Barry Ferguson has conceded the Scottish Premiership title after Rangers’ defeat to Hearts.
Ferguson, who spent the back-end of last season in interim charge at Ibrox, can’t see his side getting back into the race with Hearts and Celtic.
The result left them seven points off the top with just three games remaining. Even if they win at Celtic Park next week, a top-two finish will still be out of their hands.
Reacting to the game, Ferguson was gutted.
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Barry Ferguson gutted to miss out after being ‘desperate’ for title
Speaking immediately after the final whistle on the Go Radio Football Show, Ferguson said to host Paul Cooney: “Disappointed, Paul.
“Look, I thought in the first-half, Rangers were very good. But that goes for nothing.
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“Second-half… credit to Hearts. They changed their formation, brought Blair Spittal in, went to a back three, toughened up the midfield, and they get two goals.
“So, yeah. Overall, really disappointed. Now seven points [behind], I can’t see Rangers getting that title that everybody was desperate for.
“So overall, there’s nothing much more I can really say, if I’m being honest with you.”
He went on to say: “Especially the way that they started the game, then they get the goal, they’re really dominant, can you get that second goal…
“But you go in at half-time, you’re happy, but you need to maintain that. That’s the biggest thing for me.
“You know Hearts are going to change formation. That was clear. The back four didn’t work for them, you know they’re going to come out a different team.
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“So you need to know that, stand up to that.. and unfortunately for Rangers, they didn’t do that in the second half, and Hearts managed to get two goals.
“Now they go three points clear of Celtic, seven points clear of Rangers.”
This weekend’s results mean that even in Celtic’s best-case scenario — two wins for them and two defeats for Hearts before the final day — the Jambos would still be able to seal the title at Parkhead on May 16th.
Celtic face Rangers in the Glasgow Derby next week, whilst Hearts host Motherwell. Plenty of twists and turns could still take place by then.
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