Russell Martin: Why Rangers fans should not be concerned by “fantastic appointment” as Vincent Kompany comparison is made

Rangers have confirmed the appointment of Russell Martin as their new head coach on a three-year deal.

The 39-year-old has fended off competition from the likes of former Gers boss Steven Gerrard and ex-Real Madrid assistant Davide Ancelotti, the son of Carlo Ancelotti, to take the reins at Ibrox.

Martin is the permanent successor to Philippe Clement, who was relieved of his duties in February, with club legend Barry Ferguson taking interim charge for the final three months of the 2024-25 season.

He becomes the first head coach of Rangers under new ownership following a US takeover led by healthcare tycoon Andrew Cavenagh and the 49ers Enterprises, who officially acquired a 51% controlling stake last week following approval from the Scottish FA.

Martin, who began his coaching career with MK Dons and Swansea City, led Southampton to promotion to the Premier League in 2023-24, before being sacked by the Saints in December last year.

The 29-cap Scotland international returns to Ibrox for the first time since a brief loan spell in his playing career in 2018, and he is now keen to “give Rangers fans a team that they can be proud of”.

Martin: “There’s a lot to be done, but the goal is clear”

"It is a privilege to be named head coach of Rangers Football Club at the beginning of this exciting new chapter,” Martin told the club’s website following his appointment on Thursday.

"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. Now, as I return, I’m determined to bring success back, for the supporters, the players, and everyone inside this club.

"There’s a lot to be done, but the goal is clear: win matches, win trophies, and give Rangers fans a team that they can be proud of. We want to play with bravery, to take the ball, to be aggressive, and to stand up in the big moments.

"Preparations for pre-season are already underway. I look forward to meeting the players and building a squad that our fans can believe in."

Martin’s appointment at Rangers has been criticised by some Rangers supporters who were hoping for a proven, big-name manager to arrive at Ibrox - Martin has a win rate of just 39.2% from his three head coach roles so far.

However, former Rangers striker Kris Boyd has reassured fans that they have made a “fantastic appointment,” telling Sky Sports News: "I know there's a lot of fans out there who are unhappy and they've got their concerns. I can understand that as well, but I think when you speak to people within football, Russell Martin is highly thought of.

Boyd: “I firmly believe this is the right appointment”

"When you look at the process that Rangers went through, they've obviously spoken to a lot of candidates and Russell Martin has come out on top.

"He's already been here as a player. He understands the pressures and demands that are put on him as a player, but as a manager, it's going to be totally different.

"He will have to deal with everything, but I firmly believe that this is the right appointment for the Rangers Football Club and I think he'll do really well."

Boyd sees Martin - who has built a reputation for adopting a possession-based philosophy and working with young players - in the same mould as Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany.

"When you look at the way that Russell Martin played, did the MK Dons improve under him? Yes,” said Boyd. “Did Swansea improve under him? Yes. Did Southampton have more of a style about them? Yes.

"Everybody speaks about the Premier League being the best league in the world, so I think to be able to go up and still cause problems, listen, he lost more than he won in the Premier League, there's no doubt about that, but you've got to stick to your beliefs.

"I think that even within that, there will have been changes, there will have been tweaks, but ultimately Southampton were one of the poorest teams in the Premier League.

Boyd compares new Rangers boss Martin to Kompany

"You're going to lose more than you win. Will Russell Martin be a better manager for that? Of course he will be. If Vincent Kompany arrived at Rangers, then everybody would be absolutely delighted.

"Russell Martin has done the exact same as Vincent Kompany in terms of, he didn't change his style and his approach. Burnley went straight back down and he got the Bayern Munich job off the back of it.

"I think that Russell Martin, if he'd have been given time, there would have been a lot of people looking at him totally different, but because he was obviously sacked after a few games into the Premier League season, there's a negative spin on it.

"But for me, I think you've got to praise managers, they've got a style of play about them. Everybody speaks about how you want managers that can play a certain way and I think for managers to be able to implement that, you've got to give them time.

"I'm sure Russell Martin will know that he will have to tweak things here and there, but at least he's got a style of play about him, and for me, I think it can be a success in Scotland."

|Rangers' new owners have allegedly pumped around £20m into the club and CEO Patrick Stewart has confirmed that a “decent portion” of that will be put towards player recruitment, as Martin attempts to close the cap between the Gers ad Scottish rivals Celtic next season.

Written by
Oliver Thomas