Rangers dressing room claim made in stark Russell Martin admission
Russell Martin certainly doesn’t have many supporters among the Ibrox faithful at Rangers.
With the Gers getting off to their worst start in the league in 42 years after drawing their opening four matches in the William Hill Premiership, the Scottish manager hasn’t convinced many he’s the right fit in G51.
It wouldn’t have been surprising to see Andrew Cavenagh sack Martin after the defeat against Club Brugge, with the Light Blues suffering their joint-worst loss in Europe with the scoreline 9-1 on aggregate.
Kevin Thelwell is also coming under pressure at Ibrox, and the 39-year-old head coach may have a massive issue on his hands at the Glaswegian outfit.
Russell Martin has lost respect in Rangers dressing room
Martin doesn’t seem to be held in high esteem by some of the influential players in the Gers’ dressing room, Scott Burns says.
The Scottish journalist doesn’t believe the former Southampton boss will be able to turn things around at Ibrox despite a circa £20million net spend by the Light Blues.
Burns feels the Scottish manager may have to rely on the new additions to the squad, as some key members of the squad don’t seem to respect him anymore.
The journalist wrote in the Daily Record on 6 September: “As it stands, you would have to say no. There have been no signs or indications that Martin is going to be a success at Rangers. His new signings need to start performing because he has clearly lost the respect of key figures in his dressing room.”
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Kevin Thelwell to pull plug on Russell Martin at Ibrox soon
Thelwell has backed Martin publicly at Ibrox, but there is understandably a realisation in the boardroom that the results haven’t been good enough.
The Gers are sitting six points behind Celtic and Hearts in the league table after just four matches, and their return to action after the international break against Derek McInnes’ team should be make or break for the ex-Saints boss.
If the Light Blues end up losing to the Jambos, they will find themselves nine points behind them, which would almost take them out of the running to win the William Hill Premiership in September.
- Martin has a 27 per cent win rate at the Gers.
- The Scottish manager has won just three of his 11 games in charge at the Light Blues.
- The Bears have conceded 17 goals this season.
While Rangers could potentially want to stick with Martin and give him time to implement his ideas, most supporters already want to see a change in the dugout.
The travelling supporters are undoubtedly the most loyal, and their lack of faith in the Scottish manager during the 6-0 loss to Brugge in the second leg of the Champions League play-off was stark.
It looks challenging for Martin to be a success at Ibrox, and his dismissal seems inevitable at this point.
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