Sean Dyche: I understand why Joey Barton moved to Ibrox...

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...and I hope he is successful in the Premiership with Rangers.

 

JOEY BARTON didn’t get a Championship medal when they were handed out at Burnley last season.

 

Now Clarets boss Sean Dyche hopes the midfielder can inspire Rangers to the Premiership silverware after turning down another shot at the top flight in England.

 

Barton was a stalwart for Dyche as his side were crowned champions but a mix-up at the club’s title party meant he had to wait before being presented with his prize.

 

Within days, the midfielder had made up his mind to quit Turf Moor and make the move across the border to become central to Rangers’ bid for the Premiership crown.

 

Dyche was eager to keep the 33-year-old in Lancashire for another campaign but was left disappointed as Barton headed for the exit door and to Ibrox.

 

But the Burnley boss insists he understands why Mark Warburton was able to lure the former Manchester City, Newcastle, Marseille and QPR star to play in Light Blue.

 

“To be honest, I was delighted for Joey before I thought about anything else,” Dyche told SportTimes.

 

“He was excellent for us and we had a good relationship, a very open relationship. We worked fantastically well.

 

“It was his decision so there was absolutely no baggage to that whatsoever.

 

“He did a brilliant job for us, I hope he does a brilliant job for Rangers and I think he will. I wish him well and wish Rangers all the best.

 

“It was a career choice, he wanted to go up there and experience what it is and be a part of a club the size of Rangers.

 

“He had a good chat with me and explained that. He was brilliant for me so I said ‘Joey, I wish you well’.

 

“I was disappointed that he made that decision but I totally understood it and I hope he is very successful at Rangers and has a really good season there in the Premiership.”

 

If Rangers are to have a chance of lifting the top flight trophy this term, boss Warburton will rely on Barton to live up to the hype and shine at Ibrox.

 

The midfielder has already made an impact on and off the park in Scottish football and arrives in Glasgow after a controversial career in England.

 

But Dyche had nothing but a positive message for Warburton when his friend phoned him for the inside track on the signing of the summer.

 

He said: “No, he didn’t speak to me that much about it. There was a casual conversation when it got to a serious level and it looked like it was going to happen.

 

“I assured Warbo and said that Joey was excellent for us. He was good round the group, he bought into Burnley and the culture of the club and he delivered on the pitch.

 

“Whatever anyone has to say about Joey, nobody can question his performances for us last year. He was excellent.

 

“I think it was a really good year for many reasons, it was good for us but it was good for him as well. He was great for us on the pitch, but it was good for him because people said ‘you know what, he is a serious professional and a very good player’.

 

“There are bits and bobs in his life that are spoken about and he is thought of different, but last season I think he did a lot for himself as well.

 

“He is a serious player, he was very effective, and forgetting all the rest of it, he is a very good footballer. He certainly delivered for us.”

 

The deal for Barton is the most high-profile bit of business that has been done at Ibrox, and in our game, ahead of the new Premiership campaign.

 

It was a statement of intent from Warburton and one which he has followed up as he has bolstered his squad with a total of nine new faces ahead of the big kick-off.

 

And Dyche insists he wasn’t surprised that the Gers were able to pull off a coup to land Barton before completing deals for former Premier League stars Clint Hill and Niko Kranjcar.

 

He said: “I think people forget that Rangers are a huge club and they will have a level of finance that is better than, not everyone, but a lot of clubs.

 

“That is helpful but I don’t mean that Joey went up there for that reason because he quite obviously didn’t and he made that clear to me.

 

“It is a massive club. I don’t know Scottish football that well, but as a kid I grew up with Rangers and Celtic, all that goes with those clubs and the history and I got my taste of it last season with Burnley.

 

“Even in that game there were 22,000 there for a friendly. That strikes a chord with most players.

 

“Rangers are a big club and players will gravitate towards that so it is not a surprise to me that they can attract good players that is for sure.”

 

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Sean Dyche: Mark Warburton will take Rangers back to the 'very top'

 

SEAN DYCHE is confident Mark Warburton can take Rangers back to the ‘very top’ as he sets his sights on the Premiership title this term.

 

The Ibrox boss delivered the Championship flag and Petrofac Training Cup during his first campaign north of the border and is now just days away from leading the Light Blues back into Scotland’s top flight.

 

Rangers will round off their preparations for the big kick-off this weekend when Dyche brings his Burnley side to Ibrox for the second time in twelve months as they count down to their return to the Premier League.

 

And the Turf Moor boss reckons Warburton has the Gers on the right track as he prepares to have a crack at the Premiership crown.

 

He told SportTimes: “I think he certainly set his stall out well last year and everyone took to Warbo. I have met Walter Smith and what an amazing bloke he is as a manager and a person.

 

“I think Warbo has conducted himself well both on and off the pitch for Rangers and that is important when you have had legends of the game like Walter Smith at your club.

 

“He has done that very well from the off. The way he conducts himself off the pitch is important, he is a bright man and a respectful man and I think he takes that into his football.

 

“David Weir is very important, he knows all about Rangers, and now Warbo does as well.

 

“They know the expectation and it goes without saying that they want to be right up there winning the title.

 

“We know Rangers were fantastic last year when there was an expectation on them and that is part of the journey in getting back to the top of the Premiership.

 

“He is a realist and he will know that can take time sometimes. He is formulating a way of working that can take the club to the very top again.”

 

It has been a productive few weeks for Warburton as he has put his plans in place for the Premiership and bolstered his Rangers ranks with nine summer signings.

 

The likes of former Clarets star Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar are expected to play influential roles for the Light Blues in the top flight this term.

 

And Dyche reckons Rangers are an improved outfit from the one his side beat 1-0 at Ibrox twelve months ago as Scott Arfield netted the only goal of the game.

 

Dyche said: “I think he is being realistic and the first thing is to be competitive. Every game, you are in it to win it.

 

“They play good football and the quality will rise as the team develops, especially with the good players he has brought in. The main thing, as a start point, is to be competitive in every game and see where that takes them.

 

“I would like to think, after what they did last year, they would certainly be amongst it. It is new to some of them and they have got a lot of younger players who are learning and developing well.

 

“With that strength and experience around them, that can help them in the new season. They looked very good last season.

 

“I think that is what Warbo has looked to do, he has started with a young group last year and then moulded them into a side.

 

“This year he feels that experience will be needed, especially with the derby to look forward to and you need people who can not only play in them but handle what it is.

 

“Unfortunately I haven’t been to one but I am hoping to get up to one. People tell me what a big occasion it is, the build-up and the feel of it and sometimes that can take it out of players. You do need players who can use their experience wisely.

 

“He has brought in that experience to add to the talented players that he had already. Hopefully that will be a good mixture for continued success this season.”

 

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