Russell Martin – All you need to know about the under-fire Rangers manager
Kevin Thelwell may be thinking Rangers made a mistake by appointing Russell Martin as their manager.
The Gers have started the season poorly, with three wins in 11 matches under the new head coach, and many fans have expressed their discontent with the Scottish manager.
Martin has seemingly become villain number one at Ibrox, with Kevin Thewell admitting in his recent Q&A with RangersTV that things need to change quickly.
The terraces have already spoken, with supporters demanding the 39-year-old head coach’s dismissal following Rangers’ defeat against Club Brugge at the Jan Breydel Stadium, which left the scoreline 9-1 on aggregate, the joint-worst loss for the Glaswegian outfit in Europe.
MK Dons to Rangers: Russell Martin’s managerial history
Before facing the heat as the Gers manager, Martin was an established defender, plying his trade at Norwich City and also for a short period in Glasgow.
The former Scotland international ended his playing career at MK Dons, joining them in 2019 and subsequently retiring and becoming their manager the same year.
While Martin wasn’t able to achieve relative success at the League One outfit, his possession-based style of play attracted a lot of attention, and eventually, Swansea City came calling for him in 2021.
- MK Dons: 4 November 2019 to 31 July 2021.
- Swansea City: 1 August 2021 to 30 June 2023.
- Southampton: 1 July 2023 to 15 December 2024.
- Rangers: Appointed 5 June 2025.
At the Swans, the Scotsman spent two years in the dugout, finishing 15th and 10th, respectively, in the EFL Championship before joining Southampton in 2023.
Martin’s most successful period came in his first season with the Saints, which saw him win promotion to the Premier League after beating Leeds United in the play-off final.
Unfortunately, the former Southampton boss’ record in the English top flight was abysmal, with just one win in 16 games as he was sacked midway through the 2024/25 campaign.
Read More: Rangers anthems – Origins of the iconic ‘Follow Follow’ and ‘Simply the Best’
Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises have tough call with Russell Martin
Martin will hope to be given time at Ibrox after Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises made a significant investment in the team.
Thelwell is backing the new Rangers manager, having revealed an approximate net spend of £20million after the previous transfer window under the new ownership that took over in May 2025.
While the Gers will hope the Scottish manager finds a solution to their problems soon, the situation looks bleak at the moment.
It seems like only a matter of time before Martin’s Ibrox departure, with the possibility of a second resignation letter of his relatively short managerial career so far.
Sign up for the Ibrox News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Rangers news sent straight to your phone.