There is no doubt that a whispering campaign is underway to undermine Russell Martin with one rumour being that the players had approached a former player to question the style and tactics of their new manager.
It seems that the claim was doing the rounds before Saturday’s match against Alloa in the League Cup, the 4-2 victory did nothing to reassure fans that their manager and players are on the cusp of a winning run to add to the tally of three trophies won in 13 years.
The claim about current players approaching a former player highlights the lack of leadership inside the club, that sort of task should fall in the remit of the captain or the others in the leadership group such as John Souttar, Jack Butland and Kieran Dowell.
The rumour could of course be complete fabrication but there are enough bears out there willing to give it oxygen including Rikki Neill of the All About the Gers podcast.
Neill is apparently a big hitter in Ibrox social circles, Rangers Youth Development is among the sponsors of the podcast which regularly features Derek Ferguson and Charlie Miller
The very prospect of Martin being on a short-list to replace Barry Ferguson worried a lot of Rangers fans.
His appearance and the beliefs of the former Southampton boss raised a lot of red flags but most fans suddenly developed a deep insight into the tactics and playing style used by Martin to express their concerns.
After the official appointment many fans mellowed as they acknowledged that he spoke well, clearly learning nothing from the pleasing soundbites delivered by Micky Beale and Phil Clement when they were appointed as manager.
Seven matches into Russell’s Reign there are very few Ibrox fans prepared to defend Martin, his appearance, his attitude and the performances that his side are putting in. Only at home to Viktoria Plzen has there been any signs of progress, up against Motherwell and Dundee with both under new management the bears have been raging at the performances served up.
The next four fixtures appear far tougher than those Martin has already laboured through, if results take a down turn there are plenty of fans and pundits ready to say ‘I told you so’.
Fortunately last season’s interim management team remain on stand-by after token spells back with their media partners.
11 minutes 50 seconds
Neill: The chat that was going about yesterday, is that one of the former Rangers players actually went and spoke to Russell Martin on behalf of the players to say that their not happy with the way, the tactics and they style of play that they are expected to do.
You know…. it was from quite a good source, aye, from what I heard it wasn’t just Raskin (the transfer request rumour). That’s worrying
Miller: A former Rangers player?
Neil: Aye, I’ll tell you after
Miller: Well the manager is not going to change his style of play for anybody so I don’t know why…
Neil: That was meant to have been his response as well
Miller: He’s not going to change, he’s not going to change for the fans, he’s not going to change for the board, the players. He’s got his mind set unfortunately, he’s got his way that he wants to play and that’s it. So, we’ve got a lot to work on but, it’s not looking great at the moment but fingers crossed he can get us playing better, winning better, playing with a wee bit of style. The guy, he’s two games away from getting us into the Champions League.
28 minutes, Random Bear joins in
Bear: Rikki made a point earlier about the manager. I heard the same yesterday at the game, from a very good source as well. That kinda worries me, that absolutely worries me that when the players are going to one of the ex-players to tell him to approach the manager already and he’s dismissing it. There’s a bit of discontent in there already after three domestic games!
Martin wasn’t helped last week when his tactics were taken apart on Open Goal by Andy Halliday.
Martin and Halliday were team-mates in the early chapters of the Banter Years, it is unlikely that the Motherwell midfielder acted out of malice but his summary quickly went viral as confirmation that Martin was barking up the wrong tree.
Over the weekend a rumour surfaced that Nico Raskin has put in a transfer request- again an east story to turn fans against the manager since the Belgian midfielder is a £30m target for Leeds and Wolves since he is apparently ‘miles better than Matt O’Riley’.
Unless Martin can quickly get his squad of misfits to start winning matches and playing with style it is hard to see him surviving past the Autumn Cycle of Sackings at Ibrox.
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