Leon Balogun made a joking apology after reflecting on a historic week for Rangers both domestically and in Europe.
Rangers won 3-1 in Istanbul against Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, thanks to goals from Cyriel Dessers and Vaclav Cerny in the opening leg of the Europa League round-of-16 encounter.
The Scottish giants have one foot in the Europa League quarterfinals thanks to their victory, but their work is far from over as they host Fenerbahce at Ibrox on Thursday (13 March).
A win for Barry Ferguson’s team will help them salvage something from their season, as they failed miserably to challenge Celtic for the Scottish Premiership title.
Rangers look to eliminate the Special One
Rangers shocked Mourinho and Fenerbahce in their own backyard, and they now hope to add salt to their wounds with a comprehensive win in the second leg.
However, it will not be an easy feat because the former Chelsea manager has orchestrated some incredible comebacks in his managerial career.
After facing Fenerbahce, the Light Blues will face their arch-rivals Celtic, but for the time being, their primary emphasis is on Mourinho’s Fenerbahce.
Even if the former Tottenham manager is adept of orchestrating comebacks, Rangers defender Balogun is sure that the club can compete with the Turkish giants and negate Mourinho’s strategy.
And he is refusing to look ahead to that Old Firm showdown until the Fenerbahce game is out the way with.
| Opposition | Home/Away |
| Fenerbahce | Home |
| Celtic | Away |
| Dundee FC | Away |
| Hibernian | Home |
He told Sky Sports [10 March]: “It’s a big week with two perfect fixtures. Obviously Fenerbahce is first up and we had a very good result over there. But we’re going against the Special One with some very good players and I think it’s far from over.
“Right now the main focus is getting through to the next round in Europe, therefore we have to focus on Fenerbahce. I’m sorry to be boring.
“It was a really good result and performance. But like I said, this is Mourinho and I’m sure he will have a few tricks up his sleeve. He wouldn’t have been happy at all after the tie over there.
“But I think there’s a lot of confidence for us to take and we can probably up our game in terms of on the ball.”
Rangers’ next manager?
The Light Blues fired Philippe Clement in February after a disappointing season in which they fell behind Celtic in the Premiership race. Rangers are currently 16 points behind Celtic, with no possibility of closing the deficit.
Ferguson has taken over as manager in the interim, and the Gers have won two of their three games. The Europa League match was a litmus test, and Ferguson has so far pleased with his on-field strategy and presence in the dugout.
Rafael Benitez, former Liverpool manager, has been connected with the post at Ibrox, and other names have also been circulated.
Rangers are on the verge of being taken over by 49ers Enterprises, who want to buy a controlling position in the club. As a result, the managerial choice may be delayed until the new owners arrive.
As is common practice, the new owners will wish to have a role in the new managerial appointment.
