Mark Warburton was always going to plunder England for players to take on Celtic

[ian1964 10,613]

by MichaelGannon

 

MICHAEL reckons the only surprising thing is anyone is surprised about the Ibrox boss targeting players south of the border.

 

MAYBE it’s just as well the Joleon Lescott deal fell through.

 

Depending on who you listen to, it was either a medical that went south or he headed back in that direction because he changed his mind on the money on offer.

 

Or maybe it was a combination of both and Lescott dropped his phone on his foot when he heard Sunderland might be offering more dosh.

 

Either way, it doesn’t matter.

 

Big Joleon won’t be at Ibrox anytime soon, which means Mark Warburton will have to wait a little longer before he’s able to field a full side of Englishmen.

 

At this rate the pre-match chant at Ibrox is going to be Fee-fi-fo-fumand the side will break out in Morris

dancing every time they stick the ball in the net.

 

A few folk have taken note of Warburton’s Anglo signing policy but it should be more surprising that people are surprised.

 

Of course the Gers boss is going to shop in England. It’s the market he knows best and it’s his head of

recruitment Frank McParland’s patch.

 

Warburton walked into a club where the scouting network was weaker than a 3G signal up Ben Nevis.

 

He would have loved to have come in to see a fully-functioning 12-strong department with tentacles all over Europe and beyond.

 

Instead the poor guy would have popped his head into the office with the Chief Scout sign on the door, shouted hello and got nothing back but an echo.

 

Warburton’s not only had to practically build a team from scratch but also an infrastructure.

 

Studying Scottish football’s top tier last season, must have reckoned it was probably on a par with the bottom half of the Championship in England and maybe the top half of League One. At best.

 

Celtic have upped their game this summer in terms of their manager and recruitment but last year they

had a budget of a mid-ranking second tier club in England.

 

Warburton took Brentford to the top half of the Championship with one of the lowest budgets in that division so he felt confident he could take the blueprint and do likewise up here.

 

So that’s what he’s done. He’s not got time to ponder project players, he needs a team in place to compete pronto – and the fact they have played at the same level and speak the same lingo will take out an extra level of risk and make them easier to gel.

 

The Gers boss has assembled a side that would probably comfortably finish in the top half of the

Championship and will be up challenging towards the top of ours.

 

To do that he’s signed the same kind of players he would down south, who just happen to be Englishmen.

 

Rivals fans might scoff but the punters in Ibrox can see what their manager is doing.

 

They know he’s having to wheel and deal like Del Boy as well. The talk of over-investment and so on has gone out the window but most fans can accept that.

 

Even this week, plenty of them have urged caution at coughing up £1.8million for Joe Garner.

 

That shows just how traumatising a time they’ve had in recent years.

 

Fans usually demand the earth, with a loan deal for the moon chucked in for good measure. But Gers

supporters want balanced books as much as a balanced side these days.

 

Speaking to folk in the game it appears Garner is highly rated. He’s strong and lively and oddly good in the air for a guy who’s under 6ft.

 

There are question marks because he scored a - in League One but the goals dried up in the Championship.

 

But don’t forget, Leigh Griffiths struggled to get a game in the old Third Division with Wolves before Celtic stumped up about £1m for him.

 

Hoops fans shrugged their shoulders when he arrived. Now they would carry him on their shoulders.

 

No one is saying Garner will have that kind of incredible impact but Warburton believes he’ll fill his boots in our division.

 

The game’s changed up here. It now seems like a parallel universe when Rangers last went on a wholesale

Anglo raid.

 

Chris Woods was the Joe Hart of his day. He would cost £30m plus now. A Terry Butcher? Well, John Stones has just gone for £50m.

 

Never mind Paul Gascoigne at his peak. Adam Lallana couldn’t lace his boots and cost £25m.

 

Those days are history but Warburton is still managing to get in the room with some decent players around the top of the second tier.

 

Joey Barton could have taken his pick in the Championship. Philipe Senderos is in the same bracket.

 

He’s career might not have hit the heights in recent years but his CV is bursting at the seams – Arsenal,

AC Milan, Everton, Fulham, three World Cups with Switzerland.

 

Senderos will do just fine in Scotland.

 

He might not be English but he might as well be.

 

Warburton’s had to work with a piggy bank rather than a war chest but he’s managed to dig up a few

bargains in the most ludicrous market in world football.

 

That’s decent business in any language.

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-boss-mark-warburton-always-8671503

[Rousseau 10,019]

"...he changed his mind on the money on offer."

 

Erm... was that actually reported? I thought the reasons circulating were the failed medical or family reasons?

[RANGERRAB 3,449]

One thing which is clear is that we won't be buying too many players from Scottish clubs anymore.

The yahoos must have wasted about £4m on Dundee Utd players Cifti, Armstrong & hyphen-name Steven.

You could easily get better value elsewhere.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

Has Rodgers signed anyone not from England.

[cooponthewing 1,139]

Not sure what happened with lescott?? Bottom line is if your not 100%, we don't want you, so in that respect we dodged a bullet.

[pete 2,499]

Wilson Halliday O'Halloran all bought/brought in Warburtons tenure. He also tried for Scott Allen. When Rangers call Scottish teams think they can hold us to ransom for high prices. If there are Scottish players available at normal prices Rangers will buy Scottish.

[Uilleam 5,767]

1. Who are the Scottish players whom MW might purchase?

2. Which Scottish Clubs are willing to sell to Rangers, at a realistic price for the talent, or at all?

Edited August 21, 2016 by Uilleam

[Bearman 9]

Arguably our best player is a non-Brit.

[craig 5,199]

Wilson Halliday O'Halloran all bought/brought in Warburtons tenure. He also tried for Scott Allen. When Rangers call Scottish teams think they can hold us to ransom for high prices. If there are Scottish players available at normal prices Rangers will buy Scottish.

 

Jason Holt too.

[RANGERRAB 3,449]

Has Rodgers signed anyone not from England.

 

And if they do get £20m from the CL it's not going to last long if they keep getting players from England once you take into account transfer fees, signing on fees, salaries, bonuses etc, etc