talkSPORT host delivers absolutely brutal Russell Martin putdown as Rangers sack pressure increases
Russell Martin’s time at Rangers could be up following their 2-0 defeat to Hearts.
Martin is on the verge of being sacked as Rangers dropped to 10th in the Scottish Premiership table.
Two goals from Lawrence Shankland sealed Hearts’ first win at Ibrox at 2014, with Rangers fans watching on in disgust.
The Light Blues face Hibs in the League Cup in their next match, with Martin potentially not being at the helm for that fixture.
As performances get worse and worse under Martin, a talkSPORT host gave a damming verdict on the former Southampton manager.
Russell Martin’s style of play brutally exposed vs Hearts
Speaking on talkSPORT on 13 September, Max Scott brutally criticised Martin’s footballing philosophy.
He said: “What he’s trying to implement at Rangers isn’t working; you’ve got to show some adaptability, you’ve got to show a willingness to change.
“I get the feeling that Martin is cut from this cloth of managers that are average impostors of Pep Guardiola.”
“It is self-sabotage to play in that way, and Rangers have been convinced by an articulate, well-spoken man who hasn’t got another weapon at Arsenal.”
Martin was criticised by Ally McCoist for the team’s lethargy and lack of incisiveness in the final third.
He has also been previously hounded for playing an open, possession-based style of football at Southampton in the Premier League, with Hearts showing that it is incredibly easy to counter-attack against this system.
| Goals | 2 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 1.62 |
| Big chances | 3 |
| Shots | 12 |
| Touches in opposition box | 23 |
Hearts managed to have this much joy whilst only having 34 per cent possession, showing that Rangers controlled the ball for most of the match yet did nothing meaningful with it.
It remains unclear when Rangers will pull the trigger on Martin, but, at this rate, the likelihood is that he won’t last until the end of the month.
Mohamed Diomande struggles whilst Nico Raskin remains exiled
Diomande played woefully against Hearts, giving away the Penalty that led to the second goal.
Before the match, all the talk was surrounding Raskin’s exclusion from the squad, with relations with Martin continue to sour.
Raskin was Rangers’ Player of the Year last season and is the club’s biggest asset, yet due to his grudge with the under-performing Martin, he is an outcast in this Rangers team.
Diomande’s sub-par performances this season begs the question as to why Raskin isn’t starting ahead of him, let alone in the match day squad.
Whilst the defeat to Hearts was a sickener, Martin’s reluctance to count on Raskin culd be the final nail in the coffin.
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