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Can you talk us through what happened post-match?
I’m honest, I was not on the pitch at this moment. I didn’t see it until now. I heard just that there was something on the pitch. I think we all know the emotional situation after a game. Nobody likes to see this. I think it was a great atmosphere, 120 minutes. I think it should be like this. All the other things should not be in the stadium or around football.
Are the questions over the mentality fair?
I think let’s describe this… After the last game, seven days ago, we felt disappointed. But today we saw from the first minute a team who were totally convinced to beat the opponent. I saw a team from our side to play 120 minutes how we want to. We should score. I think this is also, if you want, in this final two or three moments, a compliment to the defence from the other team. But when you have 24 to one shots, when you create so many great opportunities, then I must say I’m proud of my group, how we played football. I know football is about the result. We get nothing today again from this game. But when I take the 50 minutes last week and today, the 120 minutes, then I see a lot of positive things.
Do you have any concerns that a result like this might have a hangover into the final nine games of the season?
We spoke after the game and we promised each other that we will go now in nine finals and we will try to win all these nine games and then we will see what we get.
Did you have a chance to speak to your players about the events after the game? Did everyone make it off the pitch safe?
No, we didn’t speak about this. It was about short words after this game, an emotional game. It’s about giving them a short sentence about the game, about the feeling, but then let them alone in case of the emotional things. I think this is crucial now that we have a little bit of distance. But for me it was more important what we have promised each other.
What is your message to the Rangers support between now and the end of the season?
Like I said, we go in nine finals and we try to win all these nine games and then we will see what we get. Again, I come back and I think it’s not everyone likes to say it this way, but when I take these two games, how we played football in all the phases, especially today, I wasn’t sure if everyone was convinced that we can do this again. And we showed today that we can do this again. With the direction, yeah, we didn’t score in the right moments. This is the part. And finally, the shoot-out, and it’s football in this moment. Then you need a little bit of luck. I think we have with Tav one of the best penalty takers. We have with Jack one of the best goalkeepers for pens. Normally there is a big chance that you win this competition after the game. But I will take my group, I will help them, I will lift them. I will show them all the positive things, and I’m totally convinced that if we work hard again and again, then all these small things that go maybe a little bit against us at the moment, they go back in the right direction and there’s no question mark, because I see a big, big step.
How do you get Rangers to where they really want to be, which is winning the biggest of games?
Yeah, I think it’s our job. That’s how I will also take the energy, the positive things from the games. I think, again, we improved in the last seven days, how we want to play. From my side, I see a clear direction, how a Rangers team should be, and there’s no question mark for me that we go again and again. My belief, my positive energy is more than here. If you know me longer, I’m not the guy to go too much inside. I’m more the fighter to go again. And with this confidence, I’m the leader of the group. I will show them during the week how good we are and what we can achieve. And six points in football goes quick. It could be two matchdays and then we will speak in a different way, and we will try everything.
Did you see that the individuals who don’t have experience of getting over the line showed?
Mentality, mentality, guys. This word should not be the topic today. I see 120 minutes, just one team who deserve to win. It’s not about mentality.
Are you disappointed you didn’t test their keeper more?
I think when you have 24 shots, then you can speak about how many shots we had on target. There was a big header. I think it was a good example. We made the header and our own player cleared on the line for them. I think in the extra time, there was a big save. We passed the goalkeeper from then, but there was a defender on the line. I couldn’t see this today by Celtic. I’m not sure, it was one shot from them. But football is about results. I can bring you all these things now. I know this. But I can’t blame my team today for this performance in any single minute.
The SFA have issued a statement about the scenes at the final whistle. If there is action against the club how could that affect you and the team?
The good thing is I take a lot of responsibility for a lot of topics, but this is not my topic. I think there are a lot of good people around me that will speak about this and then we will see.
If it is not mentality, then what is it?
The final details because, and this is also part, when you have not the mentality, not the personality, then you will have not reacted like this we did today. We have this. There’s no question mark when I see my group, what they did during the week, how we lift each other, how we prepared it, how focused we are, what we can do, and you deliver such a performance in 120 minutes. Then, in football, and I think this is also part of football, you need in some moments a little bit of luck on your side to score in the right moments. I’m convinced if you work so hard and you improve so massively, this momentum will come back and then let’s see where we are in the next couple of weeks.