Billy Dodds tells Russell Martin what needs to be done as Rangers fans protest vs Hibernian
Rangers fans are expected to hound Russell Martin as Rangers face Hibernian in the Premier Sports Cup on Saturday.
The Gers are already nine points behind Celtic and Hearts in the William Hill Premiership, and the Scottish manager will be expected to beat David Gray’s team at Ibrox to keep their title aspirations alive.
Andrew Cavenagh will be supporting Martin from the stands, with the Light Blues’ chairman backing the 39-year-old head coach despite a disastrous start to the season.
The mood around the Glaswegian outfit is toxic right now, and the former Southampton boss has to find a way to deal with it.
Russell Martin can silence Rangers sack talks with win vs Hibernian
Martin has to grind out a result against Hibernian to dampen the noise around his future, Billy Dodds says.
The Gers icon expects Hibs to fancy their chances at Ibrox, as the Edinburgh outfit have the players capable of exploiting the Light Blues’ high line.
Dodds believes the Scottish manager can do nothing about criticism and vitriol from the supporters except lead the Glaswegian outfit to the semi-finals of the Premier Sports Cup.
- Martin has won just three of his 12 games in charge at the Gers.
- The 9-1 defeat on aggregate to Club Brugge was the Light Blues’ joint-worst in Europe.
- The Glaswegian outfit are 10th in the league table.
Speaking on BBC Sportsound on 20 September, he said: “They will [fancy it]. And they have players that maybe suit the game, especially with the high line, with the likes of Martin Boyle and Kieron Bowie, who can run beyond.
“The pressure is no doubt on Rangers. They have to handle the occasion. They have to handle what’s coming their way and just try… Martin’s got to get the players to just concentrate and somehow grind out a win.
“He’s got to try and dampen it now. That’s all it is for now. It’s not going to go away, but he’s got to try and dampen it. And the only way you can dampen it, quieten things down, whether it’s protests, whether it’s in the stadium taking a bit of stick, is to win the game even if his team doesn’t play well.”
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Martin may have no way back at Ibrox as most fans have already turned against him and are determined to see a change in the dugout.
Several managers have already sent in their CVs to Kevin Thelwell at Rangers, but they are backing the ex-Saints boss for now, despite the team not seeing an upturn in results in recent weeks.
The Gers have failed to win any of their last five matches in all competitions, and supporters have every right to demand questions from the Scottish manager and the boardroom.
Having led the Light Blues to their worst league start since 1978, Martin has effectively ended hopes of competing for the William Hill Premiership this season, and the hierarchy should look to make a change before things get worse.
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