WARBURTON’S DREAM DOUBLE

Ibrox boss hopes to be toasting title wins for Rangers and Tottenham

FOR Mark Warburton, it would be something of a dream double. To see Rangers clinch the Scottish Championship as boyhood favourites Tottenham are crowned kings of England.

‘That wouldn’t be bad, would it?’ smiled the Ibrox boss. ‘I think a glass or two of red wine might flow if that is the case.’

While Warburton remains adamant that nothing has been won yet, the first part of that cork-popping equation seems very much odds-on.

An 11-point lead with 10 games remaining is an immensely pleasing sight for all at Rangers after they shared parity with Hibernian at Christmas.

Spurs clearly f ace the more demanding task, but lie just two points behind those prediction-confounding pace-setters from Leicester City.

Warburton, 53, wasn’t even born the last time the league title was resident at White Hart Lane.

Growing up around north London, that was where his allegiances lay.

But his admiration of t he methods behind Tottenham’s current success isn’t just about nostalgic ties.

Tapping into their pool of talent is something he feels could continue to benefit Rangers as they look to the future.

Already, the loan of Dominic Ball has provided them with a strong, adaptable defender to bolster their promotion push. If all parties agree, the England Under-20 cap could even return for next season’s expected Premiership campaign.

Warburton also took winger Nathan Oduwa from Spurs until January and believe sin the merits of a mutually beneficial relationship.

‘Dom Ball has come in and played in front of 50,000 fans, at rightback, left-back, centre-back and in midfield ,’ said Warburton. ‘Fantastic.

‘We knew the players who come out of Spurs would have the right attributes and work ethic. It speaks volumes for the way that club is run, from Daniel Levy down through Mauricio Pochettino, his staff and all those at the academy. They have some world-class staff.

‘Dom is a Spurs player, like Gedion (Zelalem) with Arsenal. Our job is to maintain dialogue and keep proving we can deliver an environment for these players.

‘It sounds a bit cold to call them assets, but that’s what they are. Balance-sheet items.

‘I’ve been delighted with Dom. He has settled in well and is well liked by the squad. He shows a great attitude every day in training and his desire to learn is evident.

‘I would have no hesitation (in bringing him back), but right now he is a Spurs player. He will go back and we’ll chat to them about where we are for next season.

‘Spurs send staff up all the time to look at Dom. Dean Rastrick (academy manager) was up two weeks ago and we had some lunch, chatting about the relationship.

‘As a loan club, Rangers provides a unique environment of playing in front of 50,000 people. How many places does that happen? It is a huge benefit for us.

‘They see the facilities here as being like a Premier League club. The way we play also hopefully works out well for those clubs.

‘But we have to respond to their feedback and make sure they know all they need to know.

‘If we can do that and strengthen the relationship, then we will be in a good place.’

Indeed, Warburton looks upon Spurs as a prime example of just what can be built through the right balance of youth development and investment.

‘ You l ook at t he j ob t hat Mauricio’s done and you look at the quality of the squad and the number of home-grown players c oming t hrough,’ said t he Englishman.

‘If you look at it in detail, a number of those boys come from within an hour of the training ground and a number of those boys are late developers, which gives credibility to the fact they give the players time to come through.

‘They’ve got a really strong squad of young, talented players.

‘What a magnificent job they’ve done. A new stadium is a couple of years away and I’m sure it’ll be one of the best in world football so the club is in a really strong position.’

It is, though, Rangers’ position at the top of the Championship that is obviously Warburton’s primary concern.

Despite the implosion of a week that Hibs have just endured, he insists complacency will not take root at Ibrox as they prepare to host Raith Rovers this evening.

‘ We have to emphasise the message that we’ve won nothing,’ added Warburton. ‘If we are sitting eight points clear with three games to go then OK, but right now there are 30 points left.

‘I use the example of Leicester City last season. They looked like they were going out of the Premier League and had an unbelievable run to survive.

‘Teams can put big runs together. You have eight victories out of 10 and put 24 points on the board and you are in great shape. We have to make sure we do that.

‘We had a lead earlier in the season, then Hibs went on a run, Falkirk went on a run and we lost a game and drew two.

‘ It can change. We are not denying it’s a great position to be in, but we haven’t won anything yet so we have to make sure the focus is maintained.

‘ Raith i s another big game. Hopefully, there will be another big crowd and another three points. That’s got to be the aim.’