Barry Ferguson, an Ibrox legend, has managed to cast Rangers’ shocking Scottish Cup defeat to Queen’s Park in an even worse light.
This wasn’t just a second-tier side pulling off a historic upset at Ibrox. It was a struggling Queen’s Park team that had lost seven of their last ten Championship matches, with morale at rock bottom after defeats to Ayr United, Raith Rovers, Greenock Morton, Falkirk, Hamilton Academical, Partick Thistle, and Airdrie.
With the Scottish Cup being Rangers’ best—if not only—chance at silverware this season, Ferguson was in disbelief as the likes of Vaclav Cerny, Ianis Hagi, Mohamed Diomande, Robin Propper, Hamza Igamane, and James Tavernier failed to break down a team that had recently suffered a loss in front of just 1,486 fans at the Albert Bartlett Stadium. Tavernier’s stoppage-time penalty miss against goalkeeper Calum Ferrie only added to the misery.
Barry Ferguson Slams Rangers After Cup Shock
“There’s no hiding from it—it’s a disastrous result,” Ferguson, a five-time Scottish Cup winner, fumed. “I felt Rangers *had* to win this trophy, especially being 13 points behind Celtic in the league.
“They were miles off it. Yes, they had 27 attempts on goal, but most were routine saves. The overall performance was really disappointing.
“Queen’s Park had a game plan, and it worked. Rangers couldn’t break them down, and their quality in the final third just wasn’t there.”
Goalkeeper Ferrie was the hero of the night, making crucial stops early on to deny Diomande, Cerny, and a lackluster Bajrami—who was heavily criticized by Kris Boyd for his poor display. Hagi had a shot cleared off the line, Igamane forced another sharp save from a corner, and Tavernier became the 17th goalkeeper to deny him from the penalty spot in his Rangers career.
Ferrie’s best moment, however, came when he miraculously tipped Robin Propper’s close-range header over the bar, cementing his place as Queen’s Park’s own version of Iker Casillas.
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