Monday 31 August 2015 13:47, UK
Mark Warburton insists his record-equalling start to life at Rangers is down to his players rather than what he has done as their manager.
The Ibrox side recorded another thumping win on Sunday – this time beating Queen of the South 5-1 – to stretch their run of victories to eight games since the season began.
That allowed Warburton to equal legendary former Rangers boss Bill Struth's sequence of wins in his first eight games at the helm back in 1920, the best anyone at the club has done.
The statistics racked up by the Scottish Championship leaders are impressive, with 30 goals now scored in the fixtures they have played in all competitions.
Notably, nine of their goals have come in the final 15 minutes of games, which points towards superior fitness levels over their opponents.
They have also carved out an average of almost 18 scoring chances per game and have taken just under one in every two they have had on target.
Warburton has rebuilt the squad he inherited when he took charge in June and with a total of 19 players having left Rangers since the end of last season now, he has brought 11 in.
All bar one of his team's goals came from new recruits in Dumfries as Andy Halliday, Martyn Waghorn, Jason Holt and Barrie McKay – a survivor from previous seasons – netted.
Away fans sang Warburton's name once again from the terraces of Palmerston Park but the Englishman deflected credit to those working under him.
He said: "(Matching the Struth record) is great for the players and it's got to be about them. It's down to their achievements.
"If we can maintain that focus it is going to be important for us. They have come here since the first day of pre-season and applied themselves so well so the eight wins are down to them."
Rangers led their opponents 1-0 at the break and a series of incidents at the start of the second period were the catalyst for a comprehensive victory.
Not quite a turning point, Derek Lyle's red card for motioning his head towards away defender Rob Kiernan without actually butting him came as the hosts lost their composure and discipline.
The dismissal for violent conduct was arguably extreme, although defender Andy Dowie was lucky to stay on the park moments later when he denied Dominic Ball a scoring opportunity illegally.
Waghorn converted the penalty referee Bobby Madden awarded at that point and from there the Ibrox outfit were very comfortable.
Queens manager James Fowler disagreed with Lyle's early exit and said: "You'd maybe need to ask the fourth official about that because he was the one that gave the decision.
"If it was aggressive behaviour with the two players involved with Derek standing his ground when a player walks towards him, then I don't know.
"I think sometimes that one person could be more aggressive than the other but when Derek is standing his ground and then the heads come together…
"Maybe Derek gestured towards him, but it was head to head originally so I would have thought if he had given two yellows then I don't think either player would have had a complaint."
Warburton agreed, adding: "The red card was very, very harsh I've got to say. I'm only speaking my mind and you've got to be very careful with what you say about match officials.
"But for me that was a big call right at the start of the second half. I didn't see more than two guys throwing handbags at each other. Two yellow cards or a yellow card maybe does it but it's happened now."
