Russell Martin surprise emerges at Rangers after new interview reveal
Rangers are set to announce their new manager within the next week.
The 49ers Enterprises group have completed their takeover of the Govan outfit and will now get to work on finalising Barry Ferguson’s successor after he left his interim role at the end of the season.
The race for the role is believed to be between Davide Ancelotti and Russell Martin after former boss Steven Gerrard ruled himself out of the running.
Martin ‘surprise’ revealed amid Rangers speculation
Martin used to play for the Ibrox outfit and has managed the likes of MK Dons, Swansea and Southampton in his career after retiring.
Tom English (31 May) has now reported for the BBC that the 39-year-old interviewed “brilliantly” when he spoke to the Gers hierarchy, making him a surprise.
It is stated that a source told him that Martin “gave the board a lot to think about.”
Martin could be a great appointment for Rangers
The majority of the hype has been around Ancelotti, given his connections with Real Madrid and his father Carlo, who is one of the greatest managers of all time.
However, he has no experience of solo-management and has followed his father around as a coach so far in his career, it would be a huge risk if he were the next man in the dugout.
Meanwhile, Martin, at the very least, has some experience managing successful teams, as he took the Saints into the Premier League.
When he reached the pinnacle of the English game, his side were outmatched in terms of their resources on and off the pitch, and that would not be the case at Auchenhowie.
That would not be a problem he would encounter with the Gers; he would be given the backing to overhaul the squad, and his possession-based system could work, given that they are one of the two dominant teams in Scotland.
There may be doubts among the fanbase over his ability, but it would be a much safer bet than Ancelotti, who is untested and may struggle to handle the expectations he would be subject to with the Light Blues.