‘Wild’ scenes emerge inside Ibrox as Russell Martin caught like Beale at Rangers
Russell Martin has endured a troubled domestic start at Rangers so far.
The Gers are once again doing well in Europe, as they hold a 3-0 lead over Viktoria Plzen in their Champions League third qualifying round tie.
However, Rangers are stuttering in the league, already falling four points behind champions Celtic after just two games, after they dropped points again in a 1-1 draw with Dundee.
With Martin under pressure to close the growing chasm between the Old Firm rivals this season, this start is looking eerily similar to recent times.
‘End-of-days’ feel around Ibrox as Michael Beale and Philippe Clement memories linger
The feeling around Ibrox isn’t one of joy at the moment after Saturday’s draw with Dundee, and fans have begun turning on the former Southampton manager.
Boos rang around for the majority of the second half as James Tavernier’s late penalty salvaged a point for 10-man Rangers, having fallen behind in the 51st minute.
Writing for the Scottish Daily Mail’s print edition (11 August, pg 60), Gary Keown described how the scenes at Ibrox turned toxic for large spells of the second half.
Keown said: “It was wild inside Ibrox at times during long spells of the second half. It felt like end-of-days stuff, the way it was when the likes of Michael Beale or Philippe Clement or Giovanni van Bronckhorst were on their last legs, all hope lost and their pea-hearted players disappearing into their shells.
| Manager | Games managed | Wins | Win-rate |
| Philippe Clement | 82 | 53 | 64.6% |
| Michael Beale | 43 | 31 | 72.09% |
| Giovanni van Bronckhorst | 68 | 42 | 61.7% |
“Punters made it clear they were unhappy about Lyall Cameron, who had arguably been the liveliest Rangers player on the field, going off for Nico Raskin.
“When Kieran Dowell came on for Mohamed Diomande, though, the boos shook the foundations.”
Martin needs to start winning fast before he loses his job
As soon as the Ibrox crowd begins to turn on the manager, it’s been a regular pattern that the sack is only around the corner.
The pressure is on Martin now, despite the fact that he’s only just new into the job, showing the instant need for success in the league with a juggernaut in the form of Celtic ready to pounce.
The crowd are beginning to turn on the former defender, and now he needs to start getting wins on the board, both in Europe and in the Scottish Premiership, before he gives the board no option but to pull the trigger.
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