David Tanner piles in on Russell Martin after what he did to Rangers player – ‘It’s madness’
Russell Martin’s reign as Rangers manager lasted 123 days as he was sacked on 5 October.
Martin’s sacking was inevitable, with the former Southampton manager leaving Rangers in eighth place in the Scottish Premiership.
There are many reasons why Martin failed at Rangers, most notably his inability to tactically adapt his style of play between matches.
However, talkSPORT pundit David Tanner slammed Martin for how he dealt with one key situation, which led to further unrest in Govan.
Russell Martin dealt with Nico Raskin saga terribly
Nico Raskin was Rangers’ Player of the Season in 2024-25, yet life under Martin got off to the worst possible start.
Reports had emerged that Raskin and Martin’s relationship had broken down after the 24-year-old midfielder was linked with a move to the Premier League.
Speaking on talkSPORT on 10 October, Tanner was hugely critical of how Martin handled the Nico Raskin situation.
He said: “It’s madness. What manager would drop their best players? It can cause friction in the dressing room. It’s almost like a manual of how not to do it.”
- Raskin was linked with move away from Rangers in the summer transfer window
- Due to speculation, Martin left Raskin out of the matchday squads against Celtic and Hearts
- Raskin returned to action by performing brilliantly in the 2-0 win over Hibs on 20 September
Raskin is Rangers’ biggest asset, and leaving him out of two hugely important matches was a huge mistake, regardless of the nature of their disagreement.
All this did was create doubt among the already sceptical Bears fans that Martin was the right man to lead the team forward.
Whilst Raskin was eventually reinstated, it felt too little, too late for the 39-year-old, whose fate was eventually sealed after the 1-1 draw to Falkirk.
Steven Gerrard is the firm favourite to become the next Rangers manager, with Jermain Defoe dropping hints that he could join the backroom staff.
David Tanner speaks out on Steven Gerrard latest
Gerrard is nearing a return to Ibrox, with the 45-year-old set to return to G51 for the first time since his departure in 20201.
Tanner said: “There seems to have been a meeting in London yesterday. Jermain Defoe has, interestingly, been posting lots of Rangers memorabilia on his Instagram – some heavy hinting there. We expect it to happen.
“It’s incredible that we’re here so early in the season with Rangers changing their manager. We’ve spoken plenty of times about Martin being the right choice if he learned the lessons from Southampton, but it was like watching a re-run of that at Rangers.”
Gerrard would be positively welcomed back by Gers supporters, who are anxiously waiting for him to be announced in the coming days.
Having won the 2020-21 Scottish Premiership, Gerrard established himself as a huge figure in Rangers history, as he stopped Celtic from winning 10 top-fight titles in a row.
Light Blues fans can finally be excited for the first time this season, with Gerrard’s return putting the disastrous era of Martin firmly in the past.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Rangers news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account –@ibroxnews247