Russell Martin cannot be serious with what he’s said after damaging Rangers draw
Rangers dropped points again after drawing 1-1 with Dundee on Saturday.
Russell Martin’s side were minutes away from losing the game after falling behind to a Ryan Astley header.
Things went from bad to worse for Rangers after Nasser Djiga was sent off for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
But James Tavernier equalised from a stoppage-time penalty after Djeidi Gassama was brought down in the box.
The Light Blues have only two points from two league games this season, as they could also only manage a draw at Motherwell.
Indeed, Rangers could already be four points behind Celtic if Brendan Rodgers’ side beat Aberdeen on Sunday.
Martin insists it won’t be a quick fix at Rangers
When asked by the press about Rangers’ slow start to the campaign, Martin insisted that he expected a bit of pain in his opening games.
He said: “Every club I’ve been at – you have a bit of pain and when you get through that pain, it’s so worth it”.
“I don’t think I expected anything less coming in here that it’s not going to be a quick fix. This club has not had success for a long long time.”
He must surely understand that these comments won’t carry a lot of weight with the Rangers fans.
He will be aware that Rangers are expected to win every league game they play, particularly the home fixtures against Scotland’s smaller teams.
That’s the way it is, whether or not it’s realistic.
- Read more: Russell Martin loses Ibrox crowd, Cyriel Dessers looks done – Three things learned vs Dundee
These comments are more likely to annoy the fans than draw empathy.
Martin has signed 10 players this summer and had more than enough quality in his squad to sweep Dundee aside.
It’s too early to complain about fatigue, injuries or suspensions. It’s arguably too late to suggest that his time hasn’t had time to gel.
The Rangers boss would arguably have been better off speaking honestly about his team’s shortcomings, as he did after the Motherwell game.
Rangers won’t have to wait long to put things right
The silver lining for Martin is that his side have started well in their European ties.
They travel to Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday with a 3-0 lead from the first leg, and will be heavy favourites to progress to the playoff round of the Champions League.
That would leave them one tie away from the group stage, which would be a real money-spinner for the club.
In the meantime, they face Alloa at home in the Scottish League Cup and St Mirren away in the league before Celtic visit Ibrox for Martin’s first Old Firm derby.
| Date | Competition | Opponent |
| 12 August | Champions League qualifying | Viktoria Plzen (A) |
| 16 August | Scottish League Cup | Alloa (H) |
| 24 August | Scottish Premiership | St Mirren (A) |
If Martin can win all these games before the derby and gain a positive result in that game, he might get the fans back onside, but it’s been a rough start for the new Rangers boss and these patronising post-match comments aren’t helping him.
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