Russell Martin 'invites' Rangers board to sack him after what he said at Ibrox

Russell Martin's days at Rangers appear numbered, and fans are adamant that he should be dismissed after less than four months in charge.

The Rangers board is coming under criticism over Martin's appointment and for continuing to back him now when the writing is on the wall.

Kevin Thelwell and Gretar Steinsson have been slammed for their arrogance over backing Martin, while there have also been calls for CEO Patrick Stewart to go with the manager.

Martin refused to resign after Rangers lost 2-0 at home to Hearts on Saturday, but his comments were those of a manager who knows his time is up.

Russell Martin begs for sack after Rangers defeat

Martin blamed the referee, the fans and the players for Rangers' winless form rather than looking at his own tactics, and fans are now eager for him to be sacked.

Daily Mail journalist John McGarry has now highlighted one thing Martin said after the Hearts game, which indicates that he knows his time is up at Rangers, and is ready to welcome the compensation that comes from being dismissed rather than quitting.

"Amid a blizzard of words — most of which, typically, pointed the finger of blame at his players while absolving himself — came one sentence which felt like an invitation to the hierarchy to draw a line under the whole sorry affair," McGarry explained.

"‘It is what it is,’ Martin said. ‘We’ll keep working until I’m told not to.’ For seasoned observers of such matters, this felt like an admission that the game was up."

• Read more: No, this isn’t a joke, this is genuinely what Russell Martin did with Rangers squad on Monday morning

Rangers board have to put Russell Martin out of his misery

The Rangers hierarchy are now in a bizarre situation of their own making. It is clear that the fans, and ex-players, including Kris Boyd, do not want Martin at the club.

It also appears that Martin himself does not want to actually be at Ibrox. Results and tactics aside, he has failed to endear himself to the supporters and has not bought into the values expected by any Rangers manager, even down to little things such as wearing a suit on matchday.

Despite this, the Rangers board have backed Martin, and this will only damage their own reputation among the fanbase. Thelwell and Stewart are coming under pressure, but it may only be a matter of time before Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe find themselves under the microscope.

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