Mark Warburton’s Glasgow Rangers side will be looking to get some revenge on their Old Firm rivals this weekend.
Rangers manager Mark Warburton
Former Rangers defender Bert Konterman has suggested that if the supporters are patient with Mark Warburton’s team, they will soon be rewarded, the Evening Times reports.
The Light Blues are currently enjoying their first campaign back in the Scottish Premiership. Unsurprisingly, the side have found life much more difficult this season and are already some distance behind the league leaders.
Rangers’ Philippe Senderos looks dejected after being shown a second yellow card and sent off
Nevertheless, expectations remain high for the Gers given the quality within their squad as well as the stature of the club as a whole.
But ahead of their League Cup semi-final with Celtic, Konterman has urged supporters that giving Warburton time will be the key to the side’s chances of moving themselves back alongside the Hoops.
“If they should lose [the semi-final], it is not a disaster. They are just back in the Premiership and I think the fans understand that,” he said, as reported by the Evening Times.
“But I know the emotion that this match brings and everybody is hoping that they will beat Celtic. Of course it is possible.
“I think there is more patience in the fans than there was when I played. It is important the team give the fans a good feeling but if they are patient it will come.”
As Konterman alluded to, pressure on Warburton may force the Rangers boss into taking too much of a short-term view when it comes to selection in an attempt to appease his biggest critics.
But if Warburton feels that he has everyone’s backing, he may feel much more willing to make the kind of decisions that appear to initially set the team back a couple of steps as they will ultimately enable Rangers to make several strides forward in the future.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
