Rangers boss bristles at away day questions

Warburton dismisses talk of problems with team’s mentality

Rangers manager Mark Warburton claimed his side had no major problems playing away from home against their nearest rivals following their 4-1 defeat by Hearts.

Wednesday’s loss was their second at Tynecastle this season and they were also beaten 5-1 at Celtic Park and 2-1 at Aberdeen, who sit two points behind them in third place in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

Rangers also lost all four matches away from home against the two teams immediately below them in the Championship last season, Hibernian and Falkirk.

But Warburton said: “I don’t think there is a problem with big games. I don’t see it as a big problem.

“We went to Aberdeen and I felt dominated and (we) should have won the game.

“We have gone to all these various other venues, Inverness, Partick, Dundee, Motherwell, we have won games of football very convincingly.

“The Parkhead game was well documented. Hearts, we had two bad performances, it’s as simple as that.”

The Rangers manager dismissed a suggestion that there might be an issue with his team’s mentality.

“You mean are we worried about going to those grounds?” he said. “Not at all, absolutely not. I don’t understand that question one iota.”

Warburton, whose team host Ross County tomorrow, added: “Whether you play the top of the table or the bottom of the table, it’s three points. You don’t get five for beating someone and two for beating someone else.

“So the fact we are sitting second in the table tells you we are doing some things OK. We have to improve, of course we do, but the fact is the team is growing and we are learning.”

Although he denied mentality was an issue, he admitted they needed to respond better to setbacks. But he felt the Tynecastle defeat revolved around the goals they conceded early in each half.

The unchallenged Krystian Nowak headed the opener after Rangers were initially caught out by a short free-kick. And, after Emerson Hyndman equalised, Jamie Walker fired Hearts back in front after winning possession from Andy Halliday after Wes Foderingham had rolled the ball out from a crowded penalty box.

Slack organisation from another quickly-taken free-kick and poor goalkeeping cost Rangers further goals.

Warburton said: “We have gone through it with the group and goals change games. We gifted them a goal after three minutes, we have gifted them a second goal four minutes into the second half, and it makes a huge impact.”

Rangers beat Aberdeen at Ibrox immediately after their first defeat at Tynecastle this season and Warburton demanded a similar reaction.

“We had a bad result at Tynecastle and won the next four games and went second in the league,” he said. “We had a bad performance last night.

“What we have to do now is welcome Ross County and deliver a commanding performance.”

Mark Warburton: believes his team is still growing and learning.