Warburton in bid to revive Rangers
Glasgow giants come up short on return to top-flight
GLASGOW, Dec 2, (AFP): Rangers manager Mark Warburton is being urged to revolutionise his tactics as the Glasgow giants struggle to adapt to life back in the Scottish Premiership.
Warburton’s patient passing philosophy and rigid 4-3-3 formation paid off as he led Rangers to promotion from the second tier while scoring a memorable defeat of rivals Celtic en route to the Scottish Cup final last season.
However, his team have come up short on their return to the top-flight so far.
With Rangers trailing Celtic by eight points and having played three games more it now seems that second place is their main goal as they chase a European spot.
Warburton’s side may only be kept off second by goal difference but their 2-0 loss to Hearts was their third of a season in which they have dropped points in eight of their 15 games.
Rangers have dominated possession in the majority of their games but have managed just 19 goals in the league and have needed last-minute winners against Motherwell, Dundee and Partick Thistle in recent weeks.
Despite looking bereft of ideas when things aren’t going their way, Warburton, who is increasingly coming under scrutiny, is refusing to change Rangers’ style.
Last season, when responding to a drop in form, he said: “I see calls for Plan B and Plan C and big strikers and being more direct.
“We’ve got to be better. Plan B is doing Plan A better. I’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, that’s what we have to do.”
It’s a stance that has frustrated the club’s supporters and their former player turned pundit, Neil McCann.
“It wouldn’t be as if he would be admitting defeat by changing tactics -- it’s football,” McCann said.
“There’s nothing wrong with having to change. It’s not like he’s bursting his philosophy. It’s finding a way of winning.”
Rangers now face a make-or-break period as they take on their nearest challengers in a tough festive fixture list starting with the visit of Aberdeen on Saturday before they host Hearts the following weekend.
But while he has “respect for the fans of Lazio”, you won’t see any sky blue -- the colours of the team nicknamed the ‘biancocelesti’ -- in his establishment.
Instead, burgundy-coloured football shirts bearing the names of Totti, (Daniele) De Rossi and (Alessandro) Florenzi deck the walls in a permanent tribute to the side which, for the past 25 years, has been carried along by the goalscoring exploits of one-club man Totti.
Totti, in his 25th and likely final season with Roma, is not even sure to start on Sunday when both sides will be looking to maintain their early season challenge to five-time consecutive champions Juventus.