MARK Warburton isn’t, despite the pressure which has been steadily mounting on the Rangers manager in recent weeks, in the same sort of overwrought state as his former Celtic counterpart Ronny Deila was last season.

Yet, Warburton has admitted the revelation this week that Deila had experienced anxiety attacks as a result of the intense stress which he was under during his two years in Glasgow had resonated with him.

The Norwegian, now in charge at Valerenga, told NRK Television in his homeland that he would often wake up covered in sweat with his heart pounding and his head aching as he contemplated how to win the next game.

Warburton is an altogether different type of character to his one-time opposite number. Nevertheless, he did confess that he hadn’t slept after the costly 2-0 defeat which his side had suffered to Hearts at Tynecastle this week.

The reverse in the capital saw Rangers knocked off second spot in the Ladbrokes Premiership table and their manager stayed up and watched the game back in an attempt to identify where they had gone wrong and what they could do to rectify it.

“I know where he (Deila) is coming from, because it is all-consuming,” said Warburton as he looked ahead to the Ladbrokes Premiership match against Aberdeen at Ibrox this afternoon.

“People talk about football as a unique world. If you are a brickie and you’re not getting your job done on time, it’s the same. That’s the nature of work.

“But it is all-consuming in football. I didn’t get any sleep on Wednesday night because we delivered a bad performance against Hearts in front of a big travelling Rangers support.

“I’m always up at half past four in the morning anyway, but I think what Ronny was saying was he had a lot of pressure, which makes a lot of sense.”

Warburton added: “I watched the Hearts game back two and a half times. It’s my job. We’ve got to learn from it.

“I’d be disrespectful if I said the scrutiny was the same as where I’ve been before. This is a different environment completely. It is a completely different level of scrutiny. It’s a much bigger club with a fantastic history and we’ve got to respect that.

“But we are also at a different time in this club. The way we get out of this situation is not the same way as in previous years. We have to recognise that.”

Regardless of the state of Rangers off the park, Warburton will be subjected to an even higher level of criticism if his side fails to beat Aberdeen at Ibrox this afternoon.

The 4-3-3 formation which he always opts for and his stubborn insistence that his side build play patiently from the back has been questioned by both supporters and the media this term.

So, too, has the wisdom of many of his signings with even Dave King, the club chairman and major shareholder, stating at the AGM last month that this summer’s recruitment drive had been less successful than his first signing spree last year.

Warburton, though, is undeterred. He believes the result against Hearts was simply down to a failure to perform. He is adamant his system and new players will come good in due course. He also senses the majority of the fans appreciate the unique position they are in.

“People say try 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2, but there’s movement and rotations within the 4-3-3,” he said. “We have a lot of rotation and movement. There’s rotation, there’s movement, there’s wide players driving in. We go through it every day out on the grass, but, on Wednesday night, hands up, it didn’t work. We weren’t conscientious enough.

“But it was a good performance at Inverness where we played very well. It was a good performance against Kilmarnock. We’ve also got young boys coming in being asked to do things they otherwise haven’t done. We’ve got players from all levels and experiences being asked to do it.

“Do we think they’re good enough? Absolutely, otherwise I wouldn’t bring them to the club. You hear from someone that ‘he’s always played in a 4-4-2, why did you buy him?’ Because he’s a player. He’s armed with the attributes. So you’re asked players to play differently.

“Everyone we meet has been great. They understand what we’re trying to do and gel it in. It takes time. How do you get this group of players to become better? You give them time. But that’s the one commodity in Glasgow which isn’t easy to get.”

Warburton encouraged his players to speak their minds about what had gone wrong against Hearts on Wednesday evening in a discussion at Auchenhowie after training the following day – despite the altercation after the 5-1 loss to Celtic back in September that led to Joey Barton being suspended and ultimately parting company with the club.

“We encourage,” he said. “We have to talk as a group. As long as it’s done in a respectful way. I don’t want someone turning round and calling someone else all the names under the sun, but if there’s a problem, be honest.

“I don’t mind as long as it’s done in the right way. Earlier in the season (the Barton incident) that’s when it goes awry. But it’s good. They have to be able to speak. They are adults, not kids. They are pros playing in front of 40,000 or 50,000 people and they’ve got to deal with it.”