Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes is aiming to ruin former team-mate Barry Ferguson’s debut in the Rangers dugout, but is unsure about what to expect from the Ibrox side.
The pair played together in the Ibrox midfield in the late 1990s and McInnes acknowledged what Ferguson will bring to the role of interim manager as they prepare to go head to head on Wednesday night.
“He was a hugely talented player,” McInnes said.
“When he first came through at Rangers, we were always aware of his talent. Talent doesn’t get the job done at a club like Rangers. He was a fierce competitor and you need to be fiercely competitive to succeed at Rangers. He showed that.
“What he’ll try and do is instil a bit of confidence through that competitive nature. That’s their job. My job is to make sure we are equally as competitive and see the opportunity that is there in front of us.
“Hopefully we can be as good as we have been in recent seasons against Rangers and get the win.”
While the game will be loaded with the added emotion of Ferguson’s return, McInnes admitted it is hard to predict what the former Kelty Hearts, Clyde and Alloa manager will do.
“It’s like any time you come up against a team who have just changed their manager, whether it’s an interim or whether a manager changes. Sometimes there’s some sort of reference of a preferred system,” he said.
“Your preparation is still there, you analyse previous Rangers games. It becomes a bit more difficult to predict in terms of what you’re going to get. The lads are only in for one day’s training ahead of the game.”
Kilmarnock have beaten Rangers in two of the past three meetings at Rugby Park, including a 1-0 victory earlier this season settled by Marley Watkins’ late strike.
“Sometimes my job, when you player Rangers and Celtic, is you’ve got a lot of boys who are scarred by certain results,” McInnes added. “Ultimately, when you win a game, there’s a reference.
“There’s a lot of positives to take from it. My job is just to reinforce the message of what can be done. If we deliver a big performance, and it’ll need to be one, I believe there’s a game there to be won for us.”
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