IN HIGH DEMAND
Retaining a sense of perspective has never come easily in football, especially at a club which operates against a backdrop of relentlessly high expectations regardless of the circumstances it finds itself in.
Mark Warburton admits it has taken him all of the year and a bit he has been in charge of Rangers to fully come to terms with the demands placed upon him at Ibrox. The club’s quest to find stability and security off the pitch in the wake of their 2012 financial collapse has in no way diminished the desire of their support to see the team challenging for major honours.
The chorus of jeers which rang around the Govan ground on Wednesday night at the conclusion of a 1-1 draw with St Johnstone which left Rangers in fifth place in the Premiership table indicated once more that patience and understanding from the club’s support have a very limited shelf life.
In his programme notes for the match, Warburton had written of being “less than halfway into what is a longterm project designed to take the club back to the pinnacle of Scottish football and we know much work lies ahead”.
Along with his assistant David Weir, the Englishman signed a contract extension in the summer which is scheduled to extend his stay at Rangers until at least 2019. His team’s inconsistent start to life in the top flight has failed to sow any doubt in his own mind he will continue to be backed by chairman Dave King and the rest of the Ibrox board to fulfil his vision for Rangers.
“Any manager has got to say that,” said Warburton. “Every manager has got to say they hope that progress is being made and is being seen to be made. That’s really important.
“I haven’t seen any disquiet. Mr King is based in South Africa. That’s why we have a clear dialogue with (managing director) Stewart Robertson and (finance and administration director) Andrew Dick-
“The support are very demanding, very expectant and rightly so. They were reared on success and it’s our job to understand that”
MARK WARBURTON