Rıdvan Yılmaz and Barry Ferguson on Rangers Europa League first leg trip to Fenerbahce
05/03/2025
UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE
05/03/2025
UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE
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SportsTranscript
00:00How special is it to come to this city, given your affiliation to this city, how special
00:19is it to come back and play here?
00:22Yeah definitely special, obviously playing in the town you've been born and you have
00:28so many memories as a family together here, so many good memories, so it's definitely
00:34special and I'll definitely enjoy it tomorrow.
00:58I don't think there's a moment to be fair to talk about my future, I think my fully
01:19focus right now is on Rangers and on the game tomorrow, I've been waiting to be playing
01:27back again on a European stage for a year now, so I'm just too excited for tomorrow
01:34to be able to think about what can be in the future and it doesn't really make sense to
01:40talk about future, as you know football changes really quick so my focus is on tomorrow.
01:53Jannes has it been difficult in the days that have followed the defeat on Saturday
01:57to try and get your head around the challenge you face here?
02:02Yeah I think it's part of every Rangers player, every three, four days you have a game, doesn't
02:12really matter if it's a loss or a win, you always have to be ready for the next game
02:18and I think that's the same case now, obviously the last couple of weeks haven't been good
02:26enough for Rangers standard and we all can agree on that, I think there's been a lot
02:33of work going on behind the scenes at the training ground and trying to fix everything
02:37and I think we're ready for tomorrow, obviously it will be a great challenge for us as a team
02:47considering the last couple of weeks but I think we're going to be ready.
02:54Jannes you talked about growing up in the city, obviously the family links to Galatasaray,
02:58does that serve as any extra motivation to come here and get a result tomorrow?
03:04I think an extra motivation for me is to represent Rangers as best as possible, I think signing
03:11for this huge club made me a better man, a better player and the only thing I owe to
03:22the club is to give my best performances on a daily basis in training and then come game
03:28day to do the same so obviously every player has every now and then maybe an off day at
03:35the office as probably every person out there has but I think one thing I've done for this
03:41football club is just give every bit of energy that I had and it won't be any different tomorrow.
03:53Jannes given the reputation of your father and the success he had in this country, what
03:58is it like to be following in his footsteps to play in this country and has he given any
04:02advice when you're coming over here?
04:07Jannes obviously we talk before every game, after every game as well so he knows how important
04:14the European nights are and how tough it is to get a result away from home so we obviously
04:22talk about the game, he obviously knows the Turkish league really good and the Turkish
04:28team so I'll definitely have a few advices from him but in general as I said prior it's
04:36just special for me to play in a place like this, obviously Istanbul means so much to
04:42my family and I and it just gives me an extra motivation to play better and play as good
04:50as I can tomorrow.
04:51Last couple, Andy.
04:52Jannes there were some stories last week coming from Turkey that suggested that you perhaps
04:56not back a contract offer from Rangers, can you just update us where you are in that process?
05:02I think for the respect of everyone I think the club and my agents have to talk about
05:10that, for me right now and it's really an honest answer, I don't really think about
05:20the future, for me it's just about what I can do today and tomorrow to get ready for
05:26the game and then from that point on next game, next game, next game and I'll just take
05:30it step by step.
05:31Everything else I think, you guys probably know my agents so probably they'll talk about
05:39my situation.
05:40Last one, Scott.
05:41Jannes, how's it been under Barry Ferguson, how much did you know about him before he
05:46took the job and what's it been like working with him in the last few weeks?
05:50Yeah I definitely knew a lot about him and being captain of this huge club at a really
05:56early age and always being a standard setter if that's how you say it in English and I
06:06think him as a player describes him as a manager as well, I think he always demands the best
06:15out of you even if we're on the pitch for 10-15 minutes or in the meeting room for 10-15
06:21minutes.
06:22So I think that's the best way to describe him and the technical staff about driving
06:30standards and afterwards trying to obviously fix what we're not doing well because everybody
06:38knows certain things are not going our way the last few weeks and we need to obviously
06:44get better on those and this is more or less him and the technical staff so right now we're
06:54just trying to put good performances into it and make them happy because we know how
06:59much it means for them this football club and how much they respect this football club
07:03so we as a group we want to finish the season as good as possible and obviously the European
07:11games are quite important at this moment of the season.
07:14Thank you very much everyone.
07:17Have a good night.
07:41Can you just update us on how the squad is looking for tomorrow night?
07:54Everybody's travelled, obviously I guess you're asking about John Souter, Leon Balogun, both
08:00trained again today and I need to again wait until tomorrow morning to see how they react
08:08obviously from the training session but good to see them both back training and hopefully
08:13be available for selection tomorrow night.
08:15How big a game is this for not just the team but for yourself as well I suppose because
08:21leading Rangers out in a European tie must be a huge privilege for you.
08:25First and foremost I think the team's done brilliant to get to this stage.
08:30Now you're up against a very good Fenerbahce team with some, in my opinion, top players.
08:37We've watched them closely over the last three or four days since the game at the weekend
08:43and as you know they've got a top class manager as well so we're expecting a really tough
08:48game but we're prepared in the right manner and hopefully tomorrow when we wake up there'll
08:55be a few more available for selection.
08:58Jose Mourinho had some nice things to say about yourself today, I just wonder if you
09:00heard those and also he had something to say about Philippe Clement and his comments, I
09:05just wonder if you had any thoughts on those as well?
09:07In terms of Jose Mourinho?
09:09Oh yeah.
09:09Well, it's easy to say he's a top class manager.
09:15He's won I think 26 titles round about that, titles in Portugal, England, Italy.
09:24So yeah, in my opinion, top class manager and I'm really looking forward to coming up
09:29against him.
09:30In terms of his comments on Philippe Clement, did you have any concerns about those?
09:35Can we ask him some questions?
09:37Did you have any concerns about the comments that came from Philippe Clement about Jose
09:42Mourinho?
09:43That's up to other people to decide what they think of Mourinho but I think, as I said,
09:48he's a top class manager and he's won so many titles and he's managed at so many top teams.
09:54Beril Böke, PlaySport.
09:56When you analysed your opponent, what was the difference between Fenerbahçe, who are
10:01fighting in the Turkish League, and Fenerbahçe, who are fighting in the European League?
10:13Yeah, we've watched obviously their games in the domestic league and also in the Europa
10:21League.
10:23But look, they change formation sometimes.
10:26But again, it's virtually the same sort of 11 they start with.
10:31As I said, we understand but we're coming up against a very good team.
10:36They have players like Tadic, Dzeko up front.
10:40They have so many other top class players and we're expecting a tough night.
10:45So I think we need to be at our very best and we want to get a good result here.
10:53Barry, have you seen what you've wanted to see on the training field the last couple
10:57of days after what happened on Saturday?
11:00Yeah, well it was important that I got at least a couple of days in a row on the training
11:05field.
11:06As you know, last week I only had one day before the Comandler game and then obviously
11:12before the game at the weekend.
11:13It was basically a rest day on a Thursday and had the boys again on Friday.
11:18So this week we've had two full days to prepare properly, to go through certain scenarios
11:27within the game against a team who I think potentially could win the Europa League.
11:36So we need to be at it, we need to be organised, we need to be prepared and we've certainly
11:41done that over the last three days.
11:44Barry, this tournament has suited Rangers this season and the games have been a bit
11:49more open which has suited Rangers.
11:51Do you expect that to be the same tomorrow because obviously Jose is a famously gifted
11:56defensive kind of coach?
11:58Yeah, well they play a certain way and I know a lot of people say he's a defensive coach
12:02but he's a top coach also.
12:03He knows how to set up teams and the way that they play.
12:07We've watched it, as I said, we've watched probably ten games over the last four days
12:14and I don't see the way his team play as a defensive team.
12:20I think they've got so many attack-minded teams, whether it's Tadic, Dzeko, the two
12:24wing-backs are really forward-thinking as well.
12:26The midfielders are good on the ball, they make aggressive passes.
12:32I'm expecting a tough game, the players know that as well.
12:37So we're prepared as much as we can and we need to go and certainly give a performance
12:45that I expect from them.
12:47As I said, we've had a couple of days to go through things, we've spoke, we've had meetings,
12:52we've been on the training ground, we've spent a fair bit of time, we've been in meetings
12:57and going through things in terms of the way Fenerbahce approach games, certainly at home.
13:03I can't prepare the team much more, so we're ready to go tomorrow night.
13:10Barry, you've obviously watched the Europa League from a bit of a distance so far in this campaign.
13:17Can you put your finger on perhaps why Rangers look a different team domestically and in Europe
13:22and maybe play better in Europe when they're perhaps struggling domestically?
13:27Good question.
13:28I've been at all the games this season, home and away, and certainly some of the best performances
13:35this season have been in the Europa League, there's no doubt about that.
13:38I'm not going to hide away from the fact that they've shown their best.
13:45I think we're coming up against a different level, I've been honest with you, after watching
13:49so much of Fenerbahce over the last three or four days.
13:53But listen, they've proved that at the highest level they can compete, they know that.
13:58And I'll expect that same sort of performance tomorrow.
14:03Can you use your headphone for translation?
14:23So you're basically asking me to give my formation away?
14:27They have scored, as you said, two strikers, in my opinion, that are really dangerous.
14:33But listen, we've got a plan, we need to keep these sort of players quiet,
14:37the defenders and also the midfielders understand that.
14:40We've went through different scenarios in terms of the way that they attack,
14:44but there are two players that we have to keep an eye on,
14:46if we're going to be able to keep them quiet,
14:48then they're going to do one thing and that's hurt you.
15:18I've always liked Rydvan, he's a good player.
15:28The issue he's had at Rangers, as you mentioned there, has been injuries.
15:33But now he's back fully fit, he's played in a position which is pretty formed to him,
15:38he's played right back for us, his natural position is left back.
15:43But he's one player I can rely on, he doesn't moan.
15:47I've asked him to play different positions and he's become a big player.
15:52I like his attitude, his attitude has always been first class.
15:55And it's now about him being fully fit for the rest of the season,
16:00because I think if he plays more games, he can get better and better.
16:06Barry, you had some famous European nights at this club under Walter Smith.
16:11Will you take a bit of inspiration from how he used to approach these ties as you go into this one?
16:17I'll take a bit of inspiration, not just from Walter Smith, who was a great manager,
16:20but also Dick Advocat and Alec McLeish.
16:23I know a lot of people say that I'm new to this job, and rightly so,
16:30but I've played in a lot of European games, whether that be Champions League or UEFA Cup it was at that stage.
16:36I understand the times that you need to play a different way,
16:41and that's something that me and my coaching staff have sat down and spoke about.
16:46As I said, the coaching staff have got a lot of experience in Europe,
16:51and we're not going into this blind.
16:53We know we're coming up against, as I mentioned, a very good team with very good players,
16:57and in my opinion, a top manager.
16:59So we're expecting a tough night, but we're prepared.
17:02The guys know their jobs, they know their roles with and without the ball.
17:09So let's just look ahead to the game tomorrow night.
17:13Last question please, Andrew.
17:14Barry, you've talked about how the last 10 days or so has been a whirlwind.
17:18Have you quite managed to wrap your head around how you've gone from an ambassadorial role
17:22to going out there tomorrow, pitting your wits against Jose Mourinho?
17:26No, listen, it's settling down a bit.
17:28As I said, each day is getting a bit easier because obviously you're making some changes.
17:34But listen, there's still some things that I need to work on in terms of the football side of it
17:38and also inside the training centre.
17:41It doesn't happen overnight, but I know I've not got long.
17:44I've only got three months in the job.
17:47But listen, I'm loving every single minute of it.
17:50I would like a bit more sleep at night, if I'm being honest with you.
17:52I'm not getting that, but listen, it's a role that, as I said to you,
17:56I'm going to go and embrace it, I'm going to go and enjoy it,
17:58and I'm going to go and give everything I've got.
18:02Thanks, everyone.
18:03Cheers. Thank you.