Stelling susses out Martin already after what Rangers boss said 10 months ago
Russell Martin did not hold back in criticising his Rangers players after the 1-1 draw with Motherwell.
Despite guiding Rangers through to the next round of qualifying in the Champions League after defeating Panathinaikos, Martin was criticised for his tactics.
Now, after dropping points against Motherwell in the opening game of the Scottish Premiership season, the manager was under fire again and criticised by Jeff Stelling.
Stelling was seemingly not impressed with the way Martin slammed his team after the game, and even used a quote from 10 months ago against him.
Martin previously criticised his Southampton players
Martin’s use of Kieran Dowell has also been proven to be a failed experiment, with the English manager having to adapt if he wants to have a long-term future at Ibrox.
- Jack Butland has been forced to bail Rangers out on multiple occasions this season
- This form from the shot-stopper is unsustainable, and Gers could pay the price if they are not more defensively responsible
Speaking on talkSPORT (4 August), Stelling said of Martin’s rant: “Listen to this. Russell Martin, and I quote, ‘there was no aggression, no courage, no intensity, I saw self-preservation on the pitch. If you don’t want to run and fight, we have a big problem’.
“Now that wasn’t yesterday… that was October 2024, when his Southampton side had lost against Bournemouth.
“So this is almost a little speech that he’s got there when his team don’t perform.”
This speech from Martin is remarkably similar to the one he gave following the game against Motherwell over the weekend, as his side were limited to just one big chance as opposed to Motherwell’s five.
Despite having 62 per cent of the possession, the Light Blues were unable to make it count as Martin’s rant may have a reason to leave Rangers fans concerned.
Perhaps when the Gers boss can implement more new signings like Mikey Moore into his starting XI, then we will see the true vision Martin has for his time at Ibrox.
Martin criticism concerning
The fact that Martin evidently tends to run into the same issues with his sides perhaps reflects poorly upon his managerial abilities.
He is known to not deviate from his principles and style of play, and this is something that could ultimately cost him his job in the long run.
This stubbornness was prevalent at Southampton, and whilst that Saints squad was likely never good enough to avoid relegation, they could have certainly put up more of a fight than they did.
Although it’s early days in his tenure at Rangers, Martin must realise that he may have to tweak his style of play during games if he can see that his team are not playing well.
Supporters will be hoping to see a better performance when they take on Viktoria Plzen in the next round of Champions League qualifying.
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