Russell Martin asks for Rangers sack after shock call vs Genk
Russell Martin is under huge pressure at Rangers, and several key managerial decisions have placed him under the microscope.
Rangers are winless in the league under Martin, but the Europa League has given them an opportunity to beat an out-of-form Genk side at Ibrox.
Fans protested against Martin in recent weeks, and the pressure is unlikely to ease up unless there is a miraculous turnaround in performances and results.
The game against Genk is a must-win one, but Martin made a shocking decision before the match which could backfire, and set himself up for failure.
Russell Martin drops Bojan Miovski for Youssef Chermiti
Kevin Thelwell raised eyebrows when he signed Youssef Chermiti from Everton for a record fee, despite the striker failing to score for the Toffees.
Signing such an unproven player for a big fee was always a risk, and Chermiti has started behind fellow summer signing Bojan Miovski so far.
| Season | Appearances | Goals |
| 2024-25 | 4 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 20 | 0 |
However, Martin sprung a surprise for the Genk clash, as he dropped his proven striker Miovski for Chermiti, despite Miovski impressing in his early appearances.
Miovski scored against Hibernian, and his overall performances have been promising, as a striker proven in Scottish football after an excellent spell at Aberdeen.
Youssef Chermiti will need time to settle at Rangers
Rangers have put Chermiti in an unfair position, as he is clearly a young striker who needs to be slowly developed and integrated into a team as a long-term option, but he will not be afforded this patience at Ibrox.
Miovski should be starting most games, and particularly the difficult matches, especially while Martin and the team are under pressure to deliver results immediately.
If Chermiti fails to immediately deliver for Rangers, it will be through little fault of his own; Martin and Thelwell will be more to blame for putting him in a situation which he may not be ready for.
Fans will hope that Chermiti can deliver in front of goal, but having failed to score in over two years, there is plenty of scepticism over the attacker.
A goal would hugely boost Chermiti’s confidence, but with Rangers struggling in attack under Martin, he may find he is starved of service.
If this decision backfires, Martin may well have to fall on his own sword.
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