Smug Mark Warburton has branded Saturday’s Petrofac Training Cup tie away to Hibs as a pre-season friendly.
Despite being in charge for over a month Warbo has still to field his side in public with only a training session against Spurs u-17’s and an evening match against the part-timers of Ayr United to assess his charges.
Last season’s Petrofac Training Cup defeat to Alloa led to Ally McCoist being sent on gardening leave but the former city trader, who worked from 6am to 10pm dealing in millions on a daily basis, sees no reason to fear the tie at Easter Road.
“People were talking as if we’d drawn Real Madrid,” the 52-year-old former Brentford boss said. “With no disrespect to Hibs, we’re Rangers Football Club and we will go into every game well prepared and ready to apply ourselves appropriately.
“This is a great game for us and good for the fans. It’s game four and a really tough test. In any pre-season programme, you start and move up gradually. The Hibs match is perfect for us.”
Continuing in the same arrogant manner that was the trademark of former Rangers (IL) chief Dave Murray the new Ibrox boss added: “It’s game four of our pre-season programme and I would be lying if I say otherwise but we go into every game to win it with the best team available and that’s what we look to do.
“There is no point in lying, we are four weeks in and we hope to add four or five players in the coming days, so we could have players playing in the Hibs game who have only been here for two days. So in terms of being patient, while we want to win that game and the competition as a whole, it takes time to bed players in, but we will do what we can.
“I don’t think anyone is in better shape than us at the moment. Hibs have players in situ with experience, that goes without saying. I’ve seen bits and pieces. They are a very organised team. I know Alan Stubbs from his Everton days and they’ll be fit, organised and hungry. They will be tough opponents.
“I’m sure Hibs will look to play, I hate to use the term the right way, but it’s the way you prefer. They will be organised and of course they are ahead of us in the sense they have had players together for a longer period of time.
“That will be a benefit to them. We’ve got to recognise that and counter it but it’s got to be about us. It’s always about us and how good we can be. If we dominate the football we’ll be fine but talk is cheap, action speaks louder than words.”
If I was Stubbs, I’d have that quote up on the dressing room wall in big, bold letters. Hope the Hibees give them a doing …
In the interests accuracy, Ayr Utd are a full time team. No’ very good right enough, but full time.
I’m delighted he’s made this statement.
We are rangers fc, that’s right not Glasgow Rangers 1872 ( LIQUIDATED 2012) but, your new name RIFC or the rangers.
Glasgow Celtic 1888
UNBROKEN !
HH
The sevco manager seems almost as deluded as the zombies,
C’mon the Bibs
HH
Didn’t take long for this loon to learn the moronic words from the loyalists hymnal. The laptop loyal just love this drivel, anything to keep the delusional masses buying into castle greyskull, hopefully the Hibees can turn them over good and proper. HH
The Warbler may just be getting his excuses in early.
Does he not realise the Bears ambition to win the Petrofac ???? , at the 4th time of asking then boast that it’s a cup that Celtic will never win…….they don’t do irony very well at Ibrox.
A Hibees win will see a rash of it’s just a Diddy cup from the media, winning the Championship is the only game in town.
The season’s not even started and I’m exhausted reading and listening to PR puff bigging up everyone and everything connected to Sevco.
Yet amongst all this miss direction Dave King remains aloof, untouchable, unmentionable………..no one dare ask where is his and is other board members investment?
Pay day loans are keeping the lights on for now but there is a £10m a year loss which hasn’t been addressed.
The PR campaign to promote ST sales on the back of signing journeymen players from the lower English leagues must be costing a fortune with Level 5 working overtime. Somehow or other they have managed to suppress any questions as to the state of King’s, and Sevco ‘ s, finances.
How have they managed that?
Some of the stuff in the media defies belief, why would sports journalists climb on board and copy and paste the drivel being fed to them by Level 5?
What’s in it for them?
As none of them have a reputation to protect because of the drivel they are printing ask yourself why, why are they prostituting themselves at the altar of a Championship club who, unless league reconstruction arrives, may find themselves still in the Championship in a year’s time.
It just occured to me that Sevco’s PR firm must be named after the level at which Sevco shop for players …
What will come first 1) Administration or 2) Warbo ‘walking away ‘ ?
My money is on 2) around about Christmas.
An SOS, will be sent out to ‘ goosebumps ‘ McCall.????
Their turmoil, on and off the park, will surpass anything we’ve seen before ????
He won’t walk away. But he will be fired. I expect him to see put this and maybe next season. If they fail to win promotion this term, make no mistake, there WILL be reconstruction for next season to include Sevco at the top table for the following season.
As a Hibby my first reaction was to laugh it off but I have to admit the league is the priority. Thought the guy above was bang on about Murray and arrogance. Seems Warbo has the same mindset but given he obviously knows nothing about the Scottish game that’s a bit stupid on his part.
This guy is only in the job 5 min and is talking about beating hibs they couldn’t beat Alloa o WELL WELL still in the SPL remind me who did they beat ?