A staggering fail – WHY did Rangers appoint Russell Martin? | OneFootball

Rangers Russell Martin appointment will go down as one of the strangest calls in modern Ibrox history. The club talked proudly about a rigorous process but ignored every warning sign, as seen when Martin broke more Rangers records during his short and disastrous reign. They believed they had found a visionary who could revolutionise Rangers, yet what followed was chaos and confusion that exposed the deep flaws in that process.

Blind faith in an unproven vision

Rangers claimed they wanted a progressive coach who could modernise the team. That aim was not wrong, but the execution was reckless, just as Patrick Stewart’s defence of Martin showed a leadership group more concerned with image than output. Martin’s record at Southampton was weak, his tactics untested in a pressure-heavy environment like Ibrox. He lasted just months there after one win in sixteen Premier League games. Still, Rangers’ hierarchy convinced themselves that he could bring stability and long-term planning. They were wrong.

A process built on theory not reality

The so-called data-driven approach was imported from the new American ownership model, one that had already prioritised style over success as Ibrox Noise reported on Oliver Antman’s decline. It sounded clever on paper but failed to grasp the emotional intensity of Scottish football. The numbers may have said one thing, but the heart of Ibrox demands another. Martin’s slow, possession-heavy football clashed with the urgency and aggression Rangers fans expect. His stubborn belief in building from the back alienated players who were unfit for that task. Worse, the process that appointed him rewarded ideology rather than adaptability.

Admitting the truth too late

Eventually the reality could not be hidden. Even Sky Sports and ESPN confirmed that Rangers’ leadership had grossly misjudged their man. Chairman Andrew Cavenagh admitted that hiring Martin was a mistake. The ownership had placed its trust in theory and ignored football logic. Supporters saw through it early, watching their side drift aimlessly while Celtic powered ahead. Every defeat exposed how shallow the club’s recruitment and leadership had become. Rangers Russell Martin appointment absolutely stunk.

Even The Guardian highlighted how Martin’s ideas failed to survive the brutal demands of Ibrox. His footballing theory looked elegant in a classroom but collapsed on Scottish grass. The entire episode showed that Rangers cannot afford experiments when the club needs results. The supporters deserve leadership that understands both numbers and emotion. The next appointment must respect the unique weight of Rangers, not treat it as a project. The keyphrase that defines this whole saga is the failure of faith over fact. It was ambition without understanding, theory without substance, and the result was another painful lesson for a club that should have known better.