Russell Martin survives mounting pressure as Rangers’ poor start deepens
Rangers sit 10th in the Premiership after another home defeat, with fans vocal in their discontent and questions growing over recruitment and leadership
Russell Martin remains in charge at Rangers despite mounting calls for change after a run of poor results that has left the club 10th in the Scottish Premiership and on four points from five league matches.
Martin, appointed a week after a consortium led by Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe took control of the club, insisted after Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to Hearts: “It is what it is. We’ll keep working until I’m told not to.” The manager’s remarks followed jeers from supporters at Ibrox and came amid renewed scrutiny of his tactics, team selection and the club’s transfer policy.
The recent run is Rangers’ worst start in decades. The club’s four points from five matches equals a similar poor sequence that last occurred in the 1978-79 season, and statisticians point out that Martin’s win rate of around 25 percent is the lowest among permanent Rangers managers on record. Supporters and some former club figures have been vocal about the results and the perceived disconnect between training-ground performance and match-day showings.
On the field, the team have produced few consistent positive displays since Martin’s arrival. Rangers’ 3-0 victory over Viktoria Plzen in European competition has been the clearest example of the style the manager has promised, but other matches have exposed defensive frailties, a lack of attacking threat and a failure to control games. The side lost 9-1 on aggregate to Club Brugge in European competition under Martin's watch, and home defeat to Hearts added to a sequence that has intensified pressure on the coaching staff.
Recruitment since Martin’s appointment has also come under fire. Rangers have brought in a dozen new players while the season began, of whom Djeidi Gassama is the most widely regarded as having made an immediate positive impact. Names signed during Martin’s tenure include Bojan Miovski, Youssef Chermiti, Derek Cornelius, Max Aarons, Nasser Djiga and Emmanuel Fernandez; club sources and commentators have said several of those signings look short of the standards required for immediate impact.
Former Rangers striker Ally McCoist criticised the transfer approach publicly, pointing to fees paid for some players and questioning the decision to loan out Oscar Cortes soon after his arrival. McCoist suggested the club could have pursued players with proven records in Scottish football, citing Abdallah Sima and Vaclav Cerny as alternatives he would have preferred to target.
Off-field decisions have fed into unrest on the terraces. Several players who arrived with reputations from other leagues have struggled to adapt to the pace and physicality of Scottish football as played at Ibrox. Homegrown and established figures have also produced uneven displays: John Souttar has shown stronger form with the Scotland national team than for his club, Mohamed Diomande’s performances have regressed since his arrival, and captain James Tavernier has drawn attention to the demands on an ageing squad.
Squad management under Martin has prompted debate. Nico Raskin, a midfielder who impressed during a prior interim period under Barry Ferguson, was left out of the matchday squad against Hearts after late contract decisions and discussions between player and manager. Martin said Raskin had to regain “trust” with the coaching staff, a remark that underlined tensions within a group that has produced mixed messages publicly and in interviews. The manager has alternated explanations for results between tactical issues, player mentality and the disruption caused by the transfer window, saying at one point: “It’s not tactics, mate. They’re scared. We see a very different team in training to the game.”
Those comments and the public booing of Martin by sections of the Ibrox crowd have raised questions about whether players still back their manager. Club officials have so far publicly reiterated their support, prompting surprise among some observers given the depth of dissatisfaction. Past Rangers managers who were dismissed after poor starts include Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale and Philippe Clement, each of whom recorded substantially higher win percentages than the current figure under Martin.
The immediate calendar offers little respite. Rangers travel to face Hibernian in a Premier Sports Cup tie this weekend, a fixture that will provide another high-profile measure of progress for Martin and his staff. Internally, director-level assessments of the campaign and transfer strategy are understood to be ongoing, though the club has not announced any change in its public position regarding the managerial staff.
Rangers’ board and executive leadership face a dilemma familiar to clubs under pressure: whether to persist with an appointment they made only months ago, allowing time and resources for a turnaround, or to act quickly to arrest a decline that has eroded supporter confidence. For now, the club’s stance remains one of cautious support, and Martin continues to prepare his squad for the next match amid vocal calls from fans and former players for improvement.
How quickly results change will determine whether that support holds. Rangers’ early-season position represents a significant fall from recent expectations and raises broader questions about recruitment, squad cohesion and strategic direction as the season progresses.