Robbie fitted in at Bees
Mark Warburton’s respect for Robbie Neilson stems from watching the effort he put to get fit while on loan at Brentford.
And he has seen the young gaffer show that same work ethic while in charge at Hearts.
Neilson went to the Bees in 2011 on a loan spell from Leicester.
Warburton was the London side’s first-team coach at the time and knew right away he had landed a good one.
The Ibrox manager said: “Robbie came in and he was an outstanding pro.
“It was a good loan for us. It showed the young boys what it’s all about at the higher level and it worked out well for both parties.
“I remember Robbie doing his work after an injury – he had an exercise to do every afternoon.
“I watched a diligent professional at work. So I have a lot of respect for Robbie.
“I spoke to him the other week and hope we can meet up sooner rather than later because he’s a good guy.
“I like him a lot as a man and how he goes about his business— that will be ref lected in his team I’m sure.
“We know we face a very tough test on Wednesday.”
Neilson and his Hearts mentor Craig Levein like to pack their side with strapping six-footers and Warburton admits that approach wi l l pose problems for his players.
Warbs said: “It does but you’ve got to deal with it.
“Physical can be 6ft 4in at a corner or 5ft 8in and Usain Bolt-like.
“It depends on what type of physicality they possess. I hope they don’t have both!
“It’s part and parcel of the game, dealing with the set-pieces, dealing with the pace and movement of the wide players or frontmen.”