Russell Martin called out after what he just said about Rangers, fans to disagree
Rangers face a pivotal Champions League clash with Panathinaikos on Tuesday.
Russell Martin will lead the Gers in his first competitive match since being appointed as Philippe Clement’s permanent successor on 5 June.
The Athens-based side will travel to Ibrox for the second qualifying round fixture (22 July) before the second leg in the Greek capital next week (30 July).
Qualification for Europe’s elite competition would be a major step forward in the new era at Auchenhowie.
Martin slammed after Rangers Champions League claim
Martin has played down the significance of the clash, insisting that it was not be all and end-all for Rangers and won’t define their season.
However, former Gers and Scotland striker Ross McCormack believes that supporters will not agree with the new Light Blues boss’ sentiments on this occasion.
Speaking on talkSPORT (22 July, 9:02 am), he said: “I was listening to his press conference, where he said it is not going to be season-defining, but I’m not sure there will be many fans that will agree with that.
“It is a huge game for them, they will need that pot of money if they get into the Champions League to go and get some more quality players, because I think they are missing a few.”
Martin is wrong with latest Rangers claim
Martin is probably just trying to ease the pressure off the shoulders of his players ahead of a huge game.
However, his admission is wrong; the clash is absolutely season-defining for the Gers, there is no doubt about it.
As McCormack states, it is absolutely vital that the Bears get into the Champions League, due to the revenues that it brings to a club.
It can also help attract a higher calibre of player in the transfer market, and if they can get into the competition regularly, it will help them catch Celtic quicker domestically.
It may be a tough task for Martin in his first real match as manager, as the likes of Cyriel Dessers, Hamza Igamane and new man Djeide Gassama are not fit enough to start while Thelo Aasgaard is out injured, but it is crucial that the Gers take a lead to Greece with them.
However, Max Aarons, Lyall Cameron, Nasser Djiga, Emmanuel Fernandez and Joe Rothwell could all make their debuts after signing this summer, so it is not all doom and gloom for Martin.
Supporters will hope that the former Southampton manager is just playing mind games and trying to heap the pressure on the opposition rather than his team, rather than genuinely believing what he said.
Sign up for the Ibrox News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Rangers news sent straight to your phone.