Credit: Imago

Samuel Fabre

Mon 6 October 2025 22:10, UK

Russell Martin was finally sacked as Rangers manager on Sunday after a 123-day spell in charge.

Rangers fans had lost faith in Martin several games into his reign, yet the board has finally stepped up and put him out of his misery.

Andrew Cavenagh leads the hunt for a new manager, with both Steven Gerrard and Danny Rohl being linked among others.

There were many issues with Martin’s management of the squad, and one key reason for his departure was a lack of tactical adaptability, and therefore his lack of accountability when things went wrong.

Having won just five of his 17 matches in charge at G51, another crucial stat has been revealed that shows why Martin would never be a success at Rangers.

Russell Martin’s defensive record is absolutely terrible

Martin’s inability to plug defensive problems was one of the key reasons why he was sacked.

Despite making several defensive reinforcements in the transfer window, the balance of the team has looked completely off as Rangers have looked shaky to say the least.

The Bears have kept three clean sheets from 17 matches this season – a terrible 18 per cent clean sheet average – and have looked vulnerable when defending their 18-yard box.

This stat alone should have shown the Rangers board that Martin was nowhere near good enough to lead this team forward.

Southampton were promoted to the Premier League in 2023-24, and Martin refused to tactically tweak his system, which led to the Saints winning just one of their first 17 matches before he was sacked.

The same mistakes were made in Scotland, with players playing in uncomfortable positions, players playing in roles that didn’t suit them, and ultimately, players who didn’t feel comfortable with the ball at their feet.

Nasser Djiga made numerous mistakes during August, and the arrival of Derek Cornelius thankfully marked the end of him starting regularly alongside John Souttar.

Souttar and Max Aarons both had to play roles they were inexperienced in, and the two right-footed players looked nervous every time they were deployed on the left-hand side of defence.

Emmanuel Fernandez’s move to Rangers has been catastrophic, with the £3.5million plus add-ons deal representing a huge waste of funds.

Whilst a lot of the recruitment decisions should be associated with Kevin Thelwell’s incompetence, Martin still has the job to adapt his philosophy to the players he’s working with.

Martin wanted James Tavernier to leave Rangers, yet changed his decision at the last minute due to the lack of depth at right-back.

• Read more: Emmanuel Petit blasts Rangers fans after ‘ridiculous’ Russell Martin scenes

Russell Martin’s insistence to get rid of James Tavernier backfired

With his contract expiring in the summer of 2026, this could be the last year that Tavernier will play his football in Govan.

The 33-year-old has been a modern-day legend at Ibrox, yet reports suggested that Martin wanted him replaced in the summer.

Thankfully, Martin changed his mind, and Tavernier leads the goalscoring charts for Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.

• Games played for Rangers: 530
• Goals for Rangers: 134
• Assists for Rangers: 90

Whilst Tavernier has also not been performing well from a defensive point of view, Martin would have been sacked much earlier on in his Rangers tenure if it weren’t for the veteran’s goals.

His volley against Livingston earned Martin another week in charge, whilst goals against Dundee and Motherwell prevented Rangers from starting the season with two league defeats.

Martin made many severe lapses of judgement when organising the defensive set-up, and whichever manager comes in next will surely do a better job of earning Rangers some clean sheets.

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