Martin bullish on Rangers’ future after frank chat with chairman

Rangers manager Russell Martin said his job is not under immediate threat and that the club’s American owners understand it will take time to turn things around, after a 1-0 Europa League defeat to Genk left his team with a troubling start to the season.

Martin spoke after meeting chairman Andrew Cavenagh following Thursday’s loss at Ibrox, a meeting he described as routine and constructive. He said there was no change in tone from the chairman since their last discussion and reiterated that the conversations at the top are about football matters, performance, and how the club can improve, not about personal job security. “Yes, listen, I’m probably the one that feels that the most, I’m the most frustrated one because, ultimately, I’m the head coach of the team,” he said. “So, while everyone is probably feeling a bit frustrated and all that stuff, I think there’s an acceptance from them — as people who have run football clubs and sports teams for a very long time — that sometimes things can take a bit of time to change. And to get to where you want to get to is not always going to happen overnight. But we’re all frustrated, everyone’s feeling it. So, while the fans are feeling it, we’re inside the building, we’re feeling it more than anyone because we’re the ones that ultimately have to go out and put the performance on the pitch and get scrutinised and critiqued for that.”

But Martin insisted there is unity inside the club. “But we’re all together, I really feel that. Everyone’s been really together through this period. And, like I said, if we can get through this period, which I really believe we will, we’ll all be so much better for it.” He stressed there is no unusual tension between him and the chairman, and that the discussions center on the football club and its next steps rather than speculation about his future. “The media love making out as if everyone is in a big conversation about ‘Is he going? Is he staying? What’s being said?’. But, generally, we chat about the football club, about what we can improve, about the performance, about the next game. And it’s always the same, it’s never just me and Andrew. It’s me and my staff, Kevin (Thelwell), Andrew, Patrick (Stewart), all of the guys in there. We have a good conversation, honest conversation and it was the same again. So, there’s nothing out of the ordinary with that.”

The forum of the day reflected a club under pressure rather than complacency. Rangers’ defeat to Genk, in front of a crowd of 37,898—the lowest for a European match since the Ibrox side returned to the Premiership—left them 1,0 down to the Belgians and extended a worrisome start to Martin’s tenure. The result, coupled with the ongoingessent appraisals from supporters, underscored the club’s need to show tangible improvement soon. Still, Martin argued that the on-pitch challenges do not alter the internal sense of purpose. “The only way we can do that (get supporters engaged) is to win football matches and bring people back. Everything else I can’t control. We’ll work really hard on being together, working really hard to make sure we improve and win. And then, when you win, and you win a lot, I think things will change.”

The environment around Rangers has been punctuated by fan frustration, with calls for the manager’s removal growing louder in some circles. Martin acknowledged the external noise but maintained that his focus remains on the players and the process of rebuilding. “I think if you’re a football manager now, your job’s under threat wherever you work all the time. Such is the world and such is the industry, it’s brutal. So, genuinely, if we were doing brilliantly, I wouldn’t listen to the outside noise. If we’re doing not very well, I don’t listen to it because you can get caught up in all of it. So, I would always treat it the same. So, as long as I feel in here that the staff, the players, the supporting team around all of it, as long as I feel they’re here, they’re with us, we’re together, which I really feel, then I’ll be happy and I really trust that with a good process and good people, the outcome will follow.”

Despite the setback in Europe, Martin said the squad remains confident. “I think it’s the best it has been,” he claimed, referencing the group’s connectivity and work ethic. “So, while we were frustrated and disappointed with the Genk result, there’s also an awareness in the context of the game and how much the red card (for Mohamed Diomande) changed the game. But the togetherness, the willingness to run for each other, the willingness to take the ball with 10 men, all of that was standing us in really good stead.”

Looking ahead, Rangers face Livingston on Sunday, with the immediate objective of securing their first Premiership win in a period of stagnation. Martin did not mince words about the urgency: “We want to compete, and we want to be at the top of the table at the end of the season. So, if you leave it too much longer, you’ll start running out of games. So, we have time. It’s really early on in the season. We have time to build and win and claw our way back. We have to be really hungry and start hunting the top and really start making the points difference up. So, it has to start on Sunday.”

The manager’s broader message is that patience, paired with decisive progress on the field, remains the club’s best bet for the near term. Rangers’ owners have indicated that change will be incremental and grounded in a longer-term plan, and Martin’s task is to translate that plan into results that can revive the club’s trajectory in Scotland and in Europe. The season remains young, but the expectations for a quick turnaround have intensified, and the coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether the current approach can deliver the required lift to Ibrox.