Leon Balogun centre-back of Rangers FC and Nigeria is replaced injured during the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 Quarter Final Second Leg match between Athletic Club and Rangers FC at Estadio de San Mames on April 17, 2025 in Bilbao, Spain. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Leon Balogun and Ridvan Yilmaz added to Barry Ferguson’s defensive problems by picking up injuries during the Europa League defeat from Athletic Bilbao.
Dujon Sterling suffered an achilles injury during the first leg last week with Ferguson looking to make a big impression by winning the five remaining SPFL Premiership matches.
Yilmaz lasted just 23 minutes before pulling a hamstring, in the first minute of the second half Balogun collided with John Souttar and ended up with a fractured cheekbone.
Ferguson is almost assured of getting the manager’s job on a permanent basis but making a fist of the final five matches will make his appointment more acceptable to supporters before the managerial cycle results in his autumn sacking.
After the defeat in Bibao Baologun told STV:
I’ve fractured my cheekbone again. So it’s the fourth time, I think, in my career. I knew it straight away, and I knew that I had to come off with it. I said, ‘Look, if there’s any chance for me to stay on…’ but then the pain normally kicks in like five or ten minutes after, and then it’s no.
Balogun gave a surprisingly honest assessment of his side’s defeat, adding:
I think you have to be honest and I don’t think we showed enough quality today in order to severely threaten them.
We all came here with a lot more expectation, probably to ourselves. We did not really live up to it.
The effort was there but, and I know this is not what the supporters and the people back home want to hear, sometimes you have to hold your hands up and I think Bilbao showed that they had a better team today.
I think the better team won and that’s only honest. We were hoping for probably a lucky punch.
Of course, I think we do have the quality to threaten that team, to come out with a close result or maybe even even a win but we did not.
Robin Propper will return from suspension for the first post-split fixture, away to St Mirren but Ross McCausland will miss that match through suspension.
We have tae RATTLE the SCUM at the SHIT-DOME!! Don’t care whit we dae in the other 4 games but get this SHOWER AE PISH HUMPED!!
It’s gonna be one BAD, BAD, BAD, look for Brendan if Fergushun gets the better of him a second time !
I nearly bloody keeled over there – An honest person working at Liebrox…
Well done Mr Balagon and hope you are safe for your honesty at Dishonesty FC !
With players like Propper and the wee banjo playing guy from Deliverance(aka McCausland)getting mentioned in the sane breath in this article how the fuck did they beat us.
That McCausland boy he is a right ugly we C**T ,and skelped every branch on the tree when he fell out of it.
On the Ronaldo Raskin shot/penalty claim,that’s the kind of defending Goldson done for years up here week in week out without ant penalties being given against sevco,so Karma is a pitch.
Now on to auld PISHY TENALADY HEEVINS,he actually denied saying sevco would win the Europa league last night on SSB Moan-In.
His article this weekend in the Daily/Sunday sevco will to attack Celticat all costs,airbrush sevco’s disaster of a result from Thursday with all his hatred and negativity turned on us.
He will probably tip St Johnstone to beat us to stop us winning the TREBLE,and in the same breath then tell us Brendon has done what he can for Celtic it’s time for him to move on.
As time is getting on now the clock is ticking away and the FAKEOVER seems to be disappearing over the horizon it surely must be time for statement o’clock from the guy Star Trek or even a special guest star appearance from the CHISLER himself aka Mr King,throwing a spanner in the works by calling out Parks as the one dragging his heels in getting the deal done.
Nothing better than throwing a fellow bear and board member under the bus when it was King who instigated the FAKEOVER in the first place.
Honest guvnor it wasn’t me it was that guy Mr Parks that done it and ran away.
BOOM!.