Davie Provan has some advice for Rangers boss Mark Warburton

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Glasgow Rangers boss Mark Warburton has been linked with being in the running for a job in the Championship.

Davie Provan has urged Mark Warburton that if the opportunity to leave Rangers and take over at Wigan Athletic presents itself, he needs to take the job for the sake of his reputation, The Scottish Sun reports.

Warburton enjoyed a wonderful first season at Ibrox. Rangers strolled to the Scottish Championship title, won the Challenge Cup, reached the Scottish Cup final and claimed a penalty shootout victory over their Old Firm foes.

Warburton celebrates winning the Scottish Championship trophy

However, life has been more difficult in the Scottish Premiership. Although they now sit second following an impressive win over Kilmarnock, they are well behind Celtic already and have struggled to play the kind of football that brought them so much success last season.

And with the Daily Mail reporting that the Latics were considering handing the former Brentford boss the chance to return to the Championship, Provan has suggested that it is an opportunity that Warburton may not get again if things do not change at Ibrox.

“If Wigan Athletic are genuinely interested in Mark Warburton, the Rangers boss should run down the M74 to speak to them,” he told The Scottish Sun.

Warburton with Joey Barton

“The DW Stadium is hardly one of football’s great cathedrals but it would offer Warburton a route back into the English game while his reputation is still intact.”

Provan highlighted the signing of midfielder Joey Barton in the summer as an example of where Warburton has got it wrong.

“As the Joey Barton farce drags on you wonder what the Rangers board make now of that signing,” he added.

“Given Barton’s rap sheet you can bet Dave King had reservations over shelling out £1million a year for the midfielder.

“Now that it’s blown up in Warburton’s face, it brings his judgement into question.”

In fairness to Warburton, Barton had just finished a season where he inspired Burnley to promotion to the Premier League, so it was hardly surprising that the manager gave him the benefit of the doubt as he tried to put together a squad capable of challenging the Hoops.

And while Provan believes that the 54-year-old should consider his options, many will argue that the club was always going to struggle to challenge for the title straight away anyway so Warburton should be allowed to oversee the transitional period at Rangers.