Russell Martin in cuckoo land after what he said on Rangers loss vs Club Brugge
Russell Martin’s reaction to Rangers’ 3-1 loss to Club Brugge is extremely concerning.
The Ibrox outfit are close to crashing out of the Champions League after a dismal defeat to the Belgians on home soil on Tuesday.
Martin‘s side were three goals down after the first 20 minutes, and while Danilo pulled one goal back for Rangers, it was an utter shambles.
The Light Blues could have reduced the deficit to one goal, but Djeidi Gassama’s strike was ruled out after a VAR review.
Russell Martin does himself no favours with Club Brugge comments
Some Rangers supporters have called for Martin to be sacked already, but Gers legend Ally McCoist does not agree with that sentiment.
However, it is hard to defend the ex-Southampton man after his comments following the contest, where he claimed that he was proud of his team and that they could come back.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, he said: “That’s as hard as it will ever be for the players on the pitch. I’m proud of how they responded.
“We concede a crazy goal and don’t respond anywhere near well enough. Then we concede a goal that we shouldn’t, out of anxiety and make decisions based on desperation. The game plan went out the window.
“They all displayed courage in the second half. We recovered properly, and we hurt them as much as they hurt us. That goal changes everything.
“The tie is still open. We have the privilege of hunting and chasing. We go in as underdogs – I’ll enjoy that and I think the players will as well.”
Rangers job may be too much for Martin
The task in hand at Rangers was a huge one, and despite 10 signings coming through the doors, Martin has struggled to change the tide.
Of course, he deserves time to try and turn around the Govan club’s fortunes, but it does not seem like he can handle the pressure of the job, judging by how he has started at Auchenhowie.
The new majority owners, the 49ers Enterprises group and Andrew Cavenagh, will probably back him for a while, but it remains to be seen how far their patience will run.
| 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 |
His comments after the heavy loss are nothing short of deluded and will turn more supporters against him, meaning that he faces a difficult task to turn opinion around already.
Many had reservations about the initial appointment, and it does not seem like those will go away anytime soon, given the wretched start to his reign.
If he continues to make ridiculous claims after disappointing results, then surely it is only a matter of time before the Light Blues are looking for a new boss once again.
They need to break the vicious cycle of hiring and firing, but whether Martin is the right man or not, only time will tell.
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