BILLYABUSE ISSICKENING
being aimed at the onloan Stamford Bridge midfielder and says the Canaries crowd are clearly clueless at failing to recognise a top talent.
Gilmour joined Norwich on a season-long loan in the summer and Ferguson still believes the former Rangers youth ace was right to make the move.
He said: “It just sickened me when I saw it.
“It’s baffling. Some people don’t appreciate good footballers.
“I’ve said it numerous times, he is just a wonderful player.
“Ask any current or former player, you can always have off days. No one can be at 100 per cent every game.
“But you should still appreciate a top player when you see one and don’t forget, he might be superb on the ball but he also grafts.
“The response from the Norwich crowd annoyed and frustrated me, it made me angry.
“I am convinced Gilmour will go on to become one of the best midfielders in Britain.”
Ferguson wouldn’t be surprised if Chelsea summon Gilmour back to London in January as they battle an injury crisis but he reckons the kid might fancy sticking around to shut up his critics.
He said: “It might be a possibility for Chelsea to call him back. They’ve got injury problems and he might want to be where he’s appreciated.
“The other side is he might take it on the chin and think ‘I’ll show you’.
“It’s not a pleasant thing to go through. I’ve been there myself and no one likes criticism.
“But you can use it as a positive and throw it back in their faces.”
Several pundits have questioned Gilmour’s decision to move from a top class Premier League outfit to a relegationthreatened side.
Ferguson still believes it was a smart move and the problems he’s faced could be a positive when it comes to club and country.
He said: “I didn’t go along with the feeling it was the wrong move.
“I felt it would show Billy a different side of the game where you are not as dominant as you’d be at Chelsea with 60 or 70 per cent possession.
“I thought it would show him how it works when you don’t have the ball and need to do different things. It will still be a brilliant learning curve.
“He’s been an absolute dream for Scotland. They’ve been brilliant to watch in the last year and the side has been built around Billy.
“He’s going to be a mainstay of the Scotland side for the next 12 years.”
Gilmour was initially frozen out by boss Daniel Farke at Norwich but following his sacking he was back in the frame under Dean Smith.
He picked up back-toback man of the match awards but the Canaries continued to toil and have lost five on the trot.