Russell Martin smashes unwanted Rangers records as true extent of predictable failure exposed
Rangers fans reacted negatively when Russell Martin was appointed manager, and their scepticism was fully justified.
Martin has been a disaster so far as Rangers could even end up bottom of the league before they next play again, and fans are furious.
Supporters voted with their feet as there were over 12,000 empty seats at Ibrox as Rangers lost to Genk in the Europa League, with few wanting to watch what Martin’s side has served up.
Rangers invested heavily in the summer but are even worse now, and the underlying stats paint a very worrying picture as the true extent of Martin’s failures have now been exposed.
Rangers smash worst UEFA defensive records under Russell Martin
Despite signing five new defenders in the summer, Martin’s side have been carved open easily in almost every game, and John Souttar looks a shadow of himself.
It is now very easy to create chances against this Rangers side, and Jack Butland has stopped the defeats from being even more humiliating.
As per Patrick Caskie on X, Martin’s side have been peppered on expected goals (xG), which shows the volume and quality of chances they are conceding.
| Opponent | xG conceded | Year |
| Club Brugge | 3.86 | 2025 |
| Genk | 3.7 | 2025 |
| Napoli | 3.53 | 2022 |
| Viktoria Plzen | 3.31 | 2025 |
| Red Star | 3.05 | 2018 |
In the last nine seasons, Rangers have conceded over three xG in a European game on three occasions in 102 attempts.
This season alone under Martin, Rangers have managed this in just seven attempts, and have broken their own UEFA records for xG conceded.
Russell Martin’s defensive issues were predictable
Martin failing at Ibrox was almost entirely predictable given the struggles he faced at his other clubs, particularly in defence.
- Martin’s MK Dons side conceded 112 goals in just 80 games.
- Swansea conceded a whopping 148 goals in 99 games.
- Despite their promotion to the Premier League, Southampton conceded 118 times in 73 matches under Martin.
These woeful defensive records show that Rangers’ failures under Martin were not wholly unexpected, but his management has broken new grounds in how bad the side have been under him in Europe.
Rangers often turn up on the biggest European nights, but under Martin even the UEFA games have been dismal, and there is little left to enjoy under his management.
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