There are fewer things in football that annoy fans more than when they are able to see why something won’t work, that those who are paid handsomely are unable to see themselves.
When Russell Martin was appointed in June, the reception largely went from ‘I didn’t want him but I will get behind him’ to ‘I actively don’t want him at my club and it will be a disaster.’
Fans rightly pointed to his refusal to adapt with Southampton, which saw him break all the wrong records before being sacked, having already condemned his club to relegation by December.
The majority of Kevin Thelwell’s (pictured second from left) signings have failed to impress so far.
Amazingly, he has walked into the Rangers job and is sitting on a worse win rate than he ‘achieved’ with Southampton – something even the most pessimistic Rangers fan could not have foreseen.
The number of other failures that were very much foreseen by the wider Rangers support, are what have damaged the credibility of Russell Martin irreparably, and leaves Stewart, Thelwell and Purdy a lot closer to the exit door than they were before Martin was appointed.
Russell Martin following another dissapointing performance in a 1-0 defeat to Genk.
In the ‘social media era’ the Martin appointment was by far the most negatively received by the wider fan base.
Giovanni Van Bronkhurst and Phillipe Clement had European league title success they could point to; Gerrard was a living legend whose lack of experience was negated by an ‘aura’ so few in football possess. His ex-assistant Michael Beale had experience in coaching a title-winning Rangers side.
Even Pedro Caixinha’s appointment was met with less anger – although many fans too busy googling to find out who he actually was whilst living in a state of near-confusion.
There was a lot more patience available in 2017 too.
Pedro Caixinha lasted just 27 games at Ibrox.
Fast-forward to 2025 and through years of continual disappointment in Govan, time is fast running out for the ex-Southampton manager.
Martin suffered through his failures being broadcast so widely and recently, with all of us being aware of Southampton’s comedy defending and ‘style of play’, which saw them concede the same goal multiple times last season with defenders and goalkeepers being asked to pass a ball in a way they are clearly unable to.
I find it hard to fully judge individual players when they are being asked to play in a system that appears so badly coached they look confused or lost – there are, however, some that really stick out.
When Emmanuel Fernandez signed, not many could say they had watched him play. However, a quick look at his career history made the rumoured £3.5m move look absurd for a club in Rangers’ position. This was backed up by the reaction of Peterborough fans on Twitter, who were in disbelief they were able to move Fernandez on for such a huge fee.
On the whole, the fan base thought this was a signing that didn’t make sense, and only had blind faith in the club’s new recruitment methods that this could work. Unfortunately, again the fans’ gut feeling proved true, and in the very few games he’s been trusted to play in, he has looked raw at best.
The wider issue with the squad fans identified is it seriously lacks leaders. Alarm bells rang early in pre-season when Martin named Kieran Dowell as one of the four in the ‘leadership group’ within the side. Yet this was largely ignored by those in charge of our summer recruitment, outwith an apparent bullet dodged in Connor Coady and a deadline day move for Derek Cornelius.
As a result, Rangers’ young side has largely crumbled in all games outside of the early Champions League qualifiers, which now feel an age away. James Tavernier was clearly unfancied by Martin, but he’s now back in the side by default due to his highly paid replacement, summing up the character of this squad with his deliberate sending off in Brugge.
Looking to the future there is fear around the Youssef Chermiti signing, as spending £8m – £10m on a striker with three career goals is rightly not adding up. He is a player I think will get time and as a support, I think there is some responsibility to stick with him due to the sizeable outlay on him.
If Thelwell and Purdy survive the eventual Martin sacking, he is a signing that will absolutely define their Ibrox careers. He quite simply has to be a success, and then some more. With Everton’s rumoured sell-on fee, Rangers have to hope for £20m+ when the time comes to flip him, something as a club they have only managed once which took a historic run to the Europa League Final to achieve.
There is also fear about how we can trust the executive team to get the next managerial hire right when they got this one so wrong. Do they stick with their beliefs and look down south to recently available ex-Premier League managers such as Gary O’Neil or (soon to be) Graeme Potter?
If so, the same concern fans had when Martin was appointed would reappear, leading us back to the start of a cycle we have become all too familiar with over the last five years.
