Russell Martin ‘drives fans away from Rangers’ as new numbers emerge
Rangers fans are deeply unhappy with Russell Martin and are now voting with their feet against his management.
The Union Bears have organised protests against Martin and Patrick Stewart, which are set to take place before Rangers play Hibernian in the Premier Sports Cup on Saturday.
Rangers fans heavily booed Martin during their home defeat to Hearts, and many are now calling for other supporters to boycott the Hibs game to send a message to the owners.
Martin’s side are dire to watch despite significant investment in the transfer window, and this is now set to make a commercial impact, as some fans no longer want to attend matches while he is in charge.
Rangers suffer reduction in away ticket applications
Tickets for away matches are always oversubscribed, with far more applicants than tickets available, but there has now been a reduction in demand from Rangers fans.
Rangers are yet to win on the road this season, and while Martin is in charge, these poor results could end up continuing.
The Rangers Supporters Liaison Office always reveal the number of applicants, as well as the allocation, for tickets for Rangers away games, and there has been a clear reduction since Martin came in.
| Matches | 12 |
| Wins | 3 |
| Draws | 5 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Goals | 15 |
| Conceded | 19 |
| Points per game | 1.17 |
| League position | 10th |
For the first game away at Motherwell, 14,400 supporters applied for tickets, with 4,470 of them successful.
Now, with Livingston offering a huge allocation of 7,068 tickets, just 11,800 fans applied for them, with nearly 3000 fewer fans interested in following Rangers away now.
While there are a lot of factors which go into fans’ applications for away tickets, it is undeniable that Martin’s presence and the current performance levels have played a part in the reduced demand.
Rangers fans could empty Ibrox in protest
The Rangers board have backed Martin, but the best way to convince them to change their minds is to hit their pockets, by not turning up at Ibrox.
Fan sentiment towards a manager can only go so far in key decision-making, but Andrew Cavenagh could decide to sack Martin if he arrives in Glasgow to a half-empty ground, with a lot of lost matchday revenue.
Effort and expenditure may have played a part in the reduction in away ticket applications, but plenty of tickets are still available for the Hibernian clash, and this could be decisive in Martin’s future.
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