Russell Martin sacked by Rangers: What went wrong for the shortest-serving Ibrox boss and who comes next? | Football News

Russell Martin’s sacking after the 1-1 draw with Falkirk means the 39-year-old is the shortest-serving permanent boss in Rangers’ 153-year history.

Despite League Cup progress, there was just one win from seven in the Scottish Premiership, Champions League misery, a winless Europa League start and fan protests aplenty over the four months of his reign.

In June he was the “standout candidate”, but in October, his record stands out for all the wrong reasons. Here, Sky Sports take a look at why…

What was Rangers’ plan when hiring Martin?

This was the first time Rangers had appointed a permanent ‘head coach’, rather than the 19 ‘managers’ that had gone before.

The change in title reflected a new structure at the club, following a US takeover in the summer. The likes of new sporting director Kevin Thelwell and new technical director Dan Purdy were tasked with leading off-field matters, including: medical, sports science, recruitment and more.

That in turn would allow the new head coach to prioritise what was happening on the pitch.

Following “a really rigorous process”, CEO Patrick Stewart believed Martin was the “culture architect” Rangers needed. He was someone the club believed would transform the team’s style of play, develop players, improve culture and win matches.

In reality, the opposite happened.

Were the warning signs there?

Martin had been out of work for six months following his Southampton sacking.

That 18-month spell at St Mary’s delivered highs and lows.

In his first season, the Saints were playing possession-oriented football, averaging 66 per cent of the ball in games – the most in Europe’s top five major leagues that season.

His side went on a club record 25-game unbeaten run and were promoted to the Premier League via the play-offs.

Martin had earned his crack at England’s elite – but what followed was disastrous.

He stuck by his principles, continued to play that possession-based game he had become renowned for, and even when the doubters were out in force, he was determined to make it work.

While there were fleeting moments of hope, the low moments outweighed them. In his 16 games, there were 13 defeats and just one win. Furthermore, for a head coach who wants his team to keep the ball and attack – they failed to score in seven games – netting just 11 times in total, whilst conceding 36 goals.

Martin was often accused of being too stubborn and failing to adapt his style when mixing it with England’s best.

In the end, with performances disappointing, results not improving and the fans growing in frustration – Martin was sacked. Sound familiar, Rangers supporters?

The saying “hindsight is a wonderful thing” is often used at times like these. However, for the Rangers hierarchy, Martin’s ill-fated spell Premier League stint at Southampton was clear to see – so why did they get it wrong?

Did his Rangers past swing it?

Martin is a former Rangers player – a status which, according to CEO Stewart, was a “key factor” in his appointment.

“Every ground has its nuances and every club has its nuances, so somebody that comes in with an understanding of that is a huge asset,” Stewart explained.

However, Martin’s playing career at Ibrox only amounted to five months on a loan deal in 2018, during which he made 17 appearances. That season, Rangers finished third in the league and failed to reach the finals of the Scottish Cup or League Cup.

Former Scotland international Martin described that loan move as “the right place at the wrong time” but believed his experience of Glasgow would help him this time around. Sadly for him, it didn’t.

How did Martin’s Rangers reign unravel?

Martin’s appointment was not universally backed by fans who would then go on to call for his dismissal in the final weeks of his reign.

The former Swansea and MK Dons boss himself admitted he had to prove the doubters wrong. Stewart even said he was “not oblivious to the noise” around the decision to hire Martin.

His tenure did start with a victory over Panathinaikos in their first Champions League qualifier, before a draw in Greece saw Rangers progress to the third round.

While an impressive 3-0 win over Viktoria Plzen at Ibrox was next in that competition, that result was sandwiched in between two 1-1 draws as Rangers’ league campaign got off to a poor start.

That opening draw at Motherwell was also followed by Martin hitting out at some of his players, telling Sky Sports they had to drop their egos, and doubts were raised regarding their mentality.

There were questions asked about whether he was right to go public so early in his tenure.

As time went on, the results failed to improve, and squad issues became public.

Hamza Igamane refused to come on as a substitute during a draw against St Mirren, before eventually being sold to Lille.

Then came that humiliating 6-0 defeat in Belgium at Club Brugge, Rangers’ joint-worst European result, and more fan frustration followed.

Martin was booed by supporters – a common theme throughout his brief tenure – while some even put a banner up at Ibrox calling for his sacking, and the club’s fan advisory board went public with their demand for change.

However, Sky Sports News revealed his tenure was not under threat at the time, as he was backed to turn things around.

Heading into the first Old Firm of the season, another issue reared its head as Sky Sports News confirmed Martin had dropped fan-favourite and last season’s standout Nicolas Raskin.

That came amid Martin’s own signings, such as Joe Rothwell and Max Aarons, being criticised by supporters.

Rangers played out a goalless draw at a nervy Ibrox, and Martin was jeered again, while fans chanted for Raskin to be reinstated into the squad.

The club continued to back the head coach, with Youssef Chermiti among those joining on Deadline Day in a £10m deal, the biggest fee paid by Rangers in 25 years.

Rangers’ outlay on transfers was around £34m as 12 new players were signed by Martin and new sporting director Kevin Thelwell, plus two others arrived on pre-agreed deals.

Whilst reflecting on the transfer window, Thelwell said Martin was “one of the best” he had worked with, as the Gers boss received further support from Ibrox chiefs.

Martin wanted Rangers’ season to start after the transfer window shut. He was “really excited” by his “stronger squad”. However, that next month went on to mark the beginning of the end.

Rangers lost to Hearts at Ibrox in the league, but Martin was again backed to turn things around. There was then the infamous team bonding trip to Loch Lomond to go wild swimming.

The fans were not happy and held protests before and during their League Cup quarter-final days later.

However, Rangers did win that match against Hibernian, and domestically, there was then a first league win of the season away to Livingston. The issue for Martin – that was sandwiched between two more defeats, both in the Europa League. It was a tournament that provided nights to remember in recent years, but under Martin they were ones that fans wanted to forget – quickly.

The Rangers hierarchy are now searching for a fifth permanent boss in just under three years. For the fans, it is a movie they have seen on so many occasions. The hope will be that the next episode features a fairytale script, rather than the horror shows that have gone before.

Who do Rangers appoint next?

Rangers said their last search followed a “really rigorous process”. CEO Stewart even said it is the “most important hire” the club makes, adding that the one selected “can take a group of individuals and turn them into a winning team, or not.”

For Stewart and Rangers, they got the last one wrong. You’d imagine the club would be hard pushed to convince someone who was in the previous process that they are now the right fit – having opted for Martin instead.

The Ibrox hierarchy will want someone who can fulfil that ‘head coach’ title. Someone who can improve performances, results and win trophies. Not only that, they will need to develop players who can then be sold for a profit.

In truth, names have been getting linked for weeks and former Rangers striker Kris Boyd believes one of three Englishmen could be the answer.

“Steven Gerrard’s a name that’s never gone away,” he told Sky Sports News.

“Frank Lampard’s name was another one that was mentioned. I know he’s doing some wonderful things at Coventry City, but is that out of the equation now?

“The obvious one for me would be Sean Dyche. Kevin Thelwell worked with him in the past, and he seems to have a lot of say in the players that are coming in.

“So if that relationship with Dyche is still there, he would be someone that I would maybe look to because he’s shown that he can build football clubs up.

“Rangers need a strong character that’s going to build it not only on the pitch, but off the pitch at the training centre.

“It just seems to be so broken, disjointed, and they’re going to have to find a way to fix it.”