A big shift as Rangers pundits significantly change their minds about Russell Martin | OneFootball

If there is one curious thing Ibrox Noise has noted in the past 4 or 5 months, it is the number of Rangers pundits and commentators who have backed Russell Martin against the grain of fans and sentiment, only to recently start offering more scathing words about the Rangers manager. Rangers pundits have significantly changed their minds.

McCoist and Boyd shift stance

Now we have no beef with Ally McCoist to say the least. He is a good Rangers man and he is hugely popular, but he vocally backed the manager before later being a lot more critical. Kris Boyd was another who backed him all year, only to change his tune in more recent times.

Halliday and Ferguson conversations

Andy Halliday is a curious case. He was critical of Martin’s tactics not long ago, famously dissecting them, but then after a private phone call with the man himself, he softened. He even claimed it had all been taken out of context. Apparently they had a laugh and a joke about it.

Last but not least is former Rangers coach Barry Ferguson. He backed Martin to the hilt and explained that, in another private phone call, he had come to believe the manager fully understood Rangers and what it takes. Yet even he has since adjusted his stance, just as the others have. The number of these individuals who have done a turn recently and suggested they are not so keen on Martin is eye-opening.

Ibrox Noise stands firm

Ibrox Noise basically stands alone as the only supporter group, not even fully backed by our audience, that opposed Martin from the beginning and never changed. We have never supported this manager and never will, unless he somehow turns water into wine and delivers win after win and trophy after trophy. That is unlikely. But the pundits all backed him, then shifted later.

What it really means

What does this mean? It means they are honest men making a living. They say what they feel they must at any given time. They are entitled to change their minds. But the problem is that anyone with any real sense, and there were a few in the Rangers support, would have been against Martin from the start. These pundits should not have backed him. Yet as Rangers men, they perhaps felt an obligation to do so. That he was the Rangers manager, so they had to stand behind him, even if privately they doubted themselves.

Especially men like McCoist and Boyd are influential. People listen to them. They know their words will be picked apart. Unfortunately, they backed the wrong horse, at least publicly. We will not call them hypocrites because football is fickle and changes minds overnight. But it is telling how many have performed an about-turn.

Even McCoist, on TalkSport recently, admitted Rangers would love to have Jose Mourinho. He quickly added that Rangers already have a manager, but still floated Mourinho as an attractive choice down the line. That is as close as he has come to suggesting Martin should go. In the end, pundits will say what pundits will say. Heck, technically Ibrox Noise is also a pundit. We base our views on sources and information, but ultimately it all comes down to opinions.

At least, it is supposed to as Rangers pundits have significantly changed their minds.