How the rot set in

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How the rot set in

To call 2017 a tumultuous year for Rangers seems knee jerk and trivial. It seems knee jerk because the year is barely a month and a half old, and trivial because this club has been through incredibly dark moments which still hurt to this day.

But that said, there can be no trivialising the current state of affairs either. While Rangers are always only ever one loss away from a crisis, season 2016/2017 has been as turbulent as any I can remember.

One wonders where this pickle actually began. It seems to be a domino chain of events interlinked which appear to have brought us to the precipice of Mark Warburton losing his job, one way or another.

This site has taken dog’s abuse for pointing out Warburton’s failings over the past eight or so months, and is now depressingly vindicated for it by other sites and the support in the majority finally catching on and saying the same thing.

Where did it actually start? For yours truly it was September 22nd 2015. Warburton’s first encounter with SPL opponents, the form of St Johnstone. For the first time at Ibrox under the Hat, Rangers’ tiki tika was completely useless and a canny Tommy Wright out-thought his opponent. As a dress rehearsal for life in the SPL, it was an unmitigated disaster, and said manager has still never lost to Warburton in three clashes.

It also gave SPL sides an insight into Warburton’s one-dimensional nature, that he could not or would not adapt his system to combat better sides. Think about Uncle Walter – in most bread and butter SPL matches he used 4-4-2. But when the big European matches appeared or Celtic or even Aberdeen came calling, he was more than adept at switching to a tighter defensive formation. Indeed, fans would often ‘laugh’ at the man starting six or even seven defenders for the marquee matches. But far more often than not, it worked.

Warburton? Flat and slow against everyone with next to no variation and it has absolutely cost on the step up, with no evidence he has anything else up his sleeve. And with recent results and performances verging on the ridiculous, it is evident that the rot which this regime has flirted with over the past half a year or so, beginning with the management, has now spread to the players and fans and there is little doubt Rangers are in a very bad way.

Here is a stunning stat for you compiled by my colleague Greg Roots:

Of all teams in the SPL who have scored more than two goals in a league match:

Celtic: 10
Hearts: 9
Aberdeen: 7
St Johnstone: 3
Motherwell: 3
Ross County: 3
Dundee: 3
Inverness: 3
Rangers: 1

Correct – Rangers have scored three or more goals only once in a league match this season. Only Hamilton and Kilmarnock are worse than Rangers.

Something is inherently wrong and it appears now the majority of those Rangers-connected have cottoned onto this; speculation of a replacement for Warburton has been rife on the wires in recent days with the De Boer brothers, Nigel Pearson, the aforementioned Wright et al being among the mentioneds.

What is for sure; with an online poll elsewhere recently confirming two thirds of Rangers fans want rid of Mark Warburton, it is not a matter of if, but when he goes. All that needs rubber stamped is the finer details.

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34 COMMENTS

  1. Good read. Welcome back Ibrox Noise. I hope the next man in charge is a wise choice this time. We need to get it right soon. Starting from the back to the forward lines b

  2. Is there any truth in the Billie Davies story ? I don't know much about him but heard he's not the best???

  3. Considering the rumours about Billy Davies private life, I don't think that we should give the manager's job to him. He would be damaging to the club's image and make us less attractive to potential sponsors.

  4. Great Ibrox Noise,

    I always look for your comments and messages as I think they are utterly genuine and direct to the vital points.
    Please don't let idiots or scum bags put u off or make u feel shit, even if they claim they're supporters.
    Ur a great few guys doing a very enjoyable thing, so please don't take stuff personally with some dickheads.
    Getting to the main point, it's been absolutely obvious for weeks, months that Warburton must go. I only hope King is waiting for the moment or has it all pre-planned, as this man can not be allowed to continue leading our great club.
    There's no point stressing why as this has been said over and over again (stubbornness, horrendous signing policy, bad bad man management (Barton),inability to change formations/tactics efficiently, favourites (Kiernan, Halliday, Tavernier..etc, the list goes further) the man must go asap. Plus take Davie Weir away with you too, great player, great guy I'm sure, but a manikin on display at Ibrox.
    Guys to take over: (my four favourites in no particular order) Stuart McCall, Alex McLeish, Derek McInnes, Tommy Wright, an extra: Billy Davies).
    I'd be happy with any of them.
    Know the league, know the style, know the players needed, know the expectations.
    Unfortunately something Warburton doesn't have/know.

    Hugh

  5. I am sure that like myself, no bears will be joyfully cheering the ultimate, and imminent demise of MW as our manager as that is not the Rangers way, while at the same time acknowledging that at the end of the day we all gave this guy enough rope to hang himself and unless he lives in a bubble (he might by the way) he must have been aware of the serious concerns we all had re- tactics, or should I say tactic, signings, post match brass neck comments and probably worse of all the fact that he concedes that he sees us as a nursery for all they english rich fucks who will NEVER enjoy the tradition, history and world breaking records of The Famous Glasgow Rangers and I have came to the conclusion that Warbs must be either an arrogant git or just plain stupid cause he wasn't for listening

    To say the Gers fans have not had our troubles to seek over last too many years is a massive understatement but we all rallied behind our proud club and showed the world what we are all about however I can also remember period around 1981-84 where average crowds at Ibrox were around 13000 simply because the team were thought at that time to be very poor (but man for man better than today) and there is a danger that if DK leaves it till the end of the season to show him the door a lot of Gers fans will loose faith, feel like a prick and simply had enough and stop going which will have a critical negative effect on the club re- season ticket sales etc.

    Ibrox IS in chaos at moment, no doubt about that, but I fancy we might squeeze third place come the end of season and qualify for Europe but we would have to play our first Euro tie in June so its imperative we change management now to bring in a new guy to let him see exactly what he has got to work with and decide where the signings are most urgently required during the summer window, at the end of the day this would make financial sense as there is a definite danger that keeping Warbs and saving the million pay off fee could very well cost a lot more than that to our club in season ticket renewal downturn WATP

    • Big Tam……u remember that time??…..I was there with my "rover"season ticket….pick your seat…..and let me assure you "man for man"…it was no where near as good as today!!….that was the depths of despair I prayed I'd never see again…and yes right now isn't great…but it's a hellova lot better than those dark days!!…MW maybe hasn't covered himself in glory this year?…but the blame MUST lay on "our chairmans" door,as he's not exactly covered himself in glory?….no money,broken promises and he's attended 1 game in 6 months?…where's the "clarity" you spoke about King??…always letting the fans no what's going on??….bullshit the lot of it!….if you didn't have the balls for the fight you should never have promised your "kids inheritance "……always glib you were called in South Africa?….sounds about right!!….disgusted!!

  6. Firstly, I am just as disappointed as you all with the last couple of results. However, Before a ball was kicked at the start of the season, the board, management and 90% of the fans all agreed that 2nd place in the league would be a good start to our building process. Back into europe and attempt a challenge to shelic. Now, After the last AGM, David King was asked the question if the current squad was good enough to achieve second place?, He replied "yes". Mark Warbuton is challenging for second place and albeit we are in 3rd place, he is still on course to achieve that goal. Warbuton is on a budget which is no where near what Smith, Advocatt, McLiesh and indeed Mcoist had the luxury funds to build a team. We lack finishing and defending ability, however, I really do feel if a better quality of player was playing in warbs system, we'd be up there challenging, I dont think we are far away. Give warbuton till the end of the season and assess the circumstances then. He will achieve second, so, if most Rangers board, management and fans said second would be a great start,, then Warbuton will have achieved most supporters expectations,, However,, if I was going to suggest a replacement, I'd suggest Jurgen Klinsman, there is a guy who can build and organise a team. He's worked miracles with the US team.

    • McCoist had nowhere near the funds Warburton has squandered and McGregor is a far better defender than Kiernan. McCoist was the glue that held us together in a time of crisis and should be shown respect.The sooner Warburton is sacked the better.

    • It's not just the past few games, we've been appalling most if not all of the season. MW is clueless and utterly arrogant. He's stubborn and is way out of his depth. Most of the support were content in coming second but most of us also expected better results and a better display than the abysmal showings we're getting. IbroxNoise has been right for ages and has put up with incredulous amounts of abuse and now other fan sites are realising it's only now they're getting cut any slack. MW doesn't cut it as a Rangers manager in anyway shape or form. I say don't let the door hit him on the way out.

  7. King has no alternative but to cut a deal. The fans will not turn up to watch any more non-league football.Qualifying for Europe just means we get double humped in the first two legs then what? After that second shocker in a few days I would have asked Kenny Miller and Clint Hill to pick the team and set them up for Sunday's game because no matter the score Warburton et al should be gone already. And whoever sanctioned the 250,000 on the new reserve goalkeeper should be driving the taxi that takes them well away from Ibrox.
    MW spouted about us having more corners than Ross County. Stand bye to hear how many more throw-ins we had more than Morton. Could be quite a number if we include the season tickets scattered over the pitch.

  8. Welcome back Ed! Keep writing great articles and please continue with the IbroxNoise policy of telling the truth about all things Rangers. I know that I want to always tell it as it is. We both adore Rangers and basically, we cannot stand incompetence in the running of our great club, which is a Rangers institution, whether it's from the board or the management. We try to be informative and explain in detail what is wrong, before we criticise. Keep up the excellent work as the fans genuinely miss the site when it takes a rest from the small minded minority of people who take exception to any article that simply has the audacity to tell the truth. Maybe some day they will grow up and mature a little.

    News Flash! Beijing Renhe’s, 31-year-old Croatian striker, Nikica Jelavić could be available to Rangers for free.

    Jelavic’s transfer to China is reputed to be coming to an end after contractual issues in Beijing. According to reports in his Croatian homeland, there is a suggestion his deal could be terminated by mutual consent, which will make him free to find another team.

    The good news is, the Chinese transfer window is different to the one in Europe, therefore, he is able to return to the continent immediately, from Beijing Renhe who play in the Chinese League One.

    On 15 February 2016, Jelavić transferred to China League One side Beijing Renhe, but he has not settled in Beijing and this led to him leaving China.

    Do you want Rangers to bring Nikica Jelavić back for nothing?

  9. Does anybody else on here think that Kenny Miller shouldn't be offered a new playing contract? Jelavic and Louis Moult are both younger and would be better signings, in my view.

  10. Now firstly i'd like to state i'm still backing mark warburton and will reserve my judgement, of all things rangers, at the end of the season.Here's the thing that's not been mentioned on here and would have to be taken into account,as we don't have money to throw away.IF and i put 'IF" in capitals,we were to change warburton now or at the end of the season it would cost this club massive amounts of money we don't have.Here's what i mean.We would have to pay compensation packages to sack the full management team,then think of all the money thats been spent restructuring the murray park youth system,as to having structured all the way through our academy to have EVERY youth level team,coached and developed to play warburton's 4-3-3 system!IF and again i say "IF",a new manager were to be brought in,then there's a very good chance that that system would be ripped up on his say so which without question would cost big money and put us back even further!It would be like us starting all over again from scratch,with another manager's methods!Thus taking even longer to bridge this ever widening gap,to celtic!Think logically guys,as its not just as easy as getting shot of the management team and everything will be fine.Its money we don't have just now and continuity IMHO is the best way forward for our club in the meantime!We can sit down and evaluate everything,at the end of the season!Thoughts please??

    • It will cost over a million pounds, to change the management team and for that reason I'd support continuity, if I thought he could turn things around. However he's clearly out of his depth. How much more will it cost us to persevere with Warburton? There is a very real danger of failing to qualify for European football, if we don't make the change soon. As for all youth team's playing 4-3-3, we should change that. Youngsters should be trained to be flexible enough to perform in any system and not just the manager's favourite formation.I respect your opinion Robert, but I don't agree with you.

  11. Louis Moult is a 24-year-old, 6’ English footballer who plays centre forward for Motherwell, who really impressed me in the last two games against Rangers and certainly caused many anxious moments, especially when he scored the opening goal at Ibrox.

    He led his line extremely well with his headers and his many accurate lay-offs. He looked very strong in the air and could possibly be a revelation in an attacking Rangers team. Clint Hill finally got booked for fouling him once too often.

    He has managed to score 12 times in 20 matches so far this season, which is a good return for a provincial team centre forward.

    Another player who caught my eye is: – 25-year-old, 6’ 0.5” Liam Boyce of Ross County who began his career with Cliftonville in 2008-9, scoring 19 goals in his debut season at the tender age of only 18 – quite an achievement!

    In only his 2nd SPL season in 2015-16, he broke the 20 goals barrier in 44 games. Apart from his goal total, he is a robust and dangerous forward, who likes to get stuck in and fight for every ball, in other words, a handful to play against.

    This season he is still only 25 and it is looking like another good one for him as he has managed to play in 27 games and has 14 goals to his name already. The whole team have only scored 27 goals between them, so he is carrying the pressure to score more. He is odds-on favourite to break the 20 mark again.

    He has scored ten goals more than Joe Garner, our £1.8m striker. Liam is one of the finest all-round attackers in the Scottish Premiership, as witnessed by the Rangers fans against Ross County in the 1-1 recent draw, as he delivered a line-leading masterclass at Ibrox. His excellent combination plays and stirring defensive contribution really helped the Staggies to their much-deserved point.

    I would sign Kenny Miller on a player/coach contract, as he contributes so much to Rangers off the park as well as on it.

  12. Thanks Ibrox Noise we need you Blog to air our thoughts . Warburton has improved the way we play but we have too many easy weaknesses and everyone can see them especially the opposition managers . King has to tell all of us the real story and the plan …to move to the next level e.g. challenging the rotten mob needs money and the ability to get the right players . King also needs to let the Rangers Fans know they can do too WATP

  13. Ibrox noise – why avoid the big question?

    Where is the board and Why has there been silence?

    Given the rot and the serious questions over the future Should the board not either publicly back the manager or publicly state things must improve.

    Perhaps in private they have done so but this is showing no respect for the fans.

    After all without our season ticket money the club faces a second financial crisis.

    This whole media suggestion that he will be sacked should we lose to Morton is ridiculous. Decisions like this need to be taken with long-term in mind not all on one game. Besides as poor as we have been playing I do not think Morton have enough quality to beat us, although I wouldn't be surprised if we make hard work.

    If we win I'm sure that plenty of "what's the problem" comments will appear.

    In my opinion (and one I have held throughout Warburton reign) he is a talker not a doer. He is the wrong man at the wrong time.

    Can the board please put him out his misery and put the club back on the right trajectory.

  14. think it started with his attitude with defence keeps on playing tav and kiernan the whole of scotland knew they were going to make mistake after mistake no cover down right hand side whats ever i think that was his biggest problem how he could not see it is beyond me .this has nothing to do with celtic having all sorts of money .they still operate in the bargain basement same as us .time for warbs to go why keep him until end of the season give us fans a lift get rid a,s,a,p

  15. Rangers could possibly sign Scottish managers, McLeish, McInnes, McCall or Smith, but a team with the standing of one of the biggest clubs in the World, should set their standards so much higher than that.

    The fans would all love to see one of the biggest names in the business take over at Ibrox. If we had real money men on the board we would be signing one of the following tried and tested winners – either one of these guys would be a huge boost to the vast legions of the light blues fan base: – Morinho, the DeBore twins, Gardinola, Cante or even Wengel would really please me.

    Jonny Morinho and the rest of these names could make a big difference to our results.

    I’m so sorry about this latest problem I have developed only today. I have a problem with some of the correct spelling mistakes and especially with my vowels and bowels, and when that happens it is usually a load of sh*t. (but hopefully quite funny).

  16. Robert Millar, best comments thus far on this subject, well said sir. DavidCooper and your wee fan, RW64,, If you wish to check your history, Ally McCoist took over Rangers in 2011-12 season after Smith left, he had players like Jelavic, Naismith, Bougerra to name but a few expensive players, so YES, he did have more funds than Warbuton at that time,, and still blew a 17 point lead over the beggars who went on to win the league!!!. As for the glue to the club,, remember the £800,000 pound salary plus bonuses Mccoist got for managing in the lowest divisions in Scotland?, when were were skint!!, , I think the words you need is that he conned the Rangers fans to get into bed with Charles Green and Fatso from Scorts Pirect(dont want to even mention the fat gits name!), Again, Robert Millars comments as are my own is the truth, I have never been a "Only sing when I'm winning" supporter, some us actually can see the reasoning and understanding of the bigger picture that Rangers are painting at the moment, they demand our patience and support. I have also been disapointed in the past few results, but I certainly wouldnt sack someone who is still on course of achieving the Rangers Boards goal, and that is to come second in the league at the end of the season!!

    • I don't think being third in the league is being on course for second place! If Warburton never neglected our defence, we would have been about ten points clear of third place by now.

      It's true that McCoist inherited a good squad of players, that's why we were seventeen points clear! However he didn't get to spend very much in the transfer market in the summer of 2011, with the exception of Lee Wallace. I recall that scumbag Whyte sabotaging deals, when good players were ready to sign that summer and we all know what happened next. McCoist did not have more support from the board than Warburton, what you claim is absurd. As for losing a seventeen point lead, I have never blamed McCoist for that. The players would have sensed that there were problems behind the scenes and became demoralised. No wonder they started dropping points! McCoist also fought to save our titles, that the filth tried to take from us. He should be shown respect and as far as I am concerned he is still Super Ally to me!

      Warburton is totally out of his depth, we need to make a change NOW!

    • Steve1, I've said twice now that I also have been disappointed in our results, however, have we progressed from the Mcoist era? goodness yes. We are still in a transitional period. Dave King and all the Rangers board have clearly stated that it will take 4-5 years to be "where we want to be"! DavidCooper, we will agree to disagree in respect of McCoist, however it boggles the mind that you will accept conceding 17 points for Shelic to win the league, that is just unacceptable at any time! However, I do agree Rob Kiernan and Tavenier have failed as defenders and are responsible for 90% of our conceded goals. But, our front line are also culpable for chances missed that could have won us most games this season. I also agree that Whyte is a scumbag. I'd give Warbuton till the end of the season. If we come second, job done in the eyes of the Rangers board, Management and 90% of the fans expectations. If not, get Jurgen Klinsman in for our next manager.

    • Gers Jimbo, we will have to agree to disagree on McCoist. I grew up in the era of Coisty the goal machine and still feel loyal to him. I'm not saying that conceding a seventeen point lead is acceptable, but it's understandable that the players were worried about their futures at that time. Whyte raping the club, must have made McCoist's job almost impossible.

      I agree with you that the frontline have been a disaster this season. Warburton is not blameless for this because he persists in setting up the team with only one central striker. Surely we could try a system with a front two! Garner is good in the air, so we should have a strike partner feeding off his knock downs. When what's being done isn't working Warburton should be prepared to adapt, instead he's stubborn.

      I don't agree that coming second is a reason to persevere with Warburton. If we finished the season second, but within catching distance of the filth and well ahead of the rest that would have met expectations. Scraping second place by the skin of our teeth and finishing over thirty points behind them is UNACCEPTABLE!

      Klinsman is a decent manager, but he knows nothing about Scottish football. He would probably make a good scout for the American market for us, but I don't think we should give someone without a knowledge of the Scottish game the job. It's far too risky and I feel the same way about Frank de Boer. Stuart McCall is my top choice to be manager.

  17. Times up for warbs end of, sum one said we re not far away under warbs reign, no we're light years away n falling further behind week on week. No improvement n 2nd n 3 place for European spots on a shaky nail change must happen now!!
    My manager choice would be harry redknapp. Managed at the top all his career a excellent man manager exactly the level we are looking for.
    Yes I wud take jelavic in a heartbeat!
    I've been on here since the summer saying we should signed moult and in Jan window aswell, we cud have got him n Boyce for half the money we paid for garner plus prob half his wages wud a paid them 2 aswell warbs always goes on bout adding value at ther ages n the lower wages n lower transfer fees u wud java gd chance of sell on value makes sense, no no warbs signs garner sum who scored 6 goals in his league last year I think it was. Jst doesn't add up to me.
    Kenny Miller without a doubt should b given a contract cos he's the role model n his attitude is the type you want filtering through yur club mr 110% n after his playing days are done should b defo giving a coaching role.

  18. First of all,thanks for your kind words GersJimbo,very much appreciated mate!As your good self and i seem to be on the same wavelength,to where our club is currently at,i would like to ask you a wee question mate!I know you said in a previous post that if warbs were to be replaced,you would like jurgen klinsmann,who i also think would be superb!What do you think of billy davies mate??I've always rated him!!I'm only hypothetically asking GersJimbo,as i'm still backing warbs!

    • Robert, thank you,, Do you know what, I was shouting for Billy Davies when we were relegated to the 4th Division. He would have bought better players in for a quarter of the price that Mcoist had paid for the under achievers he brought in. Billy Davies would have been the best man for the job at that time. Now that we are in the premier league and in the situation we're in, I feel we would need to bring in a top quality class Manager to challenge Brendan Rodgers. Jurgen Klinsmann is not only a top class manager, he will have taps on world class players that he could attract to come to Rangers on free transfers or loans. German football, in my opinion is the best in the world, just count how many world cups they have won. They are fit, skilful, strong, fast, and they never give up. Someone I would love to see at Ibrox if Warbuton was to go. Could we afford or even attract Klinsmann? I dont know. But I'd give Warbs till the end of the season regardless, then re-assess thing from there.

  19. I personally take on board all the points here. As someone pointed out, I remember the baaaad days of the early 80s when even with a decent squad, we couldn’t buy a win.
    I agree that financially, we probably can’t afford to bin Warburton. I am also of the mind that DK and the board are keeping us afloat with prudent financial management and the whole “Where’s the £30m?” question is a red herring being perpetuated by the likes of Chris “Pissing himself laughing” Sutton.
    Again, I agree that second is the aim. Third would even be acceptable – IF WE WERE SHOWING SOME BALLS.
    That’s what irks me. I watch games now in a frame of mind that ten minutes into a game produces the first “here we go again” sigh.
    Where I probably differ from most is that I don’t think we have necessarily bad players, I just think they are being used in a terribly awful way.
    I actually think Rob Kiernan is a decent player- he just lacks a little direction; he needs a Gough type to point things out to him. Same with Wilson, though I think Wilson actually has the potential for that. Wallace is not a vocal enough captain for me.
    We all know Tavernier can’t defend and that Andy Halliday is not a DM. I might also be in a minority lamenting the Barton fallout and I think Warburton cocked up majorly on that. Barton is exactly what we lack at the moment with Rossiter a crock.
    I also feel sorry for Garner and Miller. They should be centre-forwards. Both excel at work-rate. They run into the ground, but need balls played up and in front for them- they should not be winning the ball for themselves to have to chase. No wonder the likes of Holt play the ball sideways and backwards- no-one is ever in the fecking box!
    McKay, O’Halloran, Waghorn- all strong at running with the ball and creating chances. Chances for…. No-one is ever in the fecking box!
    It is so so frustrating. I think these players are capable of so much more if they looked like they were happy in their positions and playing with some confidence. The reason Hyndman looks so good is that he is actually playing the ball forward and showing up in the box. We seem allergic to the penalty box at the moment. I am still not convinced about Toral and maintain that it must hurt terribly the confidence of the other players being dropped for new loanees.
    Maybe in a minority, but I’m not convinced over Forrester. He looks good because he’s one of the few showing some bite. Sadly that bite is often misplaced; he rides his luck a lot with refs.
    I suppose I don’t see a future with Warburton because he doesn’t seem able to change his tack and is stubborn and pig-headed about it. I also think he’s losing the plot totally.

    Why not try a back five? Hill, Wilson, Kiernan, with Wallace and Tavernier as wing-backs proper. They are in all but name, both suspect defensively. At least then whoever is in DM has an extra body behind him. These players are being asked to chase the game week in, week out- they need to stop conceding so they can have the confidence to boss the game properly.

    I’ll still be watching Sunday in my blue. Nothing stops that.
    I remember Bert Konterman…. The only way was always up after him.

  20. no, i demand from king to step up and behave like our chairman not some hiding cheat, he talked about 30-0 million BEFORE season ticket sales just to push people to invest their hard earned money. there is a rife between him and warbs cleary. warbs is speaking nonsense in front of the camera, fans attack and abuse our player, which should neer ever happened, even if he is not good enough. we are currenty third, out of 2 competitions. if we lose to morton or even draw warbs should be out and king also.

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