Every so often, the press like to roll the odd ex-Rangers employee out, be it a player or a former manager. And one such that has come recently out with a few comments is a certain Mr Mark Warburton. He’s former a gaffer, and at the time, vaunted manager at Ibrox. And he has not been shy in the press in recent years.
Warburton Returns To The Spotlight
We recall in October 2024 when he claimed that he hadn’t resigned. That he had learned of this story via the Sky News broadcast he was watching in his flat. He was very much in depth about this and has stuck with that line for the entire time since indeed he and Rangers parted company way back when.
So he has returned to the press recently regarding a topic close to his heart. Which is that of his own favourite son, James Tavernier.
A Divisive Defence
This is, of course, as always, a divisive topic. But Warburton’s comments encouraged certain Rangers fans to look at themselves in the mirror, apparently. Rangers fans aren’t allowed an opinion which varies from Warburton’s. Apparently they have to look at themselves in the mirror and assess their own lives as a result of their opinion:
“I get calls from Rangers fans who say: ‘He’s got a good goal… but, and he hit a great cross in… but.’
“When Tav’s not there, you’ll be the first ones to be saying: ‘If only we had Tavernier back.’
“When he hits a 25-yard free kick, or he hits a great delivery, coming in for someone to attack and score, or even change the momentum of a game.
“He can hit one of those dangerous balls, and it might not get the end product of the goal, but the crowd are suddenly lifted, and Tav’s got that in boatloads.
“He has to be thick-skinned, but he’s genuinely a top-class character. I can’t speak highly enough of him.
“He’s been outstanding for Rangers.
“Anyone who criticises him should look themselves in the mirror and say: ‘Look what he’s done for Rangers’.”
It does, of course, concern the fact that he vaunts Tavernier as the greatest thing since sliced bread, while a number of Rangers fans no longer agree with that. Perhaps they once did, and some still do, we admit that.
Tavernier Debate
But Tavernier’s flaws and age certainly outweigh the amount of value that he’s being paid by the club. And while Ibrox Noise has never hated Tavernier, we have never rated him as a captain.
We certainly don’t rate him as a particularly effective right back, given his predecessors of the likes of Hutton and Stevens.
Warburton’s Judgement
But Warburton, of course, came to his former captain, his former player’s defence, because Warburton never made Tavernier captain at all. And of course, Warburton managed Tavernier only in the Championship, with everyone failing miserably in the Scottish Premiership at the time, way back in 2016.
Is he a good judge of a player or of anything to do with football? Managing in the Scottish Championship is a far cry from going into the Premiership, and Warburton failed on every single level in the Scottish Premiership, with players, albeit some free signings, who should have been much better.
Mr Mark Warburton had the likes of Joey Barton, Jordan Rossiter, Nico Kranjčar and many others who could have performed and should have performed in the Premiership, but under Warburton they sank and were absolutely abysmal.
Final Thoughts
Consequently, we’re not sure how seriously we can take anything that Warburton says. This is not necessarily because we utterly disagree with what he has said, but even we have questioned many of his comments in the past.
Does Mr Mark Warburton have reasons to lie, to tell the truth, to have an agenda about any opinion he has? Possibly, but don’t we all.
But one thing we will say is that his advice to Rangers fans to look at themselves in the mirror seems, coming from him, more than a little bit ironic.