With 8 wins of 8 and some absolutely glorious football, Rangers fans are toasting the fare from Ibrox this season and particularly the endeavours of our brilliant new manager, Mark Warburton.
And quite rightly; this is some of the best football Rangers have produced in decades, even if the opponent is Alloa and not Aberdeen – equally we have Barrie McKay and not Brian Laudrup.
That said, Ibroxnoise.co.uk decided on a statistical breakdown of Warburton’s electric start compared with the start made last season by ex-manager Ally McCoist.
Naturally, Warburton absolutely stonks all over Ally, right? Actually, no! Surprisingly, despite the incredible upgrade in football, the stats are curiously not a huge chasm apart between both managers.
Let us take a look at the numbers of both initial 8 matches.
Possession (%):
Mark Warburton – 53 66 63 71 63 60 72 67 = average of 64%
Ally McCoist – 54 53 49 58 58 59 60 57 = average of 56%
This is clearly something of a gulf. While McCoist’s Rangers rarely went below 55%, it never got higher than 60 either. Warburton broke 70 twice and never went under 53.
Shots:
Mark Warburton – 10 27 25 18 16 13 18 15 = 142 total shots
Ally McCoist – 12 10 9 24 22 10 17 20 = 124 total shots
Ok, there is an 18 shot gap here but 124 is still a fairly respectable number. Anyone thinking Warburton has double or even a third higher shots is off the mark.
Shots on target:
Mark Warburton – 6 13 10 8 8 5 9 7 = 66
Ally McCoist – 4 2 4 16 11 4 7 19 = 67
Yes, really – McCoist actually had more shots on target than Warburton!
Results:
Mark Warburton – 8 wins of 8
Ally McCoist – 7 wins of 8, one defeat
Disclaimer:
At no point are we saying McCoist comes close to being half the manager Warburton is. Warburton has rolled over Hibs, St Mirren and Queen of the South away, while McCoist’s most credible win was 0-2 away at Falkirk, with both goals being late.
Meanwhile Warburton’s brand of football has been some of the most aesthetically pleasing in living memory at Ibrox.
But for anyone who thinks Warburton’s stats (just stats) are just ridiculous compared to McCoist’s, might want to actually look at them.
Further disclaimer:
This is far from an attack on the wonderful Warburton, nor a supportive entry on McCoist – it is purely for factual and curiosity purposes.