David Weir blasts social media criticism of Ibrox boss Mark Warburton...

[ian1964 10,596]

...It p****s me off!

 

The Gers assistant manager is unhappy at some of the abuse directed towards the man he worked with at Brentford and now in Glasgow's goldfish bowl.

 

By Gordon Waddell

 

David Weir always knew Rangers were a school of hard knocks.

 

But he believes Mark Warburton has had it rougher than any of his predecessors, despite picking up the pieces of a shambolic legacy.

 

In a rare interview the Ibrox No.2 spoke out about the rollercoaster ride the side have been through in the past month, veering wildly between their perception as either deadly or duds with every 90 minutes.

 

And the extremes of reaction towards his boss, as they attempt to close what he acknowledges is a significant gap on Celtic, have frustrated the 46-year-old former captain of club and country.

 

It’s an issue he believes his old boss Walter Smith never had to deal with in the pre-social media age. As Weir prepared to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his arrival at the club in a few weeks’ time, he said: “I think it’s different now. It’s extreme.

 

“Within the space of a week, we win two games against Aberdeen and Hearts and all of a sudden managers and players go from being nowhere near it to being fantastic.

 

“You do get p***ed off. I’m not speaking for the manager but with him it’s personal, really personal. It’s his picture, it’s his name.

 

“Fortunately, he’s sensible enough, has been around long enough and has worked in a lot of different places. So he knows.

 

“He is quite calm about it but of course it does get personal. When you’re a player and somebody criticises you or writes something about you, you don’t think about yourself.

 

“You think about your family. You think about what your dad is going to say. That is how it affects you.

 

“But the secret is not to allow yourself to be too high or too low, otherwise you would go nuts.

 

“And it’s not water off a duck’s back, because fundamentally it’s not right.

 

“Some of the criticism and the level of the criticism and what Mark is being criticised for, I don’t think you can accept it.

 

“It probably goes with the territory but I don’t think that makes it right.

 

“Two games to save your job? I have read different things like that three or four times this season. I just don’t see how people can draw that conclusion.

 

“When we came in Rangers had finished third in the Championship. We have basically turned the whole squad around, put some value in the squad.

 

“The club itself? There have been over 50,000 people at our last two games and they have been out of their seats enjoying their football.

 

“For me as a Rangers supporter and an employee I think there is a lot of good work being done.”

 

Weir missed the bulk of the Rangers ‘journey’ after returning south in 2012 but he’s smart enough to realise the situation he came back to is a long way removed from the one he left.

 

And while he insists they will never settle for second best, he’s realistic enough to realise simply getting there this season will represent progress. Asked if second would be a good season, he said: “I understand that Rangers can’t be behind Celtic.

 

“But I think the reality is that where the club's have been in the last three, four, five years there is going to be a gap and there is going to be a challenge to bridge that gap – and it doesn’t happen overnight.

 

“I’m not moaning, we are trying to look at it logically. I take my hat and my scarf off and yes, we still want to win. I think second would be a good solid season. Any fan I meet is very understanding of that and realistic.

 

“But of course when you’re drawing at home to Hamilton or Ross County on a Saturday then it doesn’t seem a logical argument. We expect to win these games, we’re used to winning these games. When it’s not happening you’ve got to hold up your hands. That’s why Rangers are different.

 

“I’m not sitting here saying we cannot win. Yes, it’s a hard audience but it’s a great audience.

 

“It’s hard, of course it is, but when it’s good it’s great. I’m sure in your dark moments you wonder what's the point – but the good moments make up for the dark ones.

 

“And we’re trying to close that gap. There is a gap. Look at Celtic’s team, how many internationals have they got? They have Forrest and Sinclair out and bring in Roberts and Griffiths. They are top players on a lot of money.

 

“And of course, they’ve improved. They’ve risen to the challenge. They have seen there is a challenge and have spent money to increase their strength, so fair play to them.”

 

The challenge for Weir and Warburton is taking what they have and getting them up to the same level.

 

But he knows they’re playing catch-up from a mile back. Weir said: “It’s difficult to play for Rangers. We are asking lads who have not been playing in the top leagues to win every week against difficult opponents in front of 50,000 fans. It’s a big ask.

 

“That’s the challenge of being here and, by the way, they are doing really well and meeting that challenge.

 

“They’ve been battered for a lot of things but they thoroughly deserved the wins over Aberdeen and Hearts.

 

“We’re not far away from where we should be when you consider where we were last year. The players have definitely taken confidence from it, the players are starting to settle and understand the club.”

 

With the third Old Firm game of the season looming in a fortnight, Weir isn’t expecting patience to be in plentiful supply after two defeats.

 

But despite Celtic’s superiority he’s convinced Rangers can take revenge.

 

He said: “Of course, and we’ve got to expect to compete. I remember losing Old Firm games and going on great runs afterwards but we lost the last league game and it maybe set us back for a little while.

 

“I think the cup game we gave a good account of ourselves. They were the better team but it was tight. If you use that game as an example, Celtic score with a couple of minutes to go and it’s ‘Celtic completely dominated and deserved to win’.

 

“We played Dundee and scored in the last minute and it was ‘lucky Rangers score in the last minute’.

 

“The narrative is slightly different. I just think it doesn’t matter how you play in a derby, the result, in those games especially, dictates the narrative as opposed to narrowing the gap, being better and having more of the ball. But the team have changed, they’ve learned. Players are getting better at being Rangers players.”

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-no2-david-weir-blasts-9474070

[the gunslinger 3,366]

Yahoo's in disguise running scared of him and scarred from what he did to them last year mostly.

 

Aidded by a few doom mongers in fairness.

 

 

[chilledbear 16]

If I was Warburton or a player, facebook and twitter would be off limits. They can be horrible places.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

If I was Warburton or a player, facebook and twitter would be off limits. They can be horrible places.

Absolutely mate.

 

 

[compo 6,533]

Why go on to these social media sites

[trublusince1982 243]

He deserved the criticism. Performances where atrocious. Same as attitude and effort.

Just the same as he now deserves praise for turning things around. All of us would prefer he was a success doesn't mean that excuse after excuse will be accepted for falling short of expected norms.

 

There is no middle ground. Follow the Rangers way or get out. Don't cry about it.Do better and stop telling people its just another game. Its not nor will it ever be that way here. If it was he wouldn't have received such a high salary for managing in the Scottish 1st division nor his players for playing here they would be on wages like Aberdeen pay.

[JFK-1 1,691]

What he deserved was the chance to get a team he had just added 11 players to organised in a season that was already transitional even if no players had been added. If anyone who matters had taken this criticism seriously he wouldn't even be there right now he would be sacked and that's ludicrous.

 

A great deal of it sounded no different from that we would expect from those who hate us and no different from the stupidity at Aberdeen right now with McInnes. And to make it all the more absurd in a matter of weeks we're sitting 7 points clear in second place after the screamers were screaming about lucky to be top 4 or even top 6.

 

And no doubt the same screamers will be screaming the same nonsense come the next contrary result. The man has worked wonders at a club that was in shambles and merits no criticism on the level it was thrown at him.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

What he deserved was the chance to get a team he had just added 11 players to organised in a season that was already transitional even if no players had been added. If anyone who matters had taken this criticism seriously he wouldn't even be there right now he would be sacked and that's ludicrous.

 

A great deal of it sounded no different from that we would expect from those who hate us and no different from the stupidity at Aberdeen right now with McInnes. And to make it all the more absurd in a matter of weeks we're sitting 7 points clear in second place after the screamers were screaming about lucky to be top 4 or even top 6.

 

And no doubt the same screamers will be screaming the same nonsense come the next contrary result. The man has worked wonders at a club that was in shambles and merits no criticism on the level it was thrown at him.

Well said that man.

 

 

[MacK1950 2,278]

MW has performed a minor miracle with us by, in two consecutive seasons, assembling a squad to lead us where we want to go with IMO handcuffs on and has doing what was required.He was never going to win the SPL in first year back but has taken the flak and hopefully has turned the corner with results and will lead us to second place.

I have maintained that top six is a must and top three a bonus but would now be dissapointed if we did not finish second.

Recently I was criticiicing him but now think I should allow him a bit of slack as he does have a plan "B" which he won't admit to.

[pete 2,499]

What he deserved was the chance to get a team he had just added 11 players to organised in a season that was already transitional even if no players had been added. If anyone who matters had taken this criticism seriously he wouldn't even be there right now he would be sacked and that's ludicrous.

 

A great deal of it sounded no different from that we would expect from those who hate us and no different from the stupidity at Aberdeen right now with McInnes. And to make it all the more absurd in a matter of weeks we're sitting 7 points clear in second place after the screamers were screaming about lucky to be top 4 or even top 6.

 

And no doubt the same screamers will be screaming the same nonsense come the next contrary result. The man has worked wonders at a club that was in shambles and merits no criticism on the level it was thrown at him.

 

I never wanted Warburton sacked but was very critical of him and personally I think he deserved a lot of criticism. He refused to change a system that was failing badly. It had been failing since we won the league last season. He missed a massive chance to get us into Europe and miss a cash cow. We are not a country mile behind Celtic because Celtic are that much better than us. we are that far behind Celtic because we could not beat Hamilton, Ross County St Johnstone Aberdeen Hearts etc. We have played 2 excellent games in a row now against our nearest rivals and it has gone with Warburton changing the system with Tavernier giving the midfield an extra boost. Then there was the Barton saga. Warburton looks far from convincing in that diabolical situation. There is no room for people getting on their high horses calling people screamers. Warburton deserved criticism whether Davy Wier or anyone else thinks so or not.