Russell Martin - 123 Days of Chaos

The Russell Martin disaster-class is finally over after a pathetic 123 days in charge, closing the door on the shortest managerial reign in Rangers’ history. And not before time, either. The only real disappointment about the news is that he was ever hired in the first place, as this most obvious and predictable experiment failed before our very eyes — just as we warned his employers it would.

As much as nobody wanted him, once he was announced, there was no choice but to back him, look forward to the new season, and hope he proved us wrong. He almost instantly set about making that difficult.

At his first press conference, he told the media how he believed in a specific philosophy and that it would take time to get right. He also referenced his poor stint as a player and pointed out how much the fans didn’t want him—hardly the way to win over an unconvinced support.

Then there was the match-day attire. A 150-year tradition of Rangers managers wearing a suit and tie pitch-side was scoffed at by a man dripping in arrogance and self-importance who thought he was above it. He didn’t want to continue the century-and-a-half tradition because he “sweats,” apparently. It was happily accepted by Bill Struth, Scot Symon, Willie Waddell, Jock Wallace, John Greig, Graeme Souness, Walter Smith, Alex McLeish, Ally McCoist, and Steven Gerrard. Genuine Rangers royalty. But not the former MK Dons, Swansea, and Southampton coach with a managerial win rate of less the 40 percent.

Now, I’ve heard the argument: “Nobody would complain about what he wears on the touchline if he was winning.” And that’s correct. But the reality is, he wasn’t winning. Similarly, the Loch Lomond embarrassment might’ve been hailed as innovative if we were top of the league, in the Champions League, and had won the first Old Firm of the season. But he failed at all three, so it became fair game for criticism and ridicule.

Upon Martin’s appointment, Kevin Thelwell told us:

“His teams play dominant football; they control the ball, dictate the tempo, and impose themselves physically. They press aggressively and work relentlessly on the ball.”

What we got was the polar opposite. The team couldn’t defend, create, or score. They looked confused, shapeless, and utterly lost, and the football and general effort on display was almost reminiscent of the dark days in the lower leagues.

The league record of one win, five draws, and one defeat actually flatters the team. Motherwell, St Mirren, and Falkirk could all feel unlucky not to have taken three points off us, while Livingston were fortunate not to take at least a draw from last week’s game. The Dundee and Celtic matches were among the biggest bore-fests I’ve witnessed at Ibrox, and the less said about Hearts, the better.

We scraped past Alloa in the League Cup, going into injury time only 3–2 up against a part-time League One side before nicking a fourth at the death. The next round, a 2–0 win over Hibs, looked comfortable on paper, but we weathered an early storm, and had Hibs’ first-half goal been controlled by another part of Martin Boyle’s body other than his arm, it wouldn’t have been ruled out and it’s doubtful the team would have recovered.

Europe also offered little relief. A promising start with a 3–1 aggregate win over Panathinaikos was followed by an even better 3–0 home win against Viktoria Plzen. And that’s where the positives ended. A pathetic loss in Plzen saw us stumble through to face Club Brugge, who handed out a humiliating 9–1 aggregate defeat without breaking sweat. Quite frankly, that second leg was one of the most embarrassing nights I’ve ever experienced watching Rangers.

The team actually produced their best performances in the first couple of competitive games of the season, then gradually declined as they adapted to Martin’s “style.” It can’t be a coincidence.

Getting by the Panathinaikos at least guaranteed Europa League football, and the draw looked kind, Roma and Porto aside. Yet even then, Martin’s Rangers flopped. Home to Genk and away to Sturm Graz should’ve meant six points from six. And probably would have been, had any manager from the recent past, from Steven Gerrard through to Barry Ferguson, been in the dugout. Instead, we made a mess of both and lost twice. The new manager now faces an uphill task just to salvage a play-off spot.

His interviews and press conferences only reinforced how out of his depth he was. The man didn’t understand the task, and worse, he didn’t understand the club.

“Well, two of the defeats have been in Europe, so it’s not like it’s the end of the world.”

— Russell Martin, post-St Mirren, when asked if a competitive record of only three wins in nine concerned him.

“I’m not talking about results. It’s not about the results, it’s about the performance.”

— Russell Martin, post-Genk, when asked if he could be proud of a 1-0 home loss in Europe.

“This thing here at this club, that I hear everyone saying all the time, that you just have to win all the time. You also have to have a way to win, to learn, grow, and develop. You can’t just win sustainably, in my opinion.”

— Russell Martin, post-Falkirk, when asked if being a success at Rangers ultimately comes down to results.

And now, compare those words to three Rangers managers who delivered title success:

“There’s an expectancy at certain clubs to win trophies, and that will never stop at Rangers. As soon as you win one, it’s a case of on to the next.”

— Alex McLeish, manager 2001–2006

“The expectations at Rangers are that you should win every game, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

— Walter Smith, manager 1991–1998 & 2007–2011

“There’ll be a time and a place to talk in detail about philosophy, but the most important thing is that we win football matches.”

— Steven Gerrard, manager 2018–2021

He didn’t get it. He didn’t try to get it. He didn’t want to get it. He showed a sneering disdain for everything Rangers stands for and had no interest in embracing the values and principles his predecessors carried with such pride. He was in the wrong movie from the off, and it was only ever going to end one way. And we all knew it from the moment he was announced.

The scenes from Falkirk on Sunday were unpleasant. Watching a man, never mind the manager of Rangers Football Club, needing a police escort home from work after a crowd blocked his original route was not something any of us wanted to see. But something had to give. It was only getting worse, and the fans had had enough. The support asked the board to act. They were ignored. So, the fans did what they had to do to get the message across. The scenes were ugly, but necessary. And in the end, it got the result we wanted.

And as for the CEO and Director of Football, Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell, the dithering double act who should both be worried that their fate won’t be too dissimilar to Martin’s if their performances don’t pick up – listen to us in the future. Funnily enough, the Rangers fans know more about Rangers than the pair of you ever will. This is our club, and don’t forget it.

Anyway, let’s close the door on this dreadful chapter in our history and look forward to the future. It’s still an exciting time as I genuinely believe there is a talented squad of players currently at the club. We should all now look forward to getting behind the new manager, whoever it may be. And the potential is definitely there for the next appointment to come in and deliver success. Again?

“Let’s Go”