Reality check for Rangers as bus crash victims visit
Warburton gets some perspective as Nith Valley Loyal club come to Auchenhowie
F SOME perspective was required for Mark Warburton yesterday, it arrived in the form of a visit to the club’s training base from selected members of the Nith Valley Loyal Rangers supporters’ club.
One man, Ryan Baird, died and 18 others were injured when a bus carrying fans from the Sanquhar and Kirkconnel area swerved and crashed on the A76 on its way to the home win against Partick Thistle on October 1 and there were poignant scenes at Auchenhowie yesterday when the Englishman met with the deceased’s parents and fiancee among other members of the ill-fated coach trip that day. It may not seem like it at times, but football really isn’t a matter of life and death.
“We had all the boys from the bus in at the training ground today,” said Warburton. “The boys suffered some horrible injuries, so it was good to see them back to full health and enjoying their morning. It puts things into perspective.
“You realise how close some of them came,” he added. “Some were saying they’d sat in the seat where Ryan unfortunately was. You can imagine the stories, there was one young lad coming to his first ever game at Ibrox. So it was good to get them in and show them around – it was the least we could do. You can talk about a game of football but we met Ryan’s mum and dad and his fiancee and it was devastating. It shows this is only a game.”
Members of the armed services will visit Ibrox on Saturday to help observe the customary minute’s silence for Remembrance Day before the meeting with Kilmarnock, but any respite for the manager is unlikely to last for long. Boos rang out around Ibrox on Wednesday night following the club’s third home league draw of the campaign, a result which leaves their ambitions for a maiden title upon their return to the Scottish top flight looking forlorn even before the end of October.
They trail Celtic by seven points, having played a game more, and best of the rest now appears a more realistic target. The maths didn’t seem quite right when the Englishman said that 95 per cent of the club’s supporters remain steadfastly behind him, but now would seem a sensible time to manage expectations amongst a supporter base who have grown used to their club racking up league titles and cup wins. Would, for instance, finishing second, albeit if they trail in 35 points behind a treble-winning Celtic, still represent success?
“It has taken me 18 months to understand a lot more about it [the expectation at Rangers],” said Warburton.
“New guys are coming in, knocking on the door, bemused by it. We have got to learn that the expectation is high because the supporters have been reared on titles, cup success, and European travels.
“We have to manage the expectations in the squad and recognise what is good, what is success, in both the short term, and the longer term.”
People in football are often scathing of ‘projects’, but Warburton is determined that his approach long-term can take Rangers to where they need to go. But certain short-term success is a pre-requisite in order to by him time.
“Talk of cutting the gap between the two Old Firm sides, for instance, ignores the fact that Celtic’s coffers this summer will be boosted by an extra £20m in Champions League money.”
The Englishman feels that the main source of pressure on his position comes not from the boardroom, nor from the club’s fans, but from the media. “The pressure comes from certain papers,” he said. “If you read certain papers then you think the pressure comes from the board because we have won four out of 10 [in the league]. Had we won last night instead of drawn, where would be in relation to Hearts and Aberdeen?
“We are 10 games in, very early into the season, still players gelling in. After this ‘shocking’ start ... one reporter said to me last night that if we had lost it would be even deeper into the despair. What was he talking about?”
The boys suffered some horrible injuries so it’s good to see them back to full health and enjoying their morning. It puts things into perspective