Russell Martin and Brendan Rodgers exit bombshells dropped before Old Firm showdown
Russell Martin and Brendan Rodgers both face uncertain futures ahead of the upcoming Rangers clash against Celtic on Sunday.
Rangers are set to host Celtic at Ibrox on 31 August in the first Old Firm clash of the Scottish Premiership campaign, and the first under Martin and their new owners.
This comes at a bad time for Rangers, just days after being thumped 6-0 against Club Brugge in the Champions League qualification play-offs.
As a result, the pressure of being sacked by Rangers has piled on Martin, although things aren’t much better away from G51 at Parkhead.
Rodgers has also come under scrutiny after the Hoops were also knocked out of Europe’s elite competition, sparking many questions ahead of the Old Firm.
Chris Sutton speaks out ahead of Rangers vs Celtic
The former striker has always been outspoken about his former side, and Sutton has already after Celtic’s humiliation against Kirat Almaty in the Champions League.
This penalty shootout defeat in Kazakhstan should act as the perfect boost for the Gers ahead of a fierce derby at Ibrox.
With that being said, Sutton has been left questioning the future of each manager in what looks likely to be a high-pressure Old Firm for both sets of supporters.
This is especially the case after Sutton was in disbelief towards a Martin interview against Motherwell earlier in the season, when the Englishman was arguably too honest in a negative review of his side.
Now, both Martin and Rodgers are facing trouble over their job security, with a potential defeat likely to represent a huge blow to their job prospects.
This hasn’t been lost on Sutton, who, writing for the Daily Record on 30 August, page 64, believes not even a “shock” win would be enough for the Gers boss to keep his job.
He said: “Celtic could, and probably should, come out on top, but it’s not going to bring back the Champions League.
“Rangers might pull off the kind of shock like last season’s 3-0 victory, but it only delays what now looks to be inevitable for Russell Martin at Ibrox.
“Similarly, it’s difficult to see anything but a Rodgers departure at the end of the season now. There’s no way he’s going to sign up for more of this scrambling around at the end of transfer windows, just to get his squad back to the level it was previously.”
Rangers to benefit from Brendan Rodgers’ exit
There is no hiding away from how poor the Light Blues have been up against their Old Firm rivals in the Scottish Premiership title race.
| Position | Club | Points |
| 1. | Celtic | 9 |
| 2. | Hearts | 7 |
| 3. | Hibernian | 4 |
| 4. | Livingston | 4 |
| 5. | Kilmarnock | 3 |
| 6. | Motherwell | 3 |
| 7. | Rangers | 3 |
As a result, any sort of uncertainty at Celtic Park will be music to the ears of the Bears, who go in search of their first league trophy since the days of Steven Gerrard.
The departure of Rodgers from Parkhead could cause a period of uncertainty for the Hoops, in a similar vein to that of the Gers.
That could be the perfect storm for Martin to prove himself in the long term, if he is afforded the opportunity to do so after such a poor start to his debut campaign.
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