Spirit of 77 fuels Fergie

BARRY FERGUSON will clock up a record 77th appearance in European competition tonight and he is determined to mark the occasion with a memorable win over Werder Bremen.

The Rangers skipper will overtake Dundee United legend Dave Narey’s record for a Scottish player when the Germans come calling in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup. Ferguson equalled the record against Panathinaikos last month.

Werder Bremen may be one of the favourites for the trophy but Ferguson believes Rangers boast enough quality throughout their squad to overcome the Bundesliga outfit even though he knows the spotlight will be on him tonight.

“It’s a proud one for me,” he said. “To play 77 games in Europe for Rangers is a great achievement and hopefully I can play many more.

“Obviously I’ve played a lot more than some of the others but we have enough experience in the team to handle whatever Werder Bremen throw at us.

He added: “I’ve not had my hands on a trophy for a couple of years but things are going well at the moment and we are involved in all four competitions so things couldn’t be going any better at the moment.

“Hopefully we can continue winning and see where that takes us.

“We have a great chance this season, we are in four competitions, and hopefully we can pick up a few.

“The last two years have certainly not been acceptable for a club the size of Rangers.

“The turnaround in the last 14 months has been unbelievable. There have been a lot of new players and a new management team and things are going in the right direction.

“The further you go in a competition, the more special it becomes. We’ve got a great chance to get into the last eight. Hopefully we can get the right result.”