Apos;Gerrard Needs Time And Money apos Says Ex-Rangers Boss Warburton
Mark Warburton will spend the fifth anniversary of his appointment at Ibrox immersed in thoughts about the other [/sport/teampages/rangers.html Rangers].
The English Championship restarts this week.
And Warburton's [/sport/teampages/queens-park-rangers.html Queens Park Rangers] will be heading to Barnsley on Saturday afternoon. Preparing for a comeback amid ‘the new normal' is more than enough to keep any manager busy.
Occupying a solid mid-table position, Warburton's employers will surpass their points total from the whole of last season if they win the first of nine remaining games.
Progress looks assured in West [/news/london/index.html London].
Mark Warburton will be immersed in thoughts about the other Rangers this weekend
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That may be where the 57-year-old's ambitions now lie, but he eagerly hopes to hear a positive bulletin from the south side of Glasgow once Scottish football emerges from its own lockdown. Steven Gerrard will be wished every bit of good luck going in his bid to turn Rangers into champions.
Positive thoughts can only go so far, of course.
When it comes to stopping a richer Celtic with the history of ten in a row in their sights, Warburton believes Gerrard needs to continue receiving a more tangible form of support — namely financial backing for additions in the mould of their recent £3million-signing Ianis Hagi.
‘Rangers are getting a lot closer to Celtic but you still need to support Steven,' Warburton told Sportsmail.
‘You need to make sure he can not just close the gap, but get there and go beyond.
‘I think he has done a great job and I very much hope they keep on backing him.
That's what he needs because I'm sure the other side of Glasgow will be keen to push for the tenth. You really hope that Rangers do what they have to do to support Steven and stop it.
Warburton says Steven Gerrard needs to continue receiving a more tangible form of support
‘Of course, there will be big pressure, but then Steven had almost 20 years as a world-class player dealing with pressure.
He will understand the pressure, even with the different perspective of a manager. He knows what it takes to win big games of football.
‘As I said, I think it is all about backing Steven. Give him the time, the support and the confidence any manager needs — no matter who you are.
‘The likes of (Ianis) Hagi, you need that level of player to come to Ibrox.
It's a great theatre.'
The curtain fell on Warburton's show after 20 months. Appointed on June 15, 2015, he won Rangers promotion from the Championship, beat Celtic in a Scottish Cup semi-final, lost the final to Hibernian and didn't reach the end of his only Premiership season. Pedro Caixinha proved an expensive disaster as successor, bracketed by two interim spells of Graeme Murty's leadership.
Now Gerrard is approaching a third season in charge, making him the longest-serving incumbent since Ally McCoist.
Curtain fell on Warburton after 20 months despite gaining promotion from the Championship
While effusive on the ‘privilege' of managing Rangers, Warburton (left) felt time and money were both issues during his own tenure.
He expresses regret at not speaking out more on the latter.
‘At a club like Rangers, the average supporter has been brought up with players like Gascoigne, McCoist, Amoruso, Laudrup, Souness and so on,' he said. ‘Great, world-class players.
‘We were in a situation where we had no money.
But I didn't use the media wisely enough. I hoped very much that people would see and understand but I should have been blunter.
‘You look at the first people coming in, the likes of Tavernier and Waghorn — £200,000 or so. Halliday, free.
Holt, free. Foderingham, free. We should have been more vocal to say the club is not in a position to go and rival Celtic. But if you do that, cricketnfootballcenter.blogspot.com the other side of the coin is that you are seen as being negative or lacking ambition.
‘There is always a balancing act to play.
But in hindsight I wish I had that knowledge so that I could be very clear.'
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard can handle pressure of altering the Old Firm balance of power
Warburton made a number of solid additions for Rangers on a prudent budget, the most durable of which has been current captain Tavernier.
But the counter-argument is that spending more — be it on wages or fees — didn't always deliver results.
Joey Barton's addition became a fiasco, his contract terminated five months after his arrival following a suspension on disciplinary grounds.
By then, signs of tension in the relationship between Warburton and the Ibrox hierarchy were starting to emerge.
‘Learning about the board was another lesson, understanding the board at such a big club are basically fanatical supporters,' admitted the Londoner, who was hired after a successful spell in charge of Brentford.
‘My background was KPIs (key performance indicators), sorting short, medium and longer-term targets and achieving those goals.
‘But you have to realise the emotion and passion of a club like Rangers in a city like Glasgow becomes very influential.
That's a lesson I would have loved to have known in advance but it's all part of life.'
Rangers lost the first three Old Firm games of the 2016-17 season — including a 5-1 drubbing at Parkhead — as Celtic marched towards an Invincible Treble under newly-appointed manager Brendan Rodgers.
Rangers fans have been brought up on Gascoigne, McCoist, Amoruso, Laudrup and Souness
Warburton's side were 27 points adrift when his controversial exit was confirmed on February 10, 2017 (the gap would grow to 39 points by the end of the season) but he argues that basic fact cannot portray the full picture.
‘I have an enormous respect for Brendan,' he continued.
‘I think Celtic brought him in because we had beaten them (in the 2016 Scottish Cup semi-final) and they felt we were a threat again. They responded.
‘Brendan then has one of the best years in Celtic's history. I got lambasted by Chris Sutton and others for saying they will regress to the mean. Sure enough, the next season it returned to a more normal level of games lost and drawn etc.
Celtic had had a stellar year.
‘The target set for us was to get into Europe in the third year as a non-negotiable. We were in the European places in our second year.
‘But what took over was: "We can't be trailing 20 points behind Celtic. This doesn't happen in Rangers' history".
‘We weren't the Rangers of 2011 then. We were the Rangers of free transfers and low wages, way behind Celtic's budget.
‘We had guys who would bleed for the club, but they were coming up against Celtic having a record year.
‘It was panic, I think.
The passion of the rivalry took over and the decision was made. But the bigger picture was that we were on track and in good shape.'
The Rangers chairman Dave King has said Warburton's agent approached Rangers asking that they waive their right to compensation if a club made an approach.
That was effectively viewed as a resignation and accepted, but Warburton has always firmly denied quitting.
‘We all have to grow and move on,' he reflected. ‘I wish Steven and the club all the best, I really do. I can't wait to see them get back to the top of the tree.
The 2019-20 season in Scotland was called to a halt this month, crowning Celtic as champions
‘I'm in a fantastic position now with QPR — I'm very happy to be here — but Glasgow Rangers is one of the biggest clubs in the world.
For people to think you would walk out on that is nonsense. I've said it very politely every time.
‘They did what they did. I found out by watching Sky Sports and it's all old news.
‘What frustrates me — and I see it at many clubs, not just what happened to me and Rangers — is that when a manager leaves they open the chequebook.
‘I've never met Pedro Caixinha.
I'm sure he is a lovely guy and someone who has done extremely well in Mexico. But suddenly I'm watching money being spent.
‘We bought Joe Garner as our record signing and sold him for a very small loss. Other than that, there was hardly any money.
People were suggesting Niko Kranjcar was on £25,000 per week. He was on a fraction of that.'
Warburton joined Nottingham Forest shortly after leaving Rangers, but was sacked nine months later. ‘Brendan is a friend, who I knew from Watford,' he said.
‘He spoke to me after what happened at Rangers and said I should take six months out. Other people I know said similar.
‘It was two-and-a-bit weeks down the line when I got the call from Forest. They have fantastic history and pedigree.
There are not many people who would turn that down.
‘You could give yourself a six-month sabbatical but there might not be many jobs out there. Even now, there are a lot of big-name British managers who are not working.'
QPR looks like a happier home.
Appointed last May, Warburton has made the Loftus Road club third-top scorers in the Championship — albeit only one team has conceded more. A late push for a play-off place could yet be possible if their defence can tighten up. The challenge is very different to the one taken on exactly five years ago.
Promotion was a necessity in the 2015/16 season. And Rangers claimed the second-tier title by an 11-point margin.
‘The unveiling was a mad day with all the photographers and so on,' recalled Warburton.
‘But it was really over a glass of wine with David (Weir) that evening that I realised the privilege of managing such a huge club.
‘I always use that word "privilege" because it is.
Anyone who says otherwise is deluded. It's a magnificent club. Working there changes your whole perspective.
‘When we arrived, we were caught in the mix of being a Championship club but what should really be the biggest club in Scotland.
That was something we had to deal with but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
‘I'm a better manager and a better person for having had that experience.'
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