluminense, the last few weeks have provided a reminder of how far he still has to go.
Jefte was blamed for Manchester United’s late winner at Old Trafford in January, switching off as Bruno Fernandes ghosted in at the far post. And, as young Drozd left him for dead, Jefte the lefty found the Queen’s Park winger a little too pesky.
“Boy, what a goal it is [by Drozd]. A lovely drop of the shoulder. I think it goes through Liam Kelly’s legs,” former Hearts and Hibernian midfielder Michael Stewart said during commentary duties.
“[But] this is not good defending from Jefte. This is absolutely dire stuff. Get out and block him!”
