Mark Warburton wants to hit the 2016/17 season running.
Rangers are back in the big-time. Some Celtic fans will argue that this Rangers is not the Rangers that they did battle with for years – due to the older incarnation going to the wall – but the first ‘Old Firm’ clash of the new season will be bubbling.
The Gers are in the United States on their preseason tour and will play Charleston Battery in a friendly match next Wednesday.
Warburton is well aware that the Premiership will be a significant step up for a squad that primarily consists of men that helped them up from the lower reaches of Scottish football.
Rangers players have been banned from drinking alcohol in the lead-up to that game and for all but a couple of hours in the entire tour. The ban will be player-led and Warburton does not expect anyone to buck the trend. He told the Daily Record:
“There’s no alcohol on the trip. The only respite from that will be after the game when we’ll come back to the hotel and mark the end of the trip with a couple of beers in a private area.
“There are urine tests every morning so you can check everything, but you have to trust people. If you don’t, the whole squad falls apart.
“We try and treat them like adults. They’re going to work hard but there will be a bit of down time as well. If you’re going to trust players, trust them. You can’t say you trust them one day and not the next. If you don’t trust them they shouldn’t be in the squad.”
Warburton also has the players in for thrice-daily training sessions, with two of those sessions being in the gym.
So what are the Rangers players doing now that they can’t bond over brews?
According to Warburton, Starbucks, chess and pool-side relaxation.
Bet they can’t wait to get back to Scotland.
