We’ll stick to our guns in top flight, says Warburton

NO concessions on style, no compromise on formations. Mark Warburton will unleash his Rangers team on the Ladbrokes Premiership’s 38-game season in the only way he knows how.

The Ibrox manager has trashed any suggestion he will need to tweak a commitment to a 4-3-3 line-up, dominating possession and high-tempo football for the step up to weekly top-flight action.

And the former Brentford boss revealed how he has always loved to see an opponent suddenly try to change their system in a bid to match up with his men.

Warburton said: ‘Why would we change? When down south, I had said before to David (Weir) that we would play teams who went 4-4-2 for 15 games in a row then because we were 4-3-3, they would change to us.

‘I thought we were already 1-0 up if teams were suddenly changing their formation.

‘If we suddenly go 3-5-2 now to match another team, then what does that tell you?

‘We must have a belief in what we do, recognise our strengths and understand where we have areas or moments of weakness and where we can improve and keep pushing forward. But we’re never going to change the way we play football.

‘I’m not the most knowledgeable about football but, when we have the ball, the opposition can’t score. That’s for sure.

‘If we can dominate the ball and use it wisely, not just keep it for the sake of it, then all well and good.

‘But it’s about us looking after it. Our rotation is good and, if we can improve the timing of our movement and understand our responsibilities all over the park, then we look a decent team.

‘It’s still early days and there’s a lot of work to be done.’

Warburton has made what he regards as nine closeseason upgrades to the squad that stated their readiness to challenge in a higher division by claiming scalps on the way to the Scottish Cup Final.

Rangers beat Kilmarnock in a replay, blew away Dundee 4-0 and bundled Celtic out of the competition on penalties last season.

‘In those games, I think we were very good,’ said Warburton. ‘Against Dundee, especially, I thought we were excellent and the semi-final against Celtic.

‘Those type of games were our better games. I think we came unstuck if we didn’t focus and concentrate for some of the lesser games.

‘But with the additions we’ve made, the quality of recruitment has been very high. We had to move forward. Eight players left and we had to recruit well. I think we’re in good shape.

‘There’s no lack of understanding of the level of challenge that we face.

‘But, at the same time, we’re not a bad team when we play well.

‘If we do what we do well, we will be a match for any team in the division. We have to deliver that week-in.’