MARK Warburton reckons Rangers have been “highly competitive” so far this season.

The Ibrox side have won just two of their first seven Ladbrokes Premiership matches on their return to the top flight, with Sunday’s defeat to Aberdeen seeing them slide down to seventh.

But Gers boss Warburton believes his team are at least living up to his pre-season demand that they put up a fight against their rivals.

“What I said at the start of the season, and I was very, very clear, was that we’d be highly competitive,” said the Englishman.

“You guys [the media] said about challenging Celtic and challenging Aberdeen. I said we’d be highly competitive and that won’t change.

“I think you saw on Sunday we were highly competitive – but we have to get the rewards for it.

“What we have to do is to turn our domination and ball possession into rewards.

“That’s what we did against Queen of the South. Between the Ross County and Queens match there was no difference between the displays.

“But in one game we were far more clinical than the other.”

Warburton’s frustration at another setback, however, boiled over in the moments after his team’s controversial 2-1 Pittodrie loss as he raced on to the pitch to confront referee John Beaton.

Now his outburst has cost him a one-match touchline ban after he accepted a Scottish Football Association misconduct charge.


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