Russell Martin nears Rangers sack as ‘alarming’ issue surfaces in Europa League loss
Rangers’ miserable form in Europe continued as they suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Sturm Graz.
Rangers had a mountain to climb, conceding two first-half goals in appalling fashion on Thursday night.
Djeidi Gassama’s brilliant goal dragged the Bears back into the game, yet despite a flurry of chances coming their way, they were unable to bring the game level.
Rangers’ loss to Graz leaves them 32nd in the Europa League, and with the Light Blues sat eighth in the Scottish Premiership, Rangers fans are louder than ever when calling for Martin’s sacking.
One key issue has been prevalent throughout the season, and former Gers defender Alan Hutton has finally had enough.
Defensive frailties will be Russell Martin’s downfall
The manner in which both goals were conceded against was “alarming”, as former Scotland international Kenny McLean put it.
Rangers should not be conceding goals from their own throw-in or a simple free-kick routine, and the blame lies at Martin’s door.
Speaking on TNT Sports after the match, Hutton slammed the Rangers defence for their habit of switching off in big games.
He said: “I think when you go away from him in European games, you can’t give the home team a two-goal headstart.
“Since the start of the season, some of the goals that have been given away, you’ve seen it week in, week out.
“They need to brush up on that, or this is always going to be a problem.”
McLean added: “They give up chances far too easily, and it is alarming.”
Rangers’ defensive stats make for troubled reading, and yet again, Ally McCoist was critical of the defending against Sturm Graz.
- Rangers have conceded 23 goals from 16 matches this season
- They have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 22 away matches, equalling a club record
- Rangers have conceded an xG of 6.20 in six Scottish Premiership matches
Bears fans voiced their displeasure at the appointment of Martin, and their fears have been proven right, with the manager’s poor defensive record at his last three clubs also being exposed at Ibrox.
Martin will probably be given at least one more match, with Rangers travelling to Falkirk on Sunday.
Should the Light Blues fail to win, the mood in Govan would reach a breaking point.
Whilst the brunt of the blame lies with Martin, not only should the players step up and perform the basics properly, but Kevin Thelwell’s poor recruitment has also contributed to this season’s struggles.
Kevin Thelwell to blame for woeful defensive recruitment
The signings of Nasser Djiga and Emmanuel Fernandez were quite simply catastrophic.
Both players have looked like a fish out of water when it has come to dealing with the aggressive nature of Scottish football, making several key mistakes in the early part of the season.
Derek Cornelius has come into the starting fold following his deadline day arrival, yet despite looking authoritative in certain elements of his game, the same weaknesses apply.
Rangers lack a physical leader in defence to bail them out of trouble, and most importantly, they lack a winning mentality.
Too often this season, we’ve seen Martin come out and say that his team can’t switch off, yet it’s clear that the players at his disposal aren’t cut out to play for Rangers.
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