Russell Martin sent good luck after ‘disrespectful’ Rangers admission made
Russell Martin is the chosen man for Rangers as a new era at Ibrox gets underway on Monday.
It took Andrew Cavenagh and the 49ers some time to settle on a managerial appointment following their takeover, with Davide Ancelotti and Steven Gerrard also heavily linked to the vacancy.
The pressure is on for the appointment to pay off, though, with plenty of expectations on the Gers to be much improved next season.
Martin warned about previous mistakes
As the search was underway for a new Rangers manager, there was plenty of debate from outside Ibrox over who should get the job.
Martin is a fresh option compared to someone like Gerrard, who has held the role before, and having Premier League experience must be a benefit.
However, a key concern over the 39-year-old’s appointment is what happened during his Premier League tenure with Southampton.
Although his side played some nice football, a stubborn approach when it came to changing style to win games led to his sacking and had its part to play in the Saints’ relegation to the Championship.
Therefore, similar anxieties are emerging in Glasgow that he could prioritise the style of football over results.
Speaking live on talkSPORT (22 June, 7:45 am), Tony Cascarino urged Martin not to fall into that trap as he said: “Good luck [laughs].
“No look, I understand that you can stick to your principles and your idea, but if you’re playing for Rangers and you’re getting beat 3-0 against Celtic and you’re overplaying and they’re demanding that you go for blood because they do, whether we like it or not that’s what the old firm derby’s like, if you’re not matching that and you’re playing nice tippy tappy football.
“If you’re playing tippy tappy football and you’re winning, you won’t have a problem. And I’m being a bit disrespectful saying tippy tappy but basically overplaying in dangerous areas, if they do that against Celtic and come off second best again, it will be over before it even starts, it really will.”
Martin has to strike the right balance at Rangers
You can understand why there may be worries over the route that Rangers will go down under Martin, as he has to look at the bigger picture in this job.
With no signings at Rangers yet ahead of the new season either, all eyes are on the new ownership to deliver.
Supporters at Ibrox will certainly want to enjoy watching some exciting football, but winning is the most important thing.
| Team | Position | Goal Difference | Points |
| Celtic | 1 | 86 | 92 |
| Rangers | 2 | 39 | 75 |
Rangers’ aim this term is to compete with Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership once more, and as long as they succeed, supporters won’t mind too much what it looks like at first.
If Martin can get going on the right foot, a long-term project at Ibrox can bind attractive football and results together.
However, as Cascarino says, if he fails to hit the ground running, then he won’t be given the opportunity to show exactly what he can implement.
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