Various Mark Warburton comments about future of Scottish football

[ian1964 10,456]

...unless cash is invested.

 

THE Light Blues has been operating north of the border for only a year but that’s been long enough for Warburton to form an opinion.

 

MARK WARBURTON believes the face of football is changing beyond all recognition and unless Scotland wakes up to that reality our game is destined to remain in the wilderness.

 

The Rangers boss has been operating north of the border for only a year but that’s been long enough for Warburton to form an opinion.

 

And he believes much more has to be done in terms of promoting and marketing Scottish football in order to bring in even a fraction of the funding that allows our neighbours in England to pay astronomical transfer fees and wages.

 

Warburton is already finding to his cost that the chasm in finances is making it almost impossible for his club, and the rest, to even attract players who are surplus to requirements or not yet ready to play for their clubs.

 

Want proof? He’s happy to provide it.

 

He said: “You have 21-year-old players down there on up to £25k a week. That is fact.

 

“We went after a couple of players for loan deals and we found out were in excess of 25-30 grand a

week - and there’s a clutch of eight to 10 clubs prepared to pay full wages. It’s incredible.

 

“Players are set up for life from an early age so how hungry are they late in their careers?

 

“I have seen youngsters on £40k a week. That’s £2million a year over five years. Add in sign-ons and bonuses and that’s a £12.5m contract. How many young players can maintain that desire, hunger and appetite?

 

“I’m amazed at the amount young players get paid these days and so many just drift away without fulfilling their potential.”

 

And it’s not going to change anytime soon, Warburton asserts.

 

He said: “There is just way too much money and it’s not going to stop. The bubble is not going to burst. The cycle had just started.

 

“Everyone just thinks go and get this player – a 6ft 4in centre half, who can play out from the back and can read the game really well.

 

“That’s great but they’re on £150,000 a week. That’s the fact of it. I just get frustrated that we don’t look at it that way.”

 

Yet, he has managed to bring in young players from England in the shape of Joe Dodoo from Leicester City and Accrington Stanley duo Matt Crooks and Josh Windass. Proof that it can be done.

 

Warburton said: “With Joe, you have to show him here and sell the club.

 

“You hope the agent sees it, the family see it and he understands the opportunity he has here. That he knows he offers us something we haven’t got.

 

“He’s a young talented player and we can help bring his career forward. It can be done. There is money

available but it’s not easy.”

 

Warburton reckons that even buying players from Scottish clubs is becoming harder because Rangers can’t compete with the money even League One clubs are prepared to throw at players up here.

 

Peterborough had a £1.7m offer for Jason Cummings rejected by Hibs, prompting boss Neil Lennon to

hang a £5m price tag around the striker’s neck.

 

Warburton said: “The value is up here in Scotland, where there are some very good players. I didn’t think Neil said anything wrong at the weekend.

 

“You had a League One club bidding well into seven figures for a player.

 

“A few years ago, that would never happened but it’s going to keep on happening now.

 

“You look at the money down south and how it impacts here. It’s not just impacting one way in terms of us going down there for players - it’s impacting with them coming up here as well.

 

“You’re getting situation where League One clubs are coming and bidding significantly into seven figures for Scottish players.

 

“It’s a changing market. You’re going to have Championship clubs quite casually spend seven, eight, £10m on players and it’s happening all the time.

 

“So look at what’s happening down south - yet everyone is ignoring it.

 

“Look at the Asian buyers coming into the market - Wolves and West Brom were bought over by Chinese businessmen this week - and how that’s going to change.

 

“People say it won’t impact Scotland, it’s a massive impact on Scotland if we’re not careful because it will hit us sooner or later.

 

“In three or four years time, we are going to see a completely different game. Manchester United will be playing whoever in whatever city. European leagues will change, there will be world leagues.

 

“Premier League teams will be playing the likes of Boca Juniors and River Plate.”

 

So should Rangers and Celtic, with the size of their fanbases, be involved in this changing world? Warburton thinks so.

 

He said: “We have to be. Every club has to look at the best they can do.”

 

But the game’s rulers have to find a way of making football more attractive, not only to fans, but to sponsors and the television companies who can plough serious money into it if they believe in the product.

 

Warburton clearly feels not enough is being done to showcase Scottish football properly.

 

He added: “You can’t just sit here and say, ‘That’s the way it is’. We have to find a way to get more investment in Scottish football.

 

“We’ve got to get more money in by TV, sponsorship, by improving the quality of product. We need packed stadiums – games like Hearts v Celtic, Rangers v Aberdeen, Rangers v Celtic.

 

“We need these to show the game in a good light. We need to raise investment or else in two years’ time we will still be sitting here moaning about the state of the game.

 

“I’m not going to talk about other clubs up here but when you turn on the English Championship highlights you see a packed or a packed Ipro Stadium, Carrow Road or City Ground.

 

“You look at the crowds – 25, 28, 32,000. That’s just the Championship. That’s not the Premier League. Everyone says ‘well that’s just because of the money’ and then ignores it.

 

“We’ve got to find a way of making the quality of product better.”

 

Read more at http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-boss-mark-warburton-says-8603826#IvoEcC5v1SoPBfzt.99

[der Berliner 3,290]

Essentially, a decent enough reality check:

 

Mark Warburton: A world super league is coming - and Rangers have to be a part of it

 

MARK Warburton last night predicted the huge sums of money being invested in football will lead to the creation of a world super league in the near future – and revealed he wants Rangers to be a part of it.

 

Warburton has brought high-profile players Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar as well as promising youngsters Joe Dodoo and Jordan Rossiter to Ibrox this summer to bolster his side’s bid to win the Ladbrokes Premiership.

 

However, the 53-year-old believes it will become increasingly difficult for the Glasgow club to operate successfully in the transfer market in the seasons to come due to the wages being offered by their counterparts down south.

 

The former City of London trader anticipates that Rangers will have to leave their domestic league in order to compete with English and European clubs for players - and he reckons that opportunity will become available to them.

 

"There is just way too much money in the game and it's not going to stop,” he said. “The bubble is not going to burst. The cycle had just started. AC Milan was sold for three quarters of a billion Euros to China, in the same week as West Brom. Wolves went too.

 

“In three or four years’ time, we are going to see a completely different game. Manchester United will be playing whoever in whatever city. European leagues will change, there will be world leagues. Premier League teams will be playing the likes of Boca Juniors and River Plate.

 

"We have to be part of that. Every club has to look at the best they can do. The game is changing in every way, that is my opinion. We’ve got to get more money in by TV, sponsorship, by improving the quality of product.”

 

Warburton added: “We need to raise investment or else in two years we will still be sitting here moaning about the state of the game. We’ve got to find a way of making the quality of product better. Obviously I can’t reveal specifics, but some of the deals (in England) you would not believe.

 

“Someone said to me the other week ‘what are Bournemouth doing spending that much money on two Liverpool fringe players?’ That is how they described it. Staying in the Premier League – that’s what they are doing.

 

“All credit to Eddie Howe and Bournemouth. They were magnificent last year. They had a proper go and stayed in the Premier League because the rewards are enormous. Premier League spending this week was just shy of £600m - before the Paul Pogba deal.”

 

Dave King, the Rangers chairman and major shareholder, confirmed at the weekend that Warburton would be able to strengthen his squad further this summer and again during the January transfer window.

 

However, the manager, whose summer signing spree has been aided considerably by head of recruitment Frank McParland, is concerned about how difficult it will become to lure players to Scotland as the gap in resources with England widens in the seasons to come.

 

"As time goes on, it will become harder to attract quality players,” he said. “Joe Dodoo is a great signing for us. Matt Crooks and Josh Windass too.

 

"But don't forget that you are taking a risk when you sign any young player. That's when we need to trust our judgement, do our homework and look to guys like Frank. But this is a huge problem in football and it can't be ignored.

 

“You can say the funds are there, and the backing we’ve had from the chairman and board has been first class, but the market is constantly moving north.

 

“You look at the money down south and what’s being paid down south and how it impacts here. It’s not just impacting one way in terms of us going down there, it’s impacting them coming up here as well.

 

“You’re getting a situation where League One clubs are coming and bidding significantly into seven figures for Scottish players. It’s a changing market. You’re going to have Championship clubs quiet casually spend seven, eight, ten million pounds on players and it’s happening all the time.

 

“So look at what’s happening down south and everyone is ignoring it. Look at the Asian buyers coming into the market and how that’s going to change. People say it won’t impact Scotland, but it will have a massive impact on Scotland if we’re not careful because it will hit us sooner or later.”

 

Warburton added: “We went after a couple of players who we found out were in excess of 25-30 grand a week and there’s a clutch of eight to 10 clubs prepared to pay full wages. It’s incredible. You can’t just mock it or sneer at it. It’s fact.

 

“It can be done. There is money available, but it’s not easy. Everyone just thinks go and get this player – a six foot four centre half, who can play out from the back and can read the game really well. That’s great but they’re on £150,000 a week. That’s the fact of it.”

 

Warburton brought in Dominic Ball from Spurs and Gedion Zelalem from Arsenal on loan last season and admitted he could look to sign players on a temporary basis again this season. However, he revealed that signing players on short-term deals was also proving increasingly difficult.

 

"We are waiting for the 25-man squads for loans deals but even they are not as easy as they were,” he said. “You have 21-year-old players on up to £25k a week. That is fact.

 

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/14674507.Mark_Warburton__A_world_super_league_is_coming___and_Rangers_have_to_be_a_part_of_it/

 

 

Rangers boss Mark Warburton says Scottish football will remain in the wilderness unless cash is invested

 

06:00, 11 Aug 2016 Updated 08:45, 11 Aug 2016 By Record Sport Online

 

MARK WARBURTON believes the face of football is changing beyond all recognition and unless Scotland wakes up to that reality our game is destined to remain in the wilderness.

 

The Rangers boss has been operating north of the border for only a year but that’s been long enough for Warburton to form an opinion.

 

And he believes much more has to be done in terms of promoting and marketing Scottish football in order to bring in even a fraction of the funding that allows our neighbours in England to pay astronomical transfer fees and wages.

 

Warburton is already finding to his cost that the chasm in finances is making it almost impossible for his club, and the rest, to even attract players who are surplus to requirements or not yet ready to play for their clubs.

 

Want proof? He’s happy to provide it.

 

He said: “You have 21-year-old players down there on up to £25k a week. That is fact.

 

“We went after a couple of players for loan deals and we found out were in excess of 25-30 grand a

week - and there’s a clutch of eight to 10 clubs prepared to pay full wages. It’s incredible.

 

“Players are set up for life from an early age so how hungry are they late in their careers?

 

“I have seen youngsters on £40k a week. That’s £2million a year over five years. Add in sign-ons and bonuses and that’s a £12.5m contract. How many young players can maintain that desire, hunger and appetite?

 

“I’m amazed at the amount young players get paid these days and so many just drift away without fulfilling their potential.”

 

And it’s not going to change anytime soon, Warburton asserts.

 

He said: “There is just way too much money and it’s not going to stop. The bubble is not going to burst. The cycle had just started.

 

“Everyone just thinks go and get this player – a 6ft 4in centre half, who can play out from the back and can read the game really well.

 

“That’s great but they’re on £150,000 a week. That’s the fact of it. I just get frustrated that we don’t look at it that way.”

 

Yet, he has managed to bring in young players from England in the shape of Joe Dodoo from Leicester City and Accrington Stanley duo Matt Crooks and Josh Windass. Proof that it can be done.

 

Warburton said: “With Joe, you have to show him here and sell the club.

 

“You hope the agent sees it, the family see it and he understands the opportunity he has here. That he knows he offers us something we haven’t got.

 

“He’s a young talented player and we can help bring his career forward. It can be done. There is money

available but it’s not easy.”

 

Warburton reckons that even buying players from Scottish clubs is becoming harder because Rangers can’t compete with the money even League One clubs are prepared to throw at players up here.

 

Peterborough had a £1.7m offer for Jason Cummings rejected by Hibs, prompting boss Neil Lennon to

hang a £5m price tag around the striker’s neck.

 

Warburton said: “The value is up here in Scotland, where there are some very good players. I didn’t think Neil said anything wrong at the weekend.

 

“You had a League One club bidding well into seven figures for a player.

 

“A few years ago, that would never happened but it’s going to keep on happening now.

 

“You look at the money down south and how it impacts here. It’s not just impacting one way in terms of us going down there for players - it’s impacting with them coming up here as well.

 

“You’re getting situation where League One clubs are coming and bidding significantly into seven figures for Scottish players.

 

“It’s a changing market. You’re going to have Championship clubs quite casually spend seven, eight, £10m on players and it’s happening all the time.

 

“So look at what’s happening down south - yet everyone is ignoring it.

 

“Look at the Asian buyers coming into the market - Wolves and West Brom were bought over by Chinese businessmen this week - and how that’s going to change.

 

“People say it won’t impact Scotland, it’s a massive impact on Scotland if we’re not careful because it will hit us sooner or later.

 

“In three or four years time, we are going to see a completely different game. Manchester United will be playing whoever in whatever city. European leagues will change, there will be world leagues.

 

“Premier League teams will be playing the likes of Boca Juniors and River Plate.”

 

So should Rangers and Celtic, with the size of their fanbases, be involved in this changing world? Warburton thinks so.

 

He said: “We have to be. Every club has to look at the best they can do.”

 

But the game’s rulers have to find a way of making football more attractive, not only to fans, but to sponsors and the television companies who can plough serious money into it if they believe in the product.

 

Warburton clearly feels not enough is being done to showcase Scottish football properly.

 

He added: “You can’t just sit here and say, ‘That’s the way it is’. We have to find a way to get more investment in Scottish football.

 

“We’ve got to get more money in by TV, sponsorship, by improving the quality of product. We need packed stadiums – games like Hearts v Celtic, Rangers v Aberdeen, Rangers v Celtic.

 

“We need these to show the game in a good light. We need to raise investment or else in two years’ time we will still be sitting here moaning about the state of the game.

 

“I’m not going to talk about other clubs up here but when you turn on the English Championship highlights you see a packed or a packed Ipro Stadium, Carrow Road or City Ground.

 

“You look at the crowds – 25, 28, 32,000. That’s just the Championship. That’s not the Premier League. Everyone says ‘well that’s just because of the money’ and then ignores it.

 

“We’ve got to find a way of making the quality of product better.”

THE Light Blues has been operating north of the border for only a year but that’s been long enough for Warburton to form an opinion.

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-boss-mark-warburton-says-8603826

[trublusince1982 243]

THE Light Blues has been operating north of the border for only a year but that’s been long enough for Warburton to form an opinion.

 

Wtf.....

[the gunslinger 3,366]

Light blue I expect he means

[trublusince1982 243]

Probably got all excited about having a snide wee dig!

[calscot 0]

Think my post was deleted during the merge...

[Davie P 4]

I think that any sound minded individual would be in agreement with MW's comments, however, I am concerned that we only appear to have targeted the (lower) English leagues for Bosman signings. Surely the Scandinavian and Eastern European leagues would offer better value for money?

[colinstein 294]

that's the market that Warburton and McParland know. looking further ahead we won't be able to exploit Scandinavian and Eastern European markets after Brexit....something which hasn't quite sunk in yet amongst europhobes.

[der Berliner 3,290]

that's the market that Warburton and McParland know. looking further ahead we won't be able to exploit Scandinavian and Eastern European markets after Brexit....something which hasn't quite sunk in yet amongst europhobes.

 

That, and the fact that younger players may not fulfill all work permit requirements as is. Though I have to admit that I don't know the exact requirements, but think a certain amount of international games et al was amongst it.

[calscot 0]

I think that any sound minded individual would be in agreement with MW's comments, however, I am concerned that we only appear to have targeted the (lower) English leagues for Bosman signings. Surely the Scandinavian and Eastern European leagues would offer better value for money?

 

We've been saying that since the early 90s...