Russell Martin ‘dead meat’ as Rangers condition set to be ‘worse than critical’
Russell Martin’s future at Rangers is already being called into question after a dismal start to the new season.
The Gers have gone winless in their first two league outings for the first time since 1989, and even their promising Champions League qualifying campaign turned sour on Tuesday night.
Martin’s men were blown away at Ibrox by Club Brugge, who raced into a commanding three-goal lead after just 20 minutes in what was a disastrous start in Govan.
The new boss already finds himself under fire after only a handful of competitive games, and his situation could now be about to grow even more grave in the coming days.
St Mirren and Celtic clashes decisive for Russell Martin
Martin is already facing criticism at Rangers for several of the decisions that he has made in the early stages of his reign.
Both results and performances have been concerning for much of his stint in charge, and the regular changes to the starting XI suggest that he is floundering a little to try and find a formula that works.
The 39-year-old finds himself under pressure already, and that could be about to heighten further over the next week.
The Gers travel to St Mirren at lunchtime on Sunday, before heading into the first Old Firm Derby of the season the following weekend.
- 24 August – Rangers face an away clash with St Mirren
- 27 August – Rangers travel to Brugge for the second leg of the Champions League playoff
- 31 August – The first Old Firm Derby of the season
Gary Keown believes that if Martin cannot secure favourable results from those two encounters, then his position will be untenable.
“Martin suggested on Friday that the games coming over the course of the next week are not critical,” Keown wrote in the Scottish Mail on Sunday (24 August, pg. 83).
“Fail to win at St Mirren and take a towsing from Celtic at Ibrox next Sunday, and Martin’s position will be worse than critical. He’ll be dead meat.”
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Russell Martin cannot hide behind Champions League success at Rangers
The highlight of Martin’s start to life at Rangers had undoubtedly been their continued progression through Champions League qualifying.
Performances hadn’t always been consistent, but they did what was needed from them and navigated through the early rounds successfully.
- Second Round – Rangers beat Panathinaikos 3-1 on aggregate
- Third Round – Rangers beat Viktoria Plzen 4-2 on aggregate
- Play-off Round – Club Brugge hold a 3-1 lead going into the second leg
The European exploits had provided a welcome distraction from the stuttering Premiership start, but after the first-half debacle against Brugge, Martin and his team cannot hide behind their continental run at all.
Their hopes of securing a spot in the league phase rapidly unravelled at Ibrox, and with their hopes of progression all but evaporated, the priority will switch back to the Premiership.
However, Rangers already find themselves behind the eight ball after a hugely troubled start, and with a sizeable gap between them and their Glasgow rivals, there is simply no room for error from here onwards.
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