Rangers boss Mark Warburton blasts critics after heavy Old Firm defeat to rivals Celtic
Gers manager hits out at 'poisonous' criticism after 5-1 hammering on Saturday
MARK WARBURTON has launched an outspoken attack on Rangers’ critics in the wake of Saturday’s Old Firm hammering.
The Ibrox manager used the club’s official website to blast what he described as “poisonous” and “mischievous” criticism.
Warburton has come in for flak from both supporters and pundits over his team selection and use of substitutes in the 5-1 Celtic Park defeat.
But he promised to ram the criticism down people’s throats when things come right at Ibrox.
He said: “I’ve read some of the comments. I told the players that I was warned not to read the papers, but I thought no, I will read the papers, and you see some of the poisonous, mischievous dialogue that is written.
“And that just burns in your memory and that is something we will use.
“We need to turn it round and we will turn it around quickly.
“And while I won’t use the exact words I used with the players, we will make sure the people who are writing what they are writing right now come to eat those words.
“Right now, we have got to bite our tongue.
“As a Rangers fan, player or staff member, whatever it may be, right now we eat humble pie, as the fact is we lost 5-1 on Saturday.
“But that will live in the memory in terms of what’s been said and we will certainly utilise that going forward.”
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After the game at Celtic Park, Warburton claimed there was no gulf between his team and Brendan Rodgers’ — despite the decisive scoreline.
And, after watching the game back on DVD, the Gers boss is even more convinced his men didn’t deserve to lose so heavily.
Warburton said: “We have gone through it at length with the players today and all weekend, as you can imagine.
“It wasn’t a 5-1 game — we know that and that was the decision we made to try and get something from the game.
“We could have sat in and taken the 3-1, but nothing is gained by doing that.
“We have the hurt of a 5-1, but we know it wasn’t a 5-1 game.
“However, we made some individual errors.
“And, while in the first half hour they had more possession, it was pretty much nip and tuck and we were comfortable, before we made some pretty basic errors.
“We got the goal back before half-time.
“We went in at 2-1 and the message was that we had been four or five out of ten, and yet it was 2-1.
“We came out and I thought we started the second half really well, really, really well.
“It’s well documented now Barrie McKay had a great effort that missed by an inch, and that was a big game-changer. But then we were sloppy.”