The outcome necessary to endorse Mark Warburton’s status as the Rangers manager will never arrive. Likewise, those sceptical about the 54-year-old’s ability to deliver a perfectly acceptable return at the end of this, Rangers’ first season back in Scottish football’s top flight, will never be able to speak with certainty.
Such a state of flux rather sums up events at Ibrox, almost five years to the day since administration sent both Rangers and the Scottish game into such a tailspin that neither would ever be the same again.
Whatever the hilariously mixed messages of Friday night, Warburton’s Rangers tenure is over. Before, that is, he could deliver the second-placed finish in the Scottish Premier League and extended Scottish Cup run which would have afforded him a laugh in the face of his many detractors or, conversely, Rangers’ implosion in a 4-1 defeat at Hearts earlier this month could bleed into the remainder of this campaign.
And let’s be clear, second spot was the only legitimate target for Rangers in 2016-17, as acknowledged by the sane majority of their support. It was even a stated boardroom objective.
Last season, Warburton had cantered through a second tier where his immediate predecessor, Ally McCoist, could not and, less than a year ago, eliminated Celtic from the Scottish Cup with a Hampden victory on penalties which supposedly heralded a returning force. It should be remembered that, in the aftermath of that Old Firm clash, Warburton was actually at pains to point out the gulf between his club and Celtic.
That gaping hole is even more apparent now than it was last April. It is the reason Warburton faced one of the most impossible tasks in British football by trying to somehow keep pace – however unrealistic – with a Celtic who have vanished into an alternative financial and football stratosphere.
This is an issue of specific environment: Rangers will constantly be compared with Celtic and vice versa. No individual can alter that dynamic. Warburton’s body language in recent times pointed towards realisation that this was unpalatable to him in the longer term. This is the real and belated punishment for Rangers after their off‑field meltdown; football in the lower leagues was novel but a box seat as Celtic bathe in champagne is tortuous.
Rangers claimed on Friday that Warburton and his staff has resigned as the former Brentford manager pleaded ignorance. The only certainty was that the club had, almost gleefully, seized upon an opportunity for change. It was the natural conclusion to a process where the relationship between Warburton and the Rangers chairman, Dave King, was nonexistent and background sniping regarding the manager’s supposed failings had become commonplace. These whispers will continue, with the intended consequence of rendering the first‑team coaching structure as Rangers’ fundamental problem.
Warburton is no unblemished figure here, particularly in the days leading up to his removal. No manager should put themselves in such a position where he can be so readily compromised or exposed. His player recruitment last summer was poor. Another parallel, one the manager did not particularly like, is that Rangers operate in completely different fiscal terms to Aberdeen and Hearts, with whom they are jousting for second spot in the SPL. In away matches particularly, there has been a visible Rangers fragility. The Joey Barton saga also did not reflect well on Warburton’s man-management.
With this as a backdrop, there is a theory that King simply – if suddenly – lost faith in Warburton. More worthy of focus is the absentee chairman’s own commitment and agenda; the South Africa-based King has not even deemed matches with Celtic worthy of attending, just as claims regarding spending “whatever it takes” to restore Rangers’ status have been seriously undermined by actions. King, remember, undertook a hostile takeover of the club in 2015 on this grandstanding basis.
Rangers remain a dysfunctional club, far removed from King’s promises. The chaos of Warburton’s departure highlight that much, as does an interminable boardroom spat with Mike Ashley which will rumble back into court next month. Director and investor loans are propping up a business that has lost £11m in two accounting periods. Auditor warnings accompany those returns. Club bulletins are routinely reserved for vehemently defending the integrity of supporters – that crucial revenue stream.
The farcical circumstances surrounding Warburton’s exit also serve as a warning to other managers. Derek McInnes, a Rangers supporter but holding one of the safest jobs in Scotland at Aberdeen, would be wise to acknowledge the background.
The post will hold obvious appeal to those out of work but with a Rangers allegiance; Billy Davies and Alex McLeish have already been quoted. Davies may spontaneously combust in this cauldron, while 11 years having passed since McLeish ended his stint at Ibrox. In McLeish’s favour is he took on the job in cost-cutting times when succeeding Dick Advocaat in 2001.
As for Warburton, the deeper point was that he never seemed to fully grasp his environment. The all-consuming nature of the Old Firm – especially when involved with the poor relation – really does require a strength of character and refusal to show weakness that some managers do not possess. Tony Mowbray was one, Paul Le Guen another; Warburton fell into the same trap.
In a parting swipe at Warburton, Rangers claimed “we are clearly short of where we expected to be at this time”. For all that may be true, the reason was not only to be found in the dressing room. Warburton became a symptom of Rangers’ unease.
