Warburton seeks finance to keep Rangers rolling
Manager urges Ibrox board to spend so that his side can compete with Celtic
MARK WARBURTON, the Rangers manager, last night told the Ibrox board they must invest in the playing squad this summer despite his side’s thrilling victory over Celtic in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi final at Hampden.
Warburton’s side won a classic encounter 5-4 on penalties – the first shoot-out between the two Glasgow clubs in a major competition – after they had finished tied 2-2 after 120 minutes to book a place in the final with their Ladbrokes Championship rivals Hibernian on May 21.
Rangers dominated the game for long spells and twice took the lead through Kenny Miller in the first half and man of the match Barrie McKay during the first period of extra time.
Warburton was at pains, though, to stress there is still a large gulf between his side and Celtic and that investment will be required – particularly if his side win the trophy and set up a return to European competition next season.
Asked if it would be a mistake for Dave King, the Rangers chairman, who was at Hampden yesterday, to think the side were at the same level as Celtic as a result of the win, he said: “Absolutely. “Don’t be fooled by that. The better team won, but there is a gap there and we’ve got to recognise that. We need to go into the season to be highly competitive. We know that we are 90 minutes from Europe. It impacts on our recruitment as well. If we do win the final, we have got to add one or two more players in terms of depth in the squad.
“There will be down times, there will be bad days as well, so you have to make sure you are ready for them and try and recruit wisely, get the environment right and keep on pushing forward. It is important now that we don’t stop. If Rangers stop, we have a problem.
“We’ll enjoy today, but we need to keep moving forward. Rangers cannot afford to stand still. Celtic are a team packed with international players.”
Warburton, in the dugout at an Old Firm game for the first time, admitted he was annoyed by suggestions that his side would be blown away. Chris Sutton, the one-time Celtic striker, claimed his former team could win blindfolded and would finish the contest by half-time.
“I read some outrageous report about how it would be a cricket score,” he said. “I was irritated by people underestimating Rangers. I think the players deserved quite a bit more respect.
“To concede two goals after breaks like that, you could have crumbled. You could have said the international players will come and dominate. That wasn’t the case. I’m delighted for the fans. They’ve been to some dark places in the last four or five years, so it’s great they can enjoy days like these.”