“Everything” – Barry set to throw it all at Bilbao for Rangers | OneFootball

Barry Ferguson is all set to commit fully to Rangers as they prepare for the Europa League quarter-final against Athletic Bilbao. There’s a shared thrill, almost tangible, that seems to envelop the home of the Light Blues (Devlin, 2025). After that tense and goalless first leg, this tie could not be more finely poised, and Ferguson is acutely aware of that. It’s his job to get his players fully involved and focussed on the task at hand. The stakes have rarely been higher, and the payoff could be monumental in terms of Rangers’ re-establishment as a force in European football.

Direct speech from the manager and assistant manager (“We’re going to be up against it, but we’re ready for it”) provides the Rangers players with the right kind of motivation for this kind of challenge. The fact that their leaders feel able to say openly that Bilbao are a step up from Rangers’ previous opponents in the Europa League only makes the players more determined, I think, to prove that they too are a cut above the kind of pedestrian opposition that Rangers have had in earlier rounds (Devlin, 2025). Bilbao, a club with a great history and indeed a good team right now, have to be respected.

The assurance that comes from Ferguson is based on strong form. They’ve had their ups and downs in the league and cup, of course, but there’s no doubting their big-game performances as of late. Rangers have certainly had to go the long way round to get here. Some might even say it’s molded something special within this group. “We’re here because we earned it,” Ferguson booms. And European nights, both home and away, have a way of making players feel the difference between being contenders and being pretenders (Devlin, 2025). When the whistle goes for kick-off in Spain, Rangers will need every bit of confidence that Ferguson brings to the table.

The fascination with this match stems from the unpredictability of knockout football. Either side, with a single moment of brilliance, could turn the tie irrevocably in their favor. Ferguson’s tactical mind is at work here. His emphasis on adaptability is clear. Either he or his assistant must have devised a game plan that enables the team to pivot if required. As one might expect, the suspense surrounding the outcome will not have dissipated with whatever team talk has been delivered or whatever tactical instructions have been given (Custom). All the same, there is a delicious tension in the air. You sense that this match could produce a moment or two that will be recounted with gusto by the fans of either club.

Barry Ferguson leads with firm resolve as he readies the Rangers for a monumental showdown with Athletic Bilbao. Moving past this stage isn’t merely a question of advancement; it’s a matter of reigniting the kind of fervor among fans that Rangers can be proud of and that, for much too long now, has been sadly absent. Europe is the stage on which the club aims to perform once again, and the Europa League offers—if not quite the same kind of magic as the Champions League—a pan-European platform to make that kind of statement.