Barry Ferguson could always be relied upon when his teammates needed him most as a player and it looks like he isn’t afraid of the big occasion as the man in charge of Rangers either.
There were a few surprises when the new Rangers manager named the same starting XI as the one that last to St Mirren, but it didn’t take him long to rectify a situation that was only getting worse.
At 2-0 down, Kilmarnock were well deserving of their lead and, in truth, should have made it more until Ferguson made a change for Rangers.
Kris Boyd names turning point for Rangers in Kilmarnock win
Kris Boyd, speaking on Sky Sports, believed that the decision made by the Gers boss was pivotal in three points heading back to Ibrox:
“We always look at however the young boy Clinton Nsiala will be feeling, but sometimes, you just need that in your career,” Boyd said of the centre-half being hooked before the half hour mark.
“You just need that moment where it’s a set-back. You know when you look at a lot of the kids coming through the academy, they’re always told how good they are and then they hit a level and it starts to go a little bit wrong or there are questions asked.
“All of a sudden, they go into themself and they go into their shell and then they struggle to come out of that.
“It might do him the world of good tonight because Rangers were able to go and turn the game on its head, then, obviously, run out comfortable winners.
“I’m not quite sure that would have happened if he had left Nsiala on.
“Sometimes, as a young kid, those decisions can help you later on in your career.”
Did Barry Ferguson let Nsiala down?
Nsiala has been let down, but not by Barry Ferguson.
The 21-year old hadn’t played senior football until this season and was thrown straight in at the deep-end with senior players all around him failing to do their jobs.
A fledgling centre-half should be guided by those around him, however, Nsiala has had Robin Propper panicking at every long ball and being out muscled in every duel alongside him and Jack Butland still some way off his best form too, aside from his Tynecastle heroics.
Nsiala should be able to concentrate on his own job, instead, Propper has left him isolated, out of position and without any help.
It wasn’t taking Nsiala off that solved the problem, it was putting James Tavernier into the middle of defence to do the job that the former Twente captain should be.
