Barry Ferguson took pity on Clinton Nsiala and restored small Rangers pride as he dished out his trademark rollickings

You could forgive Barry Ferguson for having second thoughts about giving up that easy life of his.

Fifteen shambolic minutes into his first game as caretaker gaffer, his comfortable seat back in the hospitality lounges and radio studio must have seemed awfully appealing. It was only then the Ibrox legend would have fully grasped what it means to manage this rag-tag Rangers squad. But when a show of bravery was required, the former skipper didn’t hesitate.

It was a major call to hook Clinton Nsiala just half an hour into his first match in charge. The club ambassador-turned-interim-boss, though, was bold enough to make the call that was needed, dragging the dithering centre-back off after he and partner Robin Propper had been run ragged by red-hot Kilmarnock. At that point, it was looking like the Ibrox board had chosen to call in the wrong former hero to pick up the pieces left behind by Philippe Clement.

Killie boss Derek McInnes was calling the shots early on as his team deservedly raced two goals up through Joe Wright and Brad Lyons. But the decision to replace Nsiala with Ridvan Yilmaz turned the tide as Rangers hit back with a Cyriel Dessers’ double in-between strikes from Vaclav Cerny and Nedim Bajrami.

It was an outcome you have to say would have been unlikely had the former Belgian boss still been in charge. But a team hopelessly short on fight finally found a way to restore some small pride after those mortifying defeats to Queen’s Park and St Mirren.

Ferguson would have known it would be far from easy making his dugout debut down this end of the M77. Rangers had won on only four of their previous 10 visits as Rugby Park proved to be the graveyard of many a title bid.

That wasn’t quite the case when they