Mark Warburton made an incredible admission after watching Sevco hammered 4-0 by RB Leipzig.
The contrast between second in Scotland and their German equivalent couldn’t have been made more obvious as the home side strolled to victory.
Other than getting their expenses paid for the weekend it’s hard to see what Warbo learned from the game for the domestic tests ahead.
While Hearts, Hibs and St Johnstone struggle to stay compliant with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations the club from Ibrox are on course for three year losses of over £15m- more than three times the maximum allowed by UEFA.
Warbo has been unable to buy any players in the January transfer window but knows the importance of being granted an SFA licence to play in Europe and of getting through four qualifying rounds unseeded.
Speaking to the club website after today’s defeat he explained: “It’s too easy to say, “that’s because they’re on X grand a week” – this club cannot afford not to be at a European table.
“We have to keep pushing the club forward, take these tough games and use the experience and be better for them.”
Warbo’s club has never played in Europe before but the manager clearly knows how depressed their finances are.
With a further soft loan required in March and two expensive court cases coming up finances will be stretched to the limit to complete the season.
Whether his players can cope with the pressure remains to be seen, under the former city trader they have consistently failed to win the big matches other than a Petrofac Cup final against Peterhead.
