Russell Martin fully aware of irony as Hibernian win could contribute to Rangers sack
Rangers beat Hibernian in the Premier Sports Cup in a much-needed victory for under-fire boss Russell Martin.
Rangers were 2-0 winners over Hibs at Ibrox on Saturday thanks to goals from Nicolas Raskin and Bojan Miovski.
The win moves Rangers into the semi-finals of the competition and marks a first win in six matches in all competitions.
And for Martin, it seemingly lifts some of the pressure after Rangers fans staged a protest outside Ibrox ahead of kick-off.
However, what happened during the win at Ibrox may actually contribute to Martin’s departure.
Nicolas Raskin marks return to Rangers side in style
Raskin had been bizarrely overlooked by Martin before being recalled to the starting line-up against Hibernian.
The Belgium international certainly wasted no time in making up for lost time as he scored one and played a large part in the second.
Martin watched on as Raskin opened the scoring on what proved to be a pretty routine victory for Rangers in the end.
While a win will of course be welcomed by Martin, the fact Raskin showed once again he is the best player in the Gers squad may work against him.
Raskin was left out of the squad against Celtic and then the loss to Hearts last weekend. As every supporter knew, Raskin should have been starting those games.
It is on Martin that Raskin has been on the outside looking in during an extremely tough period for the Gers.
| Matches | 13 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Draws | 5 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Goals | 15 |
| Conceded | 19 |
| Points per game | 1.17 |
| League position | 11th |
Raskin was named Man of the Match against Hibs and quite simply has to be the first name on the teamsheet.
Martin’s poor management of the midfielder is just one of many reasons why he has to be sacked by Andrew Cavenagh.
Andrew Cavenagh in attendance for Rangers win vs Hibs
Cavenagh was at Ibrox for Rangers’ meeting with Hibs, leading to suggestions he’s in the country to hold crunch talks with Martin.
If that is the case, the American quite simply cannot allow this win to paper over the cracks. Rangers have been nothing short of dreadful this campaign, and Martin is the man to blame for that.
Rangers have a massive Europa League game against Genk to come at Ibrox on Thursday, and the dream scenario is that a new manager will be in place for that.
If not, though, fans will simply hope Martin is out the door and a caretaker – Barry Ferguson or otherwise – is brought in.
There is no more time to waste if Rangers are to turn this so-far dire campaign around.
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