KEVIN THOMSON insists life goes on without Barry Ferguson – and has urged everyone else at Rangers to prove it.
The Ibrox club were left reeling by the news their skipper will be sidelined for up to four months after undergoing surgery on a troublesome ankle problem and will not be fit to lead the team into the new season.
News of Ferguson's absence has und
oubtedly come as a blow and has cast a shadow over a team desperate to make amends for losing out on the championship to rivals Celtic on the final day of last season.
But former Hibs star Thomson insists there is still enough quality within the ranks to cope without the talented midfielder and has called on his team-mates to rise to the challenge.
He said: "When the captain, and one of your top players, gets injured there is always going to be negativity.
"It's up to other players to step up to the plate and prove that it's not just all about Barry in the midfield.
"The guy is an important player and it would be great if he was fit leading us into the new campaign, but he has just had an operation and we have to deal with that.
"It's an opportunity for the other boys to step up to the plate and show what they can do."
As a midfielder, Thomson is well aware extra responsibility is likely to be placed on his own shoulders to fill the void left by Ferguson, and he believes he is more than ready to take the next step in his Ibrox career.
He added: "I've been at the club for 18 months now and I thought performances in patches last year were getting to the level where they should be. If I can try to get a wee bit more consistency into my game – as the manager has obviously stated in the press – and a bit more maturity then I'm sure I can step up to the plate."
Rangers recovered from their defeat against Schalke to scrape a 1-0 friendly win over Clyde at Broadwood on Tuesday night.
Although still not operating at peak condition, Thomson is confident Walter Smith's men will be ready for the visit of FBK Kaunas in next week's Champions League qualifier.
He said: "The boys certainly looked sharper and you can see that we are getting there slowly. We are only six days away from the Kaunas game. We won't be at our peak when that game comes, but we won't be far off it."
The full article contains 434 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
