The future of Martyn Waghorn

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The future of Martyn Waghorn

If there were a number of success stories last season, Martyn Waghorn’s 28 goals in the Scottish Championship for his maiden season in the SPFL would have been one of them. His performances were hard-working and for the team, his strength undeniable, and his goals tally extremely impressive.

He became an absolute mainstay of the team, a total fan favourite and to quote Jose Mourinho, an ‘invincible’.

Come rain or shine a full strength Rangers XI always featured him on the team sheet. And when this season started in earnest in the league cup, his flurry of goal activity suggested he would restore that form in Scotland’s top flight.

Unfortunately, just one Premiership goal in nine appearances this season has seen him become a source of criticism, as well as the previously impossible; losing his place.

With last week’s breaking story that he and Warburton had had a falling out (as yet undenied by anyone inside Ibrox) speculation has strongly linked him with a departure in January, with English Championship sides, Fulham, Aston Villa and heavily-touted Bristol City all linked to the out-of-favour forward.

Bristol were mentioned this summer, but most fans were irate at the idea of their star striker leaving, and nothing came of that interest. However, times have changed, and his lack of form and loss of favour with management have lost him a little popularity among certain sections of the support, many of whom would accept his departure for the right fee.

Unfortunately it does leave Rangers in a slight pickle. Whether he stays or not. In terms of striker pool Mark Warburton is a little thin; Joe Garner still has not won fans over with his combustible style, Kenny Miller is hardly one for the future at 36, and Joe Dodoo seems to be struggling to impose himself on the match day squad. And last but not least Waggy’s own struggles up front compound matters.

Waghorn is far from alone in failing to meet expectations on the step up of a level in competition, and his recent omission from starting XI’s after previous immunity does force the notion that Warburton’s patience with him is starting to wear thin. Equally the manager has placed similarly out of form Barrie McKay on the bench, two players who last season were consistently selected each match.

Speculation as to why there was a falling out between Warbs and Waggy remains rife, and the lack of any official denial does force the conclusion the reports were accurate, just like they were regarding recently-departed Joey Barton, but either way the lack of good news from Ibrox these days is testing the patience of supporters who want something good to happen.

Lord knows, I want something positive to focus on; why on earth else would I latch onto the slightest decent performance and act like Rangers just became Barcelona and Warburton the ghost of Struth?

For now though, we need to get real and accept where we are. Whether that place will still have Martyn Waghorn in it come February only time will tell.

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16 COMMENTS

  1. The brutal truth is that Warburton used Waghorn more and more as a winger not as a striker and I think he just got fed up being played out of position with no service up front in the same way as Miller and Garner are suffering.Talking of fall outs where is Harry Forrester he seems to have disappeared?

  2. there has been no "falling out" between waghorn and the manager…the player is basically demanding more money by downing tools…if he was given a new lucrative contract then as if by magic his good playing form would return…no player is bigger than the gers! let him piss off to wherever he wants…R.T.I.D.

  3. This season he has brung nothing to the team but frustration…..always wasting a half chance by trying to negotiate the ball onto his right peg………..was delighted to read he wants away…..bye

  4. Good player on his day for sure…BUT…If he's only here for the money then let him go. From memory there is a clause in his contract that a fee of millions is to be paid to Rangers if he leaves. I may be wrong, but let's hope so.
    It'll be sad to see him go I have to say. His smile is bigger that mine (zippy) lol

    • A fee of millions, I really think you are Zippy if that's what you believe. If he ain't playing nobody is going to pay more than 500k for him.

  5. Journey man we got him from Wigan plying his trade in the bottom teir of English football, AV, Fulham don't make me laugh, QoS or Hibs maybe he's a Scottish Championship player not a english, playing against plumbers and brickes are his level, dud ship him out !!

  6. If we're really worried about (a no better than average striker) someone who scored aplenty in championship and has failed to deliver this season god help us!!!

  7. Martyn Waghorn's wife has failed to settle in Scotland, why he refused a new deal. She is homesick and wants to be closer to her folks. Stuff about fall out with Warbs is nonsense.

  8. seems a shame that a guy who banged in close to 30 goals last season has fallen away
    it is down to the boss to sort the lad out and start doing what he did so well last year . we should remember he also suffered a terrible injury [ and maybe came back to quick] we should think very carefully before moving on a guy because he has lost his way a bit GOOD STRIKERS ARE VERY PRICEY AND DONT GROW ON TREES be carefull what we wish for

  9. I agree with big bear he's bound to be pissed off with getting played out wide.what happened to just being a striker not someone who has to drop deep play out wide be a attacking midfielder all rolled in to one. Sick of hearing this pish. And I would definitely take Lafferty back in a heartbeat the boy got bad advice and admitted it that's enough for me.

  10. I'd love to see Ryan Hardie get a shot. It's fair enough bringing all these lads through and then loaning them out- give them a game, for God's sake- they can't do any worse and will at least have the bit between their teeth. We had such an amazing opportunity coming up through the leagues to create something special with the Ibrox young talent and a succession of managers have blown it. I thought Andy Murdoch was a stayer, for example, just to name one. I'd love to see these lads fighting for 2nd/3rd place in the league rather than journeymen players from the English lower leagues…

  11. It's funny how his form dropped at the same time as the contract hassle 1st came up. And if I was waghorn I would be prity annoyed. The teams top striker last season and he is on half of what Rossiter is on… rossiter has never done anything before coming to rangers expect to be a prospect. Think warburton is destroying the team spirt we had last season

    Warburton said last year that everyone they signed was on around 5k and would keep it that way so that there is no gulf in earnings. Yet this summer he signed players giving them 10-20k a week. Think there must be a few players that will be angry over this

  12. think waggy is good striker who is strugling to get up to pace after his injury but given time will do a good job for us but a think he has got every rite to be pissed af scored a barrel load last year that lets be honest if he didnt score them we would not have won the league then he sees other players around him getting better deals but in my eyes he should have been the first to get improved contract think him leaving is a mistake but if we get a couple a mill for him then that will be good business RTID WATP

  13. I agree with Doug Young, Ryan Hardie should be given a run in the team. He couldn't do any worse than Waghorn and Garner have been this season, if your good enough your old enough! Andy Murdoch is a very promising ball winner in the Stuart McCall mould and Warburton discarded him, without giving him a chance. I thought Murdoch was impressive against Aberdeen in the League Cup semi final a couple of weeks ago, but for some reason MW doesn't rate him. I rate Halliday as a decent squad player for us but IMO Murdoch would be a better option than either Halliday or Barton in the holding role. Our best young Scottish prospects aren't being given a chance, which means there is a big chance we'll lose Billy Gilmour and that would be a sad day for Rangers. Waghorn is probably frustrated with being asked to play out of position, but no player is bigger than the club so we should ship him out and give Hardie and Dodoo a chance to show what they can do. We could use the transfer fee and Waghorn's wages to finance bringing in a decent centre half!

  14. I agree with the above—-the players on loan Murdoch and Hardie are good players and should be given a chance.
    There is not too much wrong with the team that three fast defenders if we could get them would make it a good team
    Iwill never understand Warburtons love affair with the bottom leagues in England—as i have said before Eastern Europe would be a good place to look for players

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