BEAMING Barry Ferguson reckons his Rangers side have begun the process of patching up their broken bond with the Ibrox support.
It was derby dreamland for the travelling Light Blues faithful as Hamza Igamane's rasper two minutes from time sealed a sensational win at Celtic Park.
Gers put on a brave show for the 2400 fans who followed them across the city as they smashed a five-year Hoops hoodoo at Parkhead.
Rangers hadn't won at their rivals' home since Connor Goldson's double during the Covid lockout campaign in 2020.
But there were wild scenes at the death as Igamane's strike ended an eight-game run of pain.
It's a far cry from the fan walk-outs and protests witnessed at Ibrox earlier this term.
And Ferguson hopes to continue strengthening relations ahead of April's Europa League quarterfinal with Athletic Bilbao.
The Ibrox caretaker boss said: "I've got to give the players credit. They're a really good group of boys.
"I'm starting to see a real togetherness and that's what you need. Not just the playing staff. I'm talking about the staff at the training centre now.
We need to try and get that connection back.
"And I'm starting to get it with the fans. That was one of my driving forces when I came in. I just felt that was missing, Slowly but surely, we're starting to see that get back together.
Rangers were deservedly 2-0 up at half-time thanks to goals from Nico Raskin and Mohamed Diomande.
But a team that was forced to go through extra-time and penalties to oust Fenerbahce from Europe on Thursday began to fade after Daizen Maeda fired home.
It looked like their legs were gone when Reo Hatate tied it up but Igamane snatched a winner two minutes from time.
Ferguson said: "It's a good feeling, coming to your fiercest rivals and deserving to win the game.
I've said to the players, 'Go and enjoy the next couple of days because it's been a long time, I think five years.
"The first half, that was the gameplan we came with and the boys stuck to it perfectly. The second half, you always know.
Celtic are going to come at you because the crowd is getting frustrated. Brendan made a change or two, and it made a difference to the Celtic team. They got back into the gam...
It was derby dreamland for the travelling Light Blues faithful as Hamza Igamane's rasper two minutes from time sealed a sensational win at Celtic Park.
Gers put on a brave show for the 2400 fans who followed them across the city as they smashed a five-year Hoops hoodoo at Parkhead.
Rangers hadn't won at their rivals' home since Connor Goldson's double during the Covid lockout campaign in 2020.
But there were wild scenes at the death as Igamane's strike ended an eight-game run of pain.
It's a far cry from the fan walk-outs and protests witnessed at Ibrox earlier this term.
And Ferguson hopes to continue strengthening relations ahead of April's Europa League quarterfinal with Athletic Bilbao.
The Ibrox caretaker boss said: "I've got to give the players credit. They're a really good group of boys.
"I'm starting to see a real togetherness and that's what you need. Not just the playing staff. I'm talking about the staff at the training centre now.
We need to try and get that connection back.
"And I'm starting to get it with the fans. That was one of my driving forces when I came in. I just felt that was missing, Slowly but surely, we're starting to see that get back together.
Rangers were deservedly 2-0 up at half-time thanks to goals from Nico Raskin and Mohamed Diomande.
But a team that was forced to go through extra-time and penalties to oust Fenerbahce from Europe on Thursday began to fade after Daizen Maeda fired home.
It looked like their legs were gone when Reo Hatate tied it up but Igamane snatched a winner two minutes from time.
Ferguson said: "It's a good feeling, coming to your fiercest rivals and deserving to win the game.
I've said to the players, 'Go and enjoy the next couple of days because it's been a long time, I think five years.
"The first half, that was the gameplan we came with and the boys stuck to it perfectly. The second half, you always know.
Celtic are going to come at you because the crowd is getting frustrated. Brendan made a change or two, and it made a difference to the Celtic team. They got back into the gam...
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Daily Record (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 17, 2025