Russell Martin furious with two ‘brainless’ Rangers stars after what footage showed them do vs St Mirren
Rangers’ winless start to the Scottish Premiership season continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw by St Mirren at The SMISA Stadium on Sunday.
Russell Martin has already found himself under pressure as Rangers manager and the failure to beat one of the division’s weaker teams won’t have helped matters, especially after defeat versus St Mirren last season cost Philippe Clement his job.
Jonah Ayunga made the most of a defensive calamity to put the Buddies ahead in Paisley in the 32nd minute.
Shamal George’s wonder-save ensured the game remained level at half-time before St Mirren eventually succumbed to Rangers’ pressure when Findlay Curtis netted an equaliser in the 78th minute.
Jack Butland then produced a stunning late save to deny Alex Gogic from scoring a winner for Stephen Robinson’s Saints.
Chris Sutton tears into Rangers defence after Jonah Ayunga goal
St Mirren fans probably couldn’t believe their luck when Rangers’ defence crumbled after Mikael Mandron’s ball into the final third on a counterattack.
Ayunga was able to run through the middle of Emmanuel Fernandez and John Souttar to latch onto the pass and slot the ball past Butland in goal.
Fernandez was in an utterly bizarre position as he tried to deal with the onrushing Buddies, while Souttar allowed Ayunga too much room.
| St Mirren | Stat | Rangers |
| 13 | Shots | 13 |
| 4 | Shots on target | 6 |
| 17 | Fouls committed | 8 |
| 230 | Total passes | 578 |
| 67.8% | Pass accuracy | 88.1% |
| 29% | Possession | 71% |
Souttar’s performances for Rangers have been regularly criticised this summer and all he managed to do in Paisley was strengthen claims that he’s not been good enough.
Ex-Celtic striker Chris Sutton was especially critical of Fernandez’s and Souttar’s roles in the goal.
He was left baffled as to how they couldn’t easily cope with what seemed like a harmless St Mirren attack.
Speaking on Sky Sports Football at half-time on Sunday, Sutton said: “It’s brainless defending.
“Where is the danger? Where is the defensive instinct? The only place they can hurt you is in behind there.
“It’s a great ball and a well-taken finish, but Russell Martin will be furious with Fernandez and Souttar.”
What did Kris Boyd say about Emmanuel Fernandez?
Ex-Rangers striker Kris Boyd was visibly furious with the goal his old club conceded in the first half.
After watching Fernandez and Souttar part like the Red Sea when faced with Moses, Boyd felt that their rotten defending was a good analogy for how Rangers are playing as a whole right now.
“Fernandez has got to be inside. He’s got to match the run to start with, but it just sums up Rangers in this first half, that defending there – they’ve been absolutely powderpuff.
| Years | Appearances | |
| Gillingham | 2018-20 | 0 |
| Sheppey United (loan) | 2019 | 10 |
| Margate (loan) | 2019 | 1 |
| Ramsgate | 2020-21 | 0 |
| Peterborough | 2021-25 | 61 |
| Barnet (loan) | 2023 | 8 |
| Rangers | 2025-present | 2 |
“They can’t give you anything, slow, zero energy about them.
“Look at that, it’s just terrible.
“One ball straight through the middle of your defence and you’re clean through on goal.”
Fernandez moved to Ibrox from Peterborough in July, despite spending a lot of his career in the lower reaches of England’s non-league and never playing above League One.
He scored on his debut against Alloa in the Premier Sports Cup last week.
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