Rangers reaction: Scans for key players, 'care' for axed star, Bailey Rice appraisal, Bilbao verdict on draw

Rangers interim head coach Barry Ferguson during the goalless draw with Athletic Bilbao. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Barry Ferguson accepted that dropping goalkeeper Jack Butland for the goalless Europa League quarter-final first leg draw with Athletic Bilbao was one of the hardest things he has done in his coaching career.

The decision to replace Butland with Liam Kelly, however, paid off in spades as the 29-year-old stopper saved a penalty and made a number of good saves as Rangers survived the red card for defender Robin Propper just 13 minutes in to ensure the match remains firmly in the balance going back to Bilbao next week.

Kelly and Propper were one of six changes to the team that capitulated so poorly against Hibs last weekend, with Ferguson true to his word that he would make sweeping alterations. Teenage midfielder Bailey Rice also started before succumbing to a nasty head knock in the second half, while the Rangers defence kept Athletic Bilbao's pacey frontline reasonably quiet in front of a raucous Ibrox.

Rangers interim head coach Barry Ferguson during the goalless draw with Athletic Bilbao. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group) | SNS Group

On the decision to replace Butland with Kelly, Ferguson explained: "It's one of the toughest things I've had to do. Firstly, I think Jack Butland is a top goalkeeper. Secondly, I've got a very, very good relationship with Jack. I've known Jack a long time, he was a young kid coming when I went down to play for Birmingham in the Premier League. Thirdly, I've got to know it's hurting Jack and I've got to be mindful of that as well. Because I care for him.

"I just had to make a decision and it was a tough decision when I spoke to him. I could see he was hurting. You go with decisions. It's not one that I decided on Saturday night or Sunday. I thought long and hard about it. When I spoke to him, it was a tough 10-15 minutes conversation. But, listen, Jack's still got a huge part to play here. In terms of Liam coming in, I thought he'd done well tonight."

Ferguson on making changes

Asked to reflect on his team selection, Ferguson continued: "For ten minutes I was satisfied because I had 11 men on the pitch. Then it kind of goes to pot. But in terms of the changes, it's an opportunity. I'm going to give people opportunities. When I'm not happy with performances, I'm going to make changes.

"That's just part and parcel of being a manager. Some of them are tough at times. I've seen an 18-year-old kid [Rice] who I think is behind in development. But I've been working really hard with Bailey for five-and-a-half weeks since I've been through the door. I think there's a real footballer there. He's just got stuff he needs to learn. But I thought he handled the occasion brilliantly.

"Listen, I was happy with everybody. But also the guys that come on as well. Because they're disappointed on the bench. But I want to see players disappointed. Because that means they care. If I don't play people and they're laughing and joking, that's when I've got a problem. But in terms of the changes, yep, they've come in, they've done their job. But also the guys that come on, they've done the job also for the team."

Rangers goalkeeper Liam Kelly (R) and Jack Butland at full time after the 0-0 draw with Athletic Bilbao. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Ferguson's assessment of the tie is that Rangers still have a chance. "We're still in the tie," he said. "I said to them before the game, we need to make sure we're in this tie. And certainly the tie is there for us to go in and try and get through to the semi-finals. But it's the same for Bilbao. They're still in the tie. They're at home. But we'll go and give it our best shot. We'll set it up in a way that it'll try and get us, hopefully, into the semi-final."

Multiple injury concerns

Before that, Rangers have a Premiership match away at Aberdeen - although there are serious injury concerns. Rice came off with what appeared to be concussion, Ridvan Yilmaz was replaced with a knock and Dujon Sterling could not complete the 12 minutes of stoppage time due to an Achilles issue. Ferguson revealed that some players took the field not being 100 per cent fit - but it was a risk he was happy to take.

"I don't even know how many players I've got available," added Ferguson. "I need to wait until tomorrow. We're in tomorrow. There's a number of guys struggling. They're going for scans tomorrow. There were a couple of guys that I risked tonight. But I just thought it was a big occasion for the club. I had to go there. They might backfire on me. I just need to wait and see the results and the reports I get back from the doctor and the medical staff."

Bilbao’s verdict on draw

Athletic Bilbao head coach Ernesto Valverde during the 0-0 draw with Rangers. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Athletic Bilbao manager Ernesto Valverde lamented Alex Berenguer's miss from the spot and his team's inability to take advantage of their numerical superiority.

“It can happen," said Valverde. "Sometimes we struggle to break down deep-lying defences. It is a game I would have liked to win. There is still a week left to go.

“We had chances but didn’t have that clarity in front of goal to decide the game. We have to keep working. You could never doubt the effort Rangers had playing with one game less. The VAR stoppages did break up the game a bit.

“I wouldn’t say I am satisfied with the result overall but it is 0-0 and we have to play at home next week we will see what happens. You have to manage knockout games. We are not happy because we could have got a better results, but we have another opportunity next week.”