After Club Brugge: Where Does That Leave Rangers….. and Martin?

Last night was embarrassing for us. Rangers, three goals down at home to Club Brugge inside twenty minutes, the game lost before it even began. A defensive collapse, gift-wrapped goals, and an Ibrox crowd that had already seen enough. Supporters walking out before half time, boos ringing from every corner of the stadium at the break and again at full time. It was one of those nights when you sit in your seat and ask yourself, how have we ended up here again?

The truth is the vast majority of fans never wanted Russell Martin as manager. That was clear the moment his name was even floated. But he is here, and up to now he has done absolutely nothing to change those first impressions. Results have been poor, performances worse, and there is nothing to suggest this is heading in the right direction. Apart from the odd flash, like against Panathinaikos or Plzen, this has been miserable viewing.

Style Without Substance

We keep being told this is Martin’s style. Passing out from the back, playing through the thirds, building patiently. Tippy tappy if you ask me. Maybe that is the modern way, but tell me honestly, what have we seen to suggest it works in the SPFL? Every time the ball goes back to Butland or across the defence you can feel the panic ripple through the stands. We have had countless heart-in-mouth moments from him trying to find a short pass when clearing his lines would settle the whole stadium. You can actually hear The People shouting “clear it” every single time. This is not patience. This is torture.

And then you look at Brugge last night. They played the same style, but they did it with confidence, movement, purpose. They looked like a proper team. We looked like a bunch of players going through the motions, half believing, half terrified of making the next mistake. If this is how Martin wants it to look, then we are miles away.

And here lies the biggest problem. At Rangers you do not get years to implement a philosophy. You barely get months. You need results while you build. Right now Martin is delivering neither.

No Connection With the Fans

This is where the frustration runs even deeper. It does not feel like Martin understands us. He talks about anxiety in the stands, but what does he expect when we are forced to watch the same basic errors game after game? The players are the ones creating the anxiety. If they showed fight and belief, we would give them the benefit of the doubt. Instead we get timid football and excuses.

And Martin does himself no favours. Wearing a shirt and tie might seem a trivial thing, but at Rangers it matters. Tradition matters. Standards matter. Those details are what set us apart, and when you ignore them it tells the fans that you do not fully get it. Martin played for this club. He knows what the support expects. Yet he cannot even give us that simple show of respect. It will not win him matches, but wearing a collar and tie during the games, may give him a little buy in and would show that he understands the traditions our club is built on. Right now he looks like a man who does not.

Two Games That Could Define Him

The timing could not be worse. St Mirren away, then Celtic at Ibrox. If we do not score early against St Mirren the crowd will turn, and the players will crumble under it. Martin himself called it anxiety. But that is not on us, that is on him.

Then comes Celtic. And every single fan knows what is at stake. If we get turned over by them at Ibrox, the atmosphere will go from restless to poisonous. That is when even the few fans still clinging to patience will give up. Once that belief goes, it does not come back. And if that happens, Martin will not survive it.

The Brugge return leg sits in between, and let us be honest, it already feels like a lost cause. They looked organised, composed, and ruthless. We looked fragile and lost.

Questions For the Board

The board cannot hide from this either. They interviewed Martin seven times. Seven. They listened to his vision, his ideas, his plans, and they handed him the keys to the Ibrox dressing room. But what exactly did they see? What convinced them that he was the man to carry the demands of Rangers? They sold us the line that this was a project. But projects do not survive in Glasgow without results. By backing philosophy over proven leadership, the board took a gamble. And right now that gamble looks reckless.

The directors know what happens when the support turns. They heard it at the end of Clement’s time. They may not have been in power, but they were there, they saw the banners, they heard the anger. Do they really believe they can ride this storm again if results do not change quickly? Because it already feels like it is turning that way.

Where Do We Go From Here?

It is not too late for Martin, but it feels very close. Beat St Mirren, then beat Celtic, and things look different. Confidence might build, belief might just creep in, and he buys himself some time. Lose either of those matches and the pressure becomes unbearable. Lose both and the fans will make the decision for him.

We are not asking for Barca-style football every week. We are asking for fight, for belief, and for results. Right now we are getting none of that. Last night was not just a bad game. It was a warning. A warning to Martin, to the board, and to the players.

The truth is the fans never wanted him to begin with. He has done nothing to convince them otherwise. And after nights like that against Brugge, it is not hard to see why.