Warburton to hold talks with Barton
RANGERS manager Mark Warburton will meet Joey Barton tomorrow to discuss the midfielder’s future after he was omitted from the team that drew 0-0 with Ross County at Ibrox.
Barton was banished from the squad last week following a heated trainingground argument with team-mate Andy Halliday and a further altercation with Warburton and told not to return until the start of next week. He subsequently published an apology on Twitter and then discussed the situation on national radio.
Warburton would not be drawn on the subject of Barton’s temporary absence, eventually cutting short his post-match media conference when asked whether the player would return to the squad for Tuesday’s Betfred Cup tie against Queen of the South at Ibrox. It is understood, however, that he will meet the player tomorrow to try to resolve a situation described by Ross County manager Jim McIntyre as “a circus”.
“We won’t make any comment on any player when there is an internal matter that’s being dealt with by the club,” said Warburton. “It didn’t affect our preparation at all. That’s part of the challenges. If you work on a building site and bricks don’t turn up, you’ve got a problem.
“We trained well and delivered a good performance which didn’t get the rewards I felt the players deserved. I have no more comment to make on Barton. You can keep asking questions but all I’ll do is close the interview.”
Despite Rangers dropping points for the fourth time in six games this season, Warburton declared himself satisfied with his team’s display at home to County.
“That’s our best 90-minute performance of the season,” he said. “We wanted to go back to basics. We said to the players to come in and move the ball quickly and show an energy and desire to get bodies forward. We wanted men in the box to create chances and test their keeper. And we did that.
“We created more than enough chances to win two or three games of football. It was just one of those days. I felt the ball hit every part of the goalkeeper’s body. It hit his head, his shoulder, and his leg. It hit the bar. We created so many chances.
“But we have to be much happier with the quality in performance. Nine times out of 10 we would win that game. The lads trained well during the week after a frustrating week, for obvious reasons. For me it showed in the performance. So we’re pleased with it and all the energy now goes towards Queen of the South on Tuesday night.”
Match report – Page 2