A former Premier League manager is keen on taking over at Rangers and is now simply waiting for the club’s board to make contact, according to a new report.
Rangers falter again as Celtic secure Premiership crown
It was a tough weekend for Rangers supporters as Celtic secured their fourth successive Scottish Premiership title — and their 13th in the last 14 seasons — while the Gers once again stumbled, settling for another disappointing draw.
While Celtic comfortably swept aside Dundee United with a commanding 5-0 win to clinch the championship, Rangers were held to a 2-2 draw by relegation-threatened St. Mirren, a result that starkly highlighted the gulf between the two Glasgow rivals this season.
Following the dropped points against St. Mirren, interim manager Barry Ferguson admitted the performance was far from acceptable.
Speaking to BBC Scotland, Ferguson said: “I know it’s a tough place to visit, but when you go ahead twice, you need to see the game out. That’s been an issue for us all season, and it’s why we haven’t mounted a serious challenge. You can prepare as much as you want during training and say the right things in team meetings, but once you step onto the pitch, it’s up to the players to take responsibility.”
Reflecting on Celtic’s title triumph, he added: “This will hurt my staff, it’ll hurt our fans, and it needs to hurt the players too. Because when you play for Rangers, the expectation is to be winning trophies — and we need to start doing that again.”
Russell Martin “waiting” for Rangers approach
Although Ferguson has stabilized the team somewhat after the departure of Philippe Clement, it’s uncertain whether he will remain in charge beyond this season. As such, Rangers and their owners, the 49ers Enterprises, are already looking at potential candidates to take over at Ibrox.
According to The Scottish Sun, former Southampton manager Russell Martin has emerged as a strong contender. The report claims Martin is very eager to take the Rangers job and is currently waiting for a call from the club’s hierarchy to move discussions forward.
Martin, who was dismissed by Southampton earlier this season following a disastrous Premier League campaign that culminated in relegation, is nonetheless held in high regard by some big names in the sport. Despite his struggles at St. Mary’s, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola offered significant praise for Martin after City’s narrow 1-0 win over Southampton last October.
Speaking about the ex-MK Dons manager, Guardiola said: “It was a good learning experience. I’m going to learn a lot from Russell because of how well his team played.”
Praising Southampton’s approach under Martin, Guardiola added: “They’re really good. I’m a spectator first — I prefer the ball at the players’ feet, not flying through the air. When I see a team trying to do the things I like with my own squad, and they execute it well, it deserves a compliment. I could see their structure, their movements — the reasons behind what they were trying to do. It’s not easy to implement.”
