After failing to win once more in the Scottish Premiership, one journalist believes that Russell Martin is done at Ibrox and has suggested when Rangers could decide to sack their manager.
Martin admits Ibrox atmosphere is "difficult"
It couldn’t have been a much worse start for Martin. Rangers have been inescapably woeful. The Gers sit 10th and haven’t won a single game in five attempts in the Scottish Premiership to mark their worst start to a league campaign in 47 years. It’s history that the 49ers do not need at the start of a new era and history that Ibrox has turned toxic in the face of.
Boos echoed around the stadium as Rangers fell to defeat once again last weekend. Even as Martin returned from the tunnel after half-time, he was met with the anger of his own home fans. This time it was Hearts who benefitted, picking up their first Ibrox victory since 2014, and compiling Martin’s misery to a new level entirely.
“It doesn’t affect me personally. Professionally it’s difficult because we need the team to play in a certain way that requires certain things.
“And it’s really difficult when the atmosphere is how it is. It’s aimed towards me, not towards the players.” (Martin on fan reaction)
Martin admitted that the atmosphere at Ibrox is currently “difficult”, but also claimed that some fans didn’t want him at the club in the first place – telling reporters: “I don’t think many of them wanted me here in the first place.
“We have a lot of new guys in there. We have a lot of players trying to feel their way in an environment that’s really difficult to feel their way into. Really, really difficult. So we just have to make sure they’re alright as human beings first and improve their performance. But there’s anxiety at the moment.”
Whether that is the case or not, however, there’s no denying that time is running out for Martin to save his job and one journalist has now set a date that he could be sacked.
When Rangers could sack Russell Martin
According to the Daily Record’s Andy Newport, Martin could be sacked if he doesn’t get a result against Hibernian in the Scottish Cup on Saturday. If the Gers exit the cup competition, it will mark five games without a win and potentially game over for Martin’s tenure.
Newport told Daily Record: “In the eyes of the supporters, he’s toast, he’s done. When he came in, it was the most lukewarm of receptions he got when he was appointed, and the scepticism and the concerns the fans have had since then have only grown. If Martin doesn’t get a result against Hibs, that’ll be the end for him.”
That verdict is no real shock. The biggest surprise is arguably that he is still in a job after the Hearts game and Ibrox’s reaction to that result. Alas, as things stand, Martin seemingly has one last chance to save his job in Scotland.