Ally McCoist and Alan Brazil agree on Russell Martin sack verdict at Rangers
Russell Martin is under immense pressure at Rangers already.
The former Southampton manager was appointed in June, but Martin‘s reign has gotten off to a shaky start.
Two draws in their first two Scottish Premiership matches have left them four points behind arch-rivals Celtic, and Rangers’ Champions League journey looks set to come to an end.
Rangers’ 3-1 defeat to Club Brugge at Ibrox on 19 August has left them on the brink of elimination, and they seem set to drop down to the Europa League, unless there is a drastic turnaround.
Ally McCoist and Alan Brazil defend Rangers boss Russell Martin
Martin faced a tough task to win the Rangers supporters around in the first place, and some are already calling for an exit.
A supporter rang into talkSPORT (20 August, 6:10 am), calling for Martin to go after the defeat, but Ally McCoist and Alan Brazil were having none of that.
Responding to the fan, McCoist said: “What are you going to do, are you going to make a change again?”
Brazil agreed, saying: “You’ve got to give him a chance, surely?”
McCoist replied, saying: “Of course you do.”
How can Russell Martin turn it around at Rangers?
Expectations were always going to be high; the Gers have signed 10 new players, and the new majority ownership of the 49ers Enterprises group and Andrew Cavenagh brought new hope.
However, it will be a long-term project to get the Light Blues back to where they belong; there is no silver bullet solution to fix everything.
Martin needs time to turn the Govan club’s fortunes around, they cannot pull the trigger on his reign before it has really even begun.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
| 2 August | Motherwell | Away | 1-1 |
| 5 August | Viktoria Plzen | Home | 3-0 |
| 9 August | Dundee | Home | 1-1 |
| 12 August | Viktoria Plzen | Away | 2-1 |
| 16 August | Alloa Athletic | Home | 4-2 |
| 19 August | Club Brugge | Home | 1-3 |
Of course, results must improve, but there are foundations to build back up, and frankly, sack talk is a huge overreaction considering the strength of the opposition.
The Bears’ next four matches are St Mirren, the return leg against Brugge, Celtic and Hearts. If Martin could win the majority of those, it would go a long way to rebuilding bridges and encouraging supporters that the good times are around the corner.
If they fail to do so, the talk will only get louder, and he may face a battle to keep the job after just a few months.
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