Rangers astonishment amid 'incomprehensible mess' as next Champions League tie awaits

Russell Martin has had an eventful start to life as Rangers manager.

The Gers successfully navigated their way past Panathinaikos in the second qualifying round of the Champions League, but dropped points at Motherwell on the opening day of the SPFL.

The 1-1 draw at Fir Park was followed by a scathing post-match interview from Martin, who heavily criticised his side's performance levels as they conceded late on to make it three years in a row without an opening day victory.

Rangers turn their attention back to Europe as they prepare for their Champions League third qualifying round tie with Viktoria Plzen, but their situation has been analysed from the outside.

Rangers' Champions League progression 'defied sound logic'

Rangers defeated Panathinaikos in the last round of the Champions League, but did so in unconvincing circumstances.

The Gers were underwhelming in the second leg, conceding 20 shots to the Greek outfit, and only began to settle after Djeidi Gassama scored the killer third goal of the tie with half an hour to go.

The first leg wasn't convincing either, despite the 2-0 victory, as Martin's side only able to grab a much needed victory in the second half.

Keith Jackson has been very critical of the performances under the ex-Southampton boss, stating that some fans will ignore the major faults of the team due to results on the pitch.

Writing for the Daily Record (4 August), Jackson said: "When Rangers somehow made it through two legs of a Champions League pummelling from Panathinaikos an assortment of fan boys and happy clappers rushed to the defence of the manager while ignoring what they had just witnessed with their own eyes.

"The truth is Martin’s side was an incomprehensible mess in both of these games against the Greeks and exactly how these players managed to get through the double header clutching onto a 3-1 aggregate victory almost defied any sort of sound logic."

Rangers will need time to get to grips under Martin

Rangers have ultimately had two good results out of three under Martin, even if the performances have never been all that good.

The manager's position at Ibrox has become somewhat of a poison chalice in recent seasons, with no manager lasting a full campaign since Steven Gerrard won the title in 2021.

The ex-Swansea City manager needs to attempt to break the streak of failed Gers managers and survive the season, and while he should be given time to gel, the performances need to improve quickly.

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