Warburton slams Deila’s detractors
Mind the gap the message as Rangers manager changes tack and looks past Celtic
AHEAD of their sides’ William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final tie at Hampden tomorrow, Rangers manager Mark Warburton has labelled criticism of Celtic counterpart Ronny Deila as “staggering” and “inappropriate”.
Deila has come under fire from a section of the Celtic support for the team’s failures in Europe this season as well as for recent struggles in the league. Warburton, preparing for his first Old Firm derby, believes that abuse has been unwarranted.
“I find some of the criticism that he receives quite staggering,” he said. “They are top of the league and have got to a semi-final. I understand some comments about Europe, but I think he has done a tremendous job.
“After nearly a year [in Scottish football], I think I have come to understand what is involved and how it works. Ronny knows it as well. He has been here longer than I have. But some of it has been inappropriate. I don’t think it is warranted when he is top of the league and doing what he is doing. I can’t comment on Celtic fans and their view of the club. But I know the job he is doing.”
MARK WARBURTON spent his final media conference insisting that – the madness of the Old Firm circus aside – this week has been just like any other for Rangers. That wasn’t entirely true. All season long Warburton has stuck rigidly to the notion that nothing mattered beyond his side’s next game. It is a stance he has never deviated from, something that became a source of bemused frustration for those journalists from the Sunday newspapers who would troop out to the traditional Friday press gathering wanting him to look ahead to a match further down the line. “Sorry fellas, it’s all about the next game,” would come the good-natured apology from the Rangers manager. “It has to be that way.”
Except not on this occasion, it seems. In his first season in Scottish football, Warburton has not encountered anything like the rush to the senses that will greet him at Hampden tomorrow.
There have been some fairly memorable Championship duels with Hibernian, and cup ties against Premiership opposition, but his first Old Firm game, at the national stadium, with a Scottish Cup final place up for grabs, knocks all those experiences into a cocked hat. If ever there was a match of such enormity that there was little point looking beyond it, then this was it.
Warburton, though, has decided upon an unexpected change of tack. In an interview with an English newspaper published on Thursday – something he was quick to deny was about maintaining his profile down south – he was quoted as saying that “Sunday is nice to have but August 6 [the first day of the new Premiership season] is when it really matters”.
It was a similar story yesterday, Warburton going against his every instinct by almost waving away the notion of challenging Celtic tomorrow and instead stressing the importance of being ready for the start of the new campaign when Rangers will return to the top division for the first time in four years. In a week where so much has been said and written about this tie, it was difficult to know whether this was an attempt at reverse psychology in the hope that Celtic let their guard down, or simply Warburton buying himself some time in case tomorrow’s encounter does not go the way Rangers fans hope it will. Regardless, it was the sort of slick and sudden change of direction that Willie Henderson in his heyday would have been proud of.
“I think any neutral would say Celtic have to be the favourites – and I’m not being negative in any shape or form,” he said. “They are top of the Premiership, they are the current champions, and they’ve been in Europe for a number of years with a very strong financial budget. So why would they not be favourites?
“I hope [the Rangers fans can be realistic]. We’re not going into this game with any negativity. We want to go and win the game – absolutely. That will never change. But all we are saying is, there is a bigger picture, there is a gap there. There has to be a gap – Rangers have been out of the picture for five years. Our job is to close that gap. We have to improve our environment, we have to recruit well, we have to improve the quality of what we do, and if we do that we’ll be okay.
“We have played to a consistent level of performance all season, and we’ve got our rewards in terms of winning the league – the Petrofac was a bonus of course. So we are in good shape. But the strongest squad undoubtedly is Celtic right now. Our job, our bigger picture job, is to make sure that on August 6, when the season starts, we’ve closed the gap. That is the key. This game is great, and I’m not in any way reducing its significance, it’s a cup semi-final. But the bigger picture has to be us gearing up for the new season.”
It was enough to make those neutrals anticipating a close game tomorrow to start to have second thoughts. But perhaps that is Warburton’s intention all along. It is difficult to imagine that “it’s all about next season” will be the message from the manager inside the home dressing room at Hampden late tomorrow morning. The notion that they are somehow inferior to their city rivals is not something he is likely to share with his players.
“Is it easier for them as underdogs? No, because they’re winners, they’re pros, they want to win. They won’t accept that. They go into the game knowing they more than have the qualities to compete and they will want to do so. Their mindset won’t be as an underdog. It will be to go in there well prepared, knowing they’re well prepared and enjoy it. I’ve read with some bemusement some of the comments about buckling under pressure, but you have to enjoy it – this is why you do the job.”
There may be some tactical readjustment needed on his part with Harry Forrester and Martyn Waghorn both ruled out through injury, and Billy King and Michael O’Halloran cup-tied. It leaves Rangers light on options to fill the wider forward roles in Warburton’s preferred 4-3-3 system but he has not ruled out trying something a bit different.
“It will mean a bit of juggling required by us as we are losing width and balance in that respect, but we have other players who offer different qualities. Could there be a surprise? Of course there could. He [Ronny Deila] doesn’t know my team selection and I don’t know his, although we could both have a guess.”
And, finally, there came an admission that victory tomorrow might mean a bit more to him than he was trying to let on. “I’d be over the moon with it because it would mean we’ve reached a Scottish Cup final and that would be magnificent. I’d be delighted for the players. I might even have a nice glass of red wine – or four.”
We’re not going into this game with any negativity. We want to go and win the game – absolutely. But all we are saying is, there is a bigger picture