‘Let me be very clear’ – Barry Ferguson speaks out on contentious call made by Russell Martin
Russell Martin has sparked a small revival of pride at Rangers after their Champions League victory this week.
Martin was under a bit of pressure after a dismal draw in his opening Scottish Premiership match, after which he slammed his own players.
The manager stuck by his words and made several changes to his lineup, and Rangers put in a superb performance to see off Viktoria Plzen.
The former Southampton boss replaced Barry Ferguson earlier this summer, and his predecessor has now given his verdict on the Motherwell and Viktoria clashes.
Ferguson praises Martin for bold Rangers call
Ferguson left Ibrox at the end of last season after a spell as interim boss, but despite calls from a few fans to give him the job permanently, the club went in a different direction.
Martin has recruited a lot of new players, but some who were still at the club have disappointed, and he made the huge decision to drop captain James Tavernier and star midfielder Nicolas Raskin against Motherwell.
Speaking to the Daily Record (August 8), Ferguson praised Martin’s ruthless call, and admitted that his no-nonsense approach has been needed at Rangers for some time.
- Ferguson was a ruthless captain during his playing days at Rangers, and Tavernier has been criticised for not having a similar level of authority.
- Tavernier was partly to blame for Motherwell’s equaliser on the opening weekend.
“He made two huge decisions in leaving James Tavernier and Nico Raskin out of his starting XI,” Ferguson said.
“Let me be very clear on this: I have a lot of respect for both of these guys. They are excellent football players and, more importantly, thoroughly good people.
| Stat | Raskin | Tavernier |
| Appearances | 99 | 517 |
| Goals | 6 | 131 |
| Assists | 15 | 142 |
“So it will have been really tough for the manager to have to tell them his decision.
“But Russell Martin is showing already that he is not afraid to do what he thinks is best for the team and I have massive respect for that.”
Tavernier and Raskin not on Rangers chopping block
Ruthlessly dropping the pair paid off, as Max Aarons shone at right-back after initially struggling on the left, while Lyall Cameron performed well from the start.
Some may see the act of publicly dropping the pair as a sign that they could be destined for the exit this summer, but this is unlikely to be the case.
While there have been calls to drop Tavernier for some time, Raskin’s absence from the starting XI was a huge surprise, as he was Rangers’ best player last season.
Kieran Dowell and Danilo were also dropped, and both could be headed towards the exit, but in the case of Tavernier and Raskin, this may just be a wake-up call that no one is safe from scrutiny under Martin.
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