By David Herd
The news that Russell Martin was to be appointed as the new head coach at Rangers did something rarely achieved in the modern history of the club. It prompted almost universal agreement amongst a fanbase famous for finding it hard to agree an anything. Unfortunately for the former MK Dons, Swansea and Southampton boss, that virtually unanimous opinion was that he was the wrong man for the job.
A reputation as a coach wedded to a philosophy of ball possession, no matter how ineffective. Tales of him saying he would rather lose playing the right way than win playing the wrong way. A CV with a nineteenth and tenth place in League One, fifteenth, tenth and fourth placed finishes in The Championship, and one of the worst-ever run of results in Premier League history. And, of course, memories of his brief and catastrophic loan spell at Rangers as a player in the dark days of Graeme Murty, when he played his part in shipping goals to Celtic seemingly at will. After seeing headlines declaring first a return to the club for title-winning Steven Gerrard, then being told the ambitious move for Real Madrid assistant Davide Ancelotti was almost certain, the news that the new Rangers regime had instead decided to appoint Martin went down like a lead balloon. Social media, podcasts, phone-ins and messageboards were all swamped with disgruntled Rangers fans telling the world that this was unacceptable.
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But that new regime, and that new head coach, have ignored the warnings about fan reaction and Martin has signed a three-year contract to be the man to deliver success to the club’s new ownership and the sceptical fanbase. I freely admit that I was initially on the Stevie G Return Express, and then fully bought into the ambitious Ancelotti Arrival. In fact, I can even remember me saying “as long as it isn’t Russell Martin”! But now that the announcement has been made and the press conference held, what next for those like me who had expressed such firm opinion against this decision. The simple answer to that, is we now back Russell Martin 100%.
There were hints in the 8am press statement from the club that just maybe some of the concerns around playing style and mentality had been discussed and assurances given. New Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell was quoted as stating:
Russell comes to Rangers with hard-earned experience. His time in the Premier League has sharpened his approach, both tactically and personally. He’s better for it, and I believe that will translate into the kind of leadership and performance our supporters expect”
And in quotation marks was this reaction from Martin himself on his appointment:
I know what this club demands from my time here. I had a taste of how special this club is, the expectation, the passion and the history. I’m here to set standards, work hard, and do my very best to earn the respect of the Rangers fans”.
“Set standards” could have come straight from the mouth of Gerrard in 2018 when he took over. While Thelwell’s “sharpening his approach” definitely hints at a more flexible and less dogmatic head coach than the one we have been told to expect. But maybe I was seeing what I wanted to see in the hope the club hadn’t made a massive blunder. But the 11am press conference seemed to give further room for optimism.
We have all been taken in by new managers speaking well at press conferences, and talk is indeed cheap. But during his introduction to the media, there were plenty answers given that started reducing the level of fear. The word Martin used more than any other was “win”. Even when asked about how patient the fans need to be, he emphasised that winning matches is important right from the start of his first season in charge. He did have to avoid a couple of loaded boobytrap questions from reporters of a notoriously green persuasion who wanted him to commit to lifting the title next May, but it seemed crystal clear that he understood that winning and silverware are the only currencies that count at Rangers.
Even when asked about style of play and philosophy, he underlined that it had to be about winning. To do that, he would play high tempo, aggressive, pressing, front foot football, that takes risks in possession in the final third. Football like that needs bravery on the ball, and a high level of physical fitness and endurance. That sounds exactly what we need, and is almost like the template our bitter rivals have used these last four seasons as they hoover up title after title. In truth, his “philosophy” that was seen as a negative sounded far more encouraging when it was explained.
Martin also gave insight into what drives him. He spoke of his biggest playing career regret as the failed spell at Ibrox, when he said he was not in good enough condition to do himself justice. The beatings and the humiliations dished out to Rangers during that time still haunt him, and are a motivation to show the club and the support what he is really about. He also spoke of getting immersed in club traditions and values, as laid down to him by the likes of Jimmy Bell, and I gave him some extra credit for just mentioning our legendary kit man.
Yes, he is not the man most supporters wanted. Yes, he has serious baggage from previous manager jobs and from his time wearing our shirt. Yes, the traditionalists amongst us shook our heads at seeing a Rangers leader in fancy trainers with the club suit. And yes, there is unlikely to be much in the way of patience or understanding if early results go badly. But, Russell Martin deserves to be given a chance, and I’m sure if he can translate words into action, he just might surprise us all.
But there was a question asked that I think determines his chances of success more than any other. Kevin Thelwell was asked about the recruitment process, and told the media how it has to fit into player trading, into the identity and style we want for the team, and how the head coach is consulted as part of it all. And when we look at the squad Martin has inherited, the success of this new recruitment model is what will give the head coach the best chance of succeeding. Martin did speak about the importance of improving the players he has, and also how at every club there are always a few players who are thought of as surplus to requirements but who then take the opportunity to impress their new boss. Reality tells us that we cannot possibly get rid of 20 players and bring in 20 new ones, we need to get a tune out of some of the underperformers we have in addition to rebuilding.
But, regardless how many “flops” that Martin can transform, we can all see that Rangers need a significant overhaul to turn the team into genuine contenders. There are some sellable assets that could supplement the summer transfer budget, and with the overall money available likely to be more than in any recent transfer window, the onus is on the recruitment team to get things right. Souness and Smith both famously rebuilt from the back and built a solid spine – think of Woods, Butcher, Roberts and Gough in the 1980s or Weir, Ehiogu and Cuellar in 2007. We are told one of Russell Martin’s previous failings was his teams shipping too many goals. Thelwell, Dan Purdy and the recruitment team need to help him by supplying the 2025 equivalent of those defensive units. High quality, consistent and physically reliable centre backs should be the foundation on which everything else sits.
I personally feel that a top class “number 6”, a creative playmaker and quick, direct, aggressive goalscoring wide men also are priority. Throw in another good striker, and reliable full backs and we’re talking seven or eight new faces. That’s a lot, and we might not get them all in by the European qualifiers starting. But the more the better, and that’s why the next six weeks are every bit as important as who sits in the dugout and picks the team. Russell Martin might fail and might succeed, but his chances of being a success massively rely on the summer rebuild being done quickly and being done well. And the responsibility for that does not rest on his shoulders. We are still paying the price (both financially and on the pitch) for past summers of poor recruitment. Getting that right this time is crucial in the new head coach being able to implement and deliver the successful football he talks so well about. Let’s hope he gets that support, as just maybe he will prove the doubters wrong.