A very strange situation has emerged from Rangers this Friday evening as they confirmed the resignation of manager Mark Warburton... Only for the manager to then claim that he has not resigned and knows nothing about the statement.
Reports from the likes of Sky Sports and the BBC claimed that Rangers had parted ways with Warburton and his assistant, as well as the club's director of football, on Friday, and then the official club statement appeared to confirm this news:
Club Statement: https://t.co/D48UpkbrUT
— Rangers FC (@RangersFC) February 10, 2017
Rangers has accepted the resignations of manager Mark Warburton, assistant David Weir & the Club’s head of recruitment Frank McParland.
— Rangers FC (@RangersFC) February 10, 2017
But then came news that this was a surprise to the very man who was reported to have handed in his notice of resignation.
Mark Warburton says he's unaware of #Rangers statement regarding his resignation. Says he hasn't resigned. Bizarre.
— Chris McLaughlin (@BBCchrismclaug) February 10, 2017
So what the hell is going on? We don't exactly know.
Update: According to Scottish website TalkingBaws.com, Mark Warburton handed in his resignation on Monday, but it was rejected by the board. They then changed their minds and announced it on Friday night, without informing Warburton.
We understand that the Englishman handed in his resignation to the club on Monday, but it was rejected at first.
However, that changed tonight and we can exclusively reveal that Rangers accepted it on Friday evening and announced the news on their official website before telling their manager first.
And that explains why the Gers manager has publicly stated that he knows nothing about the resignation.
At the time of writing, there is nothing on Rangers' website about Warburton's resignation, and the statement tweeted leads to a page that no longer exists.
In the meantime, social media is losing the run of itself amidst the confusion.
.@btsportfootball Confusion as to whether Mark Warbuton has walked! If he hasn't walked he should run..... The job has been too big for him!
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) February 10, 2017
The statement regarding Warburton's resignation has now been removed from the official site...
— Ibrox Loyal (@IL_Official) February 10, 2017
Gazza has just arrived at Ibrox with a chicken and a fishing rod, saying he's a friend of Mark Warburton .
— Cammy (@netflixandhill) February 10, 2017
All of a sudden Mark Warburton needs the media. The irony.
— Gerry McCulloch (@gerrymcculloch1) February 10, 2017
"Mark Warburton has resigned. Period." pic.twitter.com/cEgrvOSoQ9
— Patrick Baxter (@sirpaddybaxter) February 10, 2017
Mark Warburton has resigned but doesn't know he has.
I blame the randomness of football.— James Doleman (@jamesdoleman) February 10, 2017
So Warburton has said he hasn't resigned and is unaware of club statement. Rangers really are the gift that keeps on giving. ?
— Andy Muirhead (@andymuirhd) February 10, 2017
Warburton leaves
Weir leaves
Collymore still here
Celtic breaking records
Happy 10th! https://t.co/v0rShm4uf7— Stan Collymore (@StanCollymore) February 10, 2017
We will keep you updated on this as it develops.
