Mark Warburton might have suffered last minute cup despair with Rangers, however, his luck at West Ham has changed.
The former Gers gaffer was appointed as an assistant first-team coach to David Moyes’s team in the summer and can be happy with his season’s work.
Mark Warburton’s time at Rangers might not have ended the way he wanted, but at West Ham, a turbulent season has had a happy ending, as reported by the BBC.
David Gray was the villain in 2016 when European football and Scottish Cup success would have been a career defining moment.
Seven years later and it was Jared Bowen who was the last gasp hero.
A perfectly timed run to meet a perfectly timed pass, sclaffed over the despairing advances of Pietro Terracciano.
Not quite Zinedine Zidane at Hampden or Gareth Bale against Liverpool in Kyiv, but Hammers fans won’t care.
Nor will Mark Warburton, who will have learned from his experiences at Rangers, to the benefit of West Ham.
Mark Warburton finds post Rangers contentment at West Ham
A managerial career, that started at Brentford, promised so much but fizzled out at both Nottingham Forest and QPR.
Once tipped to be a contender for the England job in the future, a step back has seen his greatest achievement.
The former city broker has some sound footballing philosophies and might have been a long term success had he been backed properly in Rangers first season back in the Premiership.
Instead, an arrogant Joey Barton arrived expecting to stroll Scottish football without doing the graft first.
A young, dynamic and attacking team became slow and cumbersome as Phillipe Senderos joined Niko Kranjcar, Joey Garner and Barton as our main summer signings.
Players who seemed a world away from Mark Warburton’s ideas for a Rangers team that was night and day to how West Ham set up now.
Things could have been different if he was given the same resources that saw millions spent on the likes of Carlos Peña and Eduardo Herrera for his successor.
Now, out of the limelight, the ex-Gers boss will be content at having played his part in West Ham’s success with a Europa Conference League winner’s medal to take home.
Thankfully for David Moyes and the blowers of bubbles, Warburton hasn’t been on set-piece duty.
