Times Talker: Should Mark Warburton give his Rangers kids more game time?

Yes, says Stewart Fisher

There is much to admire about the way the former city trader has managed team affairs during the first half of the season.

Keeping a squad of senior professionals who are competing for their livelihoods happy isn't easy and the Ibrox dressing room is a happy place.

The team are winning matches and things have quietly settled into the usual football pattern where those who play well largely stay in the team and those who are left out can have no complaints.

It is the kind of model which has served the club well in the past.

The only problem with this, though, is that with the exception of the excellent Barrie McKay, chances for the club's younger players such as Ryan Hardie have been short on supply.

Part of the appeal of Warburton - the co-founder of the Next Gen Series - was his track record as an academy director.

But while there has been much talk of it there has been little practical evidence of the strategic importance the club put on blooding the next generation of recruits from Murray Park.  

Hardie, now 18, has got involved just four times from the bench, played a combined total of around 80 minutes, and always when his team-mates had already racked up a huge lead.

The only conclusion that can be drawn is that he is not deemed ready for play at this level and that is fair enough. It is Warburton's call, and it is of course understandable if the club's management would rather not take risks. 

If he is going to feature so fleetingly, perhaps a loan deal for Hardie elsewhere would be best in the short term, but I feel that Rangers would benefit if they allowed a few more opportunities for the club's young talent to learn their trade, even if it means a few mistakes along the way.

Chances for young players, after all, are likely to be even less when the club returns to the top flight.

There's no harm in mixing it up, says Chris Jack

MARK WARBURTON made it clear early on in his Rangers managerial reign that he would be operating with a streamlined first team squad this term.

The Englishman has often spoken about the benefits of having a 'lean' group of players from which to choose but the Gers pool, while strong, doesn't have a lot of depth at present.

The starting line-up practically picks itself at the moment but the likely arrivals of Michael O’Halloran and Toumani Diagouraga will give Rangers some much-needed competition for places.

Warburton has stuck with the tried and tested stars for most of the campaign and has resisted the temptation to chop and change, even when an obvious opportunity appears to have presented itself.

It has meant the likes of Jordan Thompson and Ryan Hardie, while regular members of the squad on a match day, have had little first team action this term and only have a handful of appearances between them to their credit.

Tom Walsh, who impressed in the closing stages last term, has had to head out to Dumbarton on loan in a bid to get some match minutes under his belt while promising members of the Under-20 squad have yet to make their breakthrough.

The second half against Livingston on Saturday was the ideal chance for Thompson to get a run-out but Dean Shiels and Gedion Zelalem were the midfield replacements, while Nicky Clark was also pitched into the action as Hardie missed out on the 18 altogether.

There was no place for Maciej Gostomski, who could have been handed a debut against Cowdenbeath the week before, and Harry Forrester was also left on the sidelines.

Rangers have dominated many matches this term, and will dominate many more in the coming months, and there will be more chances for Warburton to make changes.

The players that currently have the jerseys certainly don’t deserve to lose them, but it would make sense to give them the odd rest here and there to ensure they will be fighting fit going into the final weeks of the campaign.

With the Ibrox squad set to be bolstered again in the coming weeks, fans may well get to see different faces more often if Warburton decides to shuffle his pack.