Mark Warburton - stats which show the running power of Jason Holt and Barrie McKay

[ian1964 10,613]

RANGERS manager Mark Warburton has hailed the Marathon Men powering Rangers towards the Ladbrokes Championship title.

 

The Ibrox gaffer has been poring over his players’ match statistics as they move ever closer to securing promotion and has been thrilled with the data coming back on midfielder Jason Holt and winger Barrie McKay, in particular.

 

“We looked at the stats of Jason and Barrie in the last couple of games compared to the English Premier League and they were covering 14 kilometres-plus,” explained Warburton. “That’s magnificent from two young players.

 

“These are big, big numbers. A 14km stat is up there with the English Premier League. That’s a big distance to be covered.

 

“When we were at Brentford, we ran more than Bournemouth. We hear about them outrunning teams significantly in the Premier League and they have made rapid strides. We have to do the same.

 

“These are big numbers from young players at this stage of the season.

 

“The work being done and the way they look after themselves is good.

 

“It is important for us to make sure we get the training right. We probably give more days off here and work with more intensity when we are here.

 

“It is about getting that balance right, getting the loading right.

 

“When players are delivering those stats in late March, it tells you that you are on track.”

 

Warburton has started his summer recruitment programme, visiting Tottenham Hotspur this week and talking to Arsenal. He has revealed that his backroom staff are also in talks with Manchester City and other leading English Premier League clubs with a view to sourcing loan players and getting in early ahead of the competition.

 

Statistics will play a big part in the background checks carried out on any prospective signings.

 

“You have to do as many character checks as you can and ask what their work ethic is like, what the stats and the testing data is like,” said Warburton.

 

“We’ll look at fitness, character, discipline, previous off-field problems.

 

“We’ll still make mistakes, but we do as much as we can do to eliminate that. If we can get it right seven times out of 10, we’re in a good place.”

 

As Warburton points out, though, the ability to handle criticism and pressure will be essential as he prepares to take the club into the Ladbrokes Premiership and face the increased level of competition there.

 

“Gedion Zelalem played a game a few weeks ago in which his first two passes went astray and the crowd got on his back,” recalled Warburton. “He never hid and the next thing he did was get back on the ball.

 

“We need players who are brave and who can deal with a mistake.

 

“If the first pass goes into Row X and the next goes behind the goal and the crowd are maybe not quite baying for blood, but you can sense their feelings, then – at that moment - you need players with the character to deal with it.

 

“A crowd of 50,000 is great when it’s going well, but it’s not easy when it’s not.”

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/14348762.Warburton_reveals_the_stats_behind_Rangers_powerhouses_Jason_Holt_and_Barrie_McKay/

[ian1964 10,613]

RANGERS boss Mark Warburton has kicked off his summer talent hunt by visiting a number of the most powerful sides in the Barclays Premier League to sell the Ibrox outfit as the perfect destination for loan players.

 

Warburton has already brought Dominic Ball from Tottenham Hotspur and Gedion Zelalem from Arsenal on year-long deals and was back touching base with both clubs earlier this week over a range of matters as he bids to strengthen his squad.

 

Head of recruitment Frank McParland and assistant manager David Weir are also talking to other prominent sides including Manchester City in an attempt to forge relationships that will be mutually beneficial.

 

“Frank does it from his recruitment point of view and through his contact base, which is really extensive,” explained Warburton.

 

“David and I will go into Everton, Liverpool or Manchester City. We know the guys at City really well.

 

“If I’m back home, I go into to Tottenham or Arsenal. They are tremendous clubs and we can learn so much from them.

 

“If we can strengthen those relationships, we will be in a good place.

 

“I was at Spurs this week and speaking with Arsenal. They know what is expected up here.

 

“We look at players we think can add value and who we can help in terms of their development, but there are a number of clubs going for the same players, so we have to try and sell Rangers.

 

“Sometimes, it is a sales pitch. We can show them our performances in the league, we can compile video to show them what we are about, show them the environment at Murray Park and how it can work for them.

 

“If you are at Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea or any big club, you want your first-team players to play in front of 40, 50 or 60,000 people.

 

“I don’t think there are many other loan moves in the world which can replicate that type of playing experience. That’s a real plus for us.

 

“The gap (between England and Scotland) is getting wider and we have to recognise it.

 

“They will plunder the best Scottish players because that’s where the value is, but you are far better working with them than against them.”

 

Warburton first gained access to football’s top table when arranging a Europe-wide competition for the Under-19 teams belonging to the game’s most notable academies and still calls on those relationships today.

 

“I’m very fortunate that the NextGen tournament was good for that,” he said. “We worked with Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Everton and Aston Villa.

 

“Football is like any other industry where personnel changes, but I hope they know how we work, what we want from a player and how we will look after their players.”

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/14348766.Warburton_kicks_off_summer_talent_hunt_by_opening_talks_with_English_big_guns/

[ian1964 10,613]

Rangers manager Mark Warburton tells how defeat at Falkirk proved a platform for title charge

 

IT was the defeat which really knocked Rangers into shape.

 

From enjoying a commanding position in the Ladbrokes Championship, a 2-1 loss at the Falkirk Stadium in mid-December allowed Hibernian to pull level at the top of the table, brought the Bairns to within six points and sparked talk of Mark Warburton’s Ibrox reign sliding into a mini-crisis.

 

How different things look now. Victory at the same venue this evening will extend Rangers’ lead over Peter Houston’s side to 17 points, having played a game less, and take them 20 clear of third-placed Hibs.

 

That grim afternoon at the Westfield Stadium, compounded by Martyn Waghorn having a penalty saved in stoppage-time, brought a period of introspection at Ibrox, though. Hard on the heels of costly draws against Livingston and Morton, it did raise serious questions over Warburton’s ability to work the kind of revolution required at Ibrox.

 

The answers provided since have been emphatic. Rangers thumped Hibernian 4-2 at Ibrox next time out and have put together a run since, which has seen them concede just five goals in 14 fixtures in all competitions.

 

Defensive solidity has been one of the most pleasing elements of the second half of the campaign for Warburton. It can be dated back to those days when a runaway title triumph looked nothing more than a pipe dream.

 

“We studied that Falkirk game, we looked at our shape and our discipline and we got a good run together,” he recalled.

 

“In that period against Livingston and Morton, we were getting too aggressive. We did a lot of shapework and, touch wood, it’s held us in good stead.

 

“I think players sometimes get impatient when there are eight, nine, 10 behind the ball. You can lose your shape.

 

“If you go five, eight, 10 yards too far, you can get caught and exposed. We were caught a couple of times, but I think we learned from that.”

 

Warburton also learned much about the febrile world of Scottish football during that period. He gives the impression he is still coming to terms with the levels of examination and criticism that do tend to exist here, but he has a much greater grasp on it having come through that rocky spell relatively unscathed.

 

“You get abuse for saying it’s an eye-opener, but it was described as a mini-crisis and a slump in confidence,” he said.

 

“One guy asked how was I going to pick the players up after drawing at Livingston, but they were eight points clear at the time.

 

“We just laughed at it. If we were fifth in the table and eight points behind and delivering a poor level of performance, it’s a crisis, I would agree with that, but it wasn’t the case.

 

“We were in good shape. What we had to do was learn from Livingston, learn from Morton, learn from Falkirk.

 

“It was about getting a sense of perspective. Anyone in any industry only learns from their mistakes. If we learn we will be okay, if we don’t learn then we’ve got a problem.”

 

Warburton does not hide his admiration for Falkirk boss Peter Houston, though. He expects another battle royal tonight and has admitted he would nominate his opposite number tonight for the end-of-season Manager Of The Year awards.

 

“My immediate response is that, if I look in my division, I would say Peter Houston,” said Warburton when asked who he would vote for.

 

“He is doing a great job. They have stuck at it, put a run together. They are organised, they are fit and they are tough to play against.

 

“There was talk in November that they wouldn’t sustain it, in December that they would fall away, it was a surprise they were still there in January.

 

“Here we are in March. They have done a fantastic job and they are right in the mix. All credit to them.”

 

Warburton also believes Falkirk have proved they have what it takes to succeed in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

 

“They are showing it,” he said. “People said that about Leicester City, that they’ll never win it and they’ll fall away.

 

“The players are hungry and they are working for the management and the staff, so they are in a good place.

 

“It is a tough away venue and a good side. We go there in good form and we know what we have to do.”

 

Warburton, meanwhile, has revealed why he did not push to have the visit of Queen of the South on March 26, slap-bang in the middle of the international break, postponed.

 

“We had a number of fans who had booked hotels, ferries and flights,” he said. “This is not a club with an average attendance of 5000 or 8000. That’s the thing. It is a significant number of fans we are talking about.

 

“We have seven boys away with Under-17s and Under-19s. It is a tight squad and you can get a few injuries. That day, I may well just name three subs, but it is purely the case of a number of fans making the commitment and it is the right thing to do.”

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/14348763.Mark_Warburton_recalls_how_Falkirk_defeat_made_him_bolt_the_door_at_the_back/

[Bearman 9]

Jason and Barrie obviously know the importance of putting in a shift...these guys know about the 'pot of gold' which can be gained in the future...wish them well. Hey? What about the rest of you guys?

[BlueMazza 0]

Y'know having a manager who knows what he is doing is also going to do wonders for the careers of these young lads. They will have much better opportunities as a result of his focus.

[alexscottislegend 2,222]

What a contrast to the McCoist and McDowell regime. Tactics, sports science et al.

[craig 5,199]

They have even taken the stats down into the younger age groups. They purchased the catapult sports science vests in smaller sizes which are now, on occasion, being used by the 2004 kids.