Warburton is setting the bar high
Rangers manager will not rest as he looks to attain elite standard
THE postponement of Friday’s Petrofac Cup tie against Livingston won’t give Mark Warburton the same rest and relaxation opportunities as his players but the Rangers manager is looking forward to spending some time at the bar.
With Gedion Zelalem and Nathan Oduwa away with the USA and English youth teams respectively and Fraser Aird representing Canada, the SPFL have agreed to the Ibrox club’s rescheduling request.
Handily for Warburton, the gap in the schedule will allow him to sneak in a visit to the English FA’s training base at St George’s in Staffordshire as he pursues his pro-licence qualification.
As much as the former Brentford manager will relish the chance to inch closer to UEFA’s gold-standard qualification, it is the time he will spend off duty rubbing shoulders with the likes of Phil Neville and Brad Friedel that will really get Warburton’s juices flowing.
‘The players will have four days off, a great chance to recharge the batteries and get over the niggles and knocks,’ said Warburton. ‘The staff will also have a few days off but I need to do my pro licence at St George’s Park on Saturday through until Tuesday. It’s a busman’s holiday for me, much to my wife’s disgust.
‘There’s Brad Friedel, Scott Parker, Phil Neville and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink — lots of really good people. I’m looking forward to meeting up with them.
‘They all want to talk about Rangers. They want to know about the club and what makes it different. Everyone is feeding off each other. The best time is in the bar of an evening when you’re sitting there and Phil will tell you about Manchester United and Brad will talk about the US soccer scene and his time with Spurs and Blackburn.
‘Miguel D’Agostino, the current Tottenham coach, will discuss their methods. Sometimes you’ll say: “That wouldn’t work for me” but other times it will give you an idea.
‘So the course is great but the highlight is the social side, when you get to ask questions that you can’t ask during the day.’
Warburton (below), who will be able to tell them about his latest success — a 3-1 win over high-flying Falkirk yesterday — disputes the suggestion he is effectively being schooled in management as he works towards his qualification. Although he only managed Brentford for 18 months before moving to Rangers in June, the 53-year-old insists his previous career as a City trader allowed him to hone the leadership skills which he believes are universally applicable. ‘This course enhances you as an individual because you get to meet other people, but the main thing is to get the qualification, to have the badge,’ he said. ‘This is an elite course, so it gives a bit of credibility to what you’re doing. ‘Everyone needs to improve but I would disagree with any suggestion that I’m relatively new to management because I had 20 years in the City, where you’re working with people and it was all about man-management.
‘Is that any different? I don’t think it is at all. You’ve still got to manage people, so I wouldn’t feel naïve or inexperienced in that area.’
The one aspect of football management that does set it apart from most other employment is the horribly fickle nature of the business. Warburton knows what it is like to feel disposable having been cut adrift by Brentford owner Matthew Benham last season as the club pursued a completely new management structure.
Last week, Benham decided to sack Warburton’s successor Marinus Dijkhuizen just nine league games into the season, which left a bad taste in the mouth of the former Griffin Park incumbent.
‘Football is harsher than the City, absolutely,’ added Warburton. ‘I remember going to one bank and they said you should bed yourself in for the first six months to a year. In six months to a year in foot- ball, you are gone. It is six weeks sometimes.
‘I look at some overseas players coming in and people say they are a complete disaster. You look at some of them in their second season and they kick on and do well because the club have been patient with them.
‘I won’t name names, but look at managers being sacked this week. Eight games and people are gone? It wouldn’t happen in other industries. The lack of patience shown by certain individuals is staggering.’