From £30M superstar to hasbeen Russell Martin has strangled Oliver Antman | OneFootball

Russell Martin has coached the life out of Oliver Antman at Rangers and fans can see it clearly. His debut against Plzen lit Ibrox up like few recent signings, but since then he has barely kicked a ball. The £30m market value winger who arrived for just £4m should have been the bargain of the decade. Instead he now looks as worn down as the rest of this broken Rangers squad. This is the reality under Martin, and it shows no sign of changing, just as Ibrox Noise has warned.

Antman’s explosive start

Supporters remember that European night when Antman made his bow. He ran directly at defenders, created chances, and brought the kind of spark Rangers have lacked. For once fans saw a winger unafraid to take risks. It seemed Martin had a real weapon at his disposal, and optimism surged through the stands. But the optimism did not last, and Ibrox Noise has already called it out.

Fading from the picture

Since that electric debut, Antman has slipped out of the frame. Martin has left him rotting on the bench while the same tired faces stumble through match after match. Instead of developing him, Martin has dulled his instincts. The player who once looked so fearless now cuts a frustrated figure, drained of confidence. This is the same problem haunting the rest of the squad, and Oliver Antman at Rangers has become just another casualty. The theme has become common across the team as Ibrox Noise explained.

A wasted bargain

Paying £4m for a winger valued at £30m looked like a masterstroke. Rangers had pulled off a deal that promised both immediate quality and future resale value. Yet Martin has coached all the flair and confidence out of him. Where there should be bold runs and dangerous crosses, there is now hesitation. Antman offers nothing of the dynamism he showed in his first appearance. The fear is that another promising player will waste away before ever showing his best. As STV has outlined, Martin talks about winning early but shows no signs of learning.

Fans can see the pattern repeating. Martin has no track record of improving players at this level, and Rangers look worse the longer he remains. Antman’s decline mirrors the wider stagnation at Ibrox. Players arrive with promise but soon lose belief. A winger who could have transformed the attack now looks no better than those he was meant to replace. Even Sky Sports has reported the noise around the manager’s failure to get results.

The blame rests squarely with the manager. Oliver Antman at Rangers should be tearing up the wing and terrifying defenders. Instead he is fading into anonymity while the team slumps. Unless something changes quickly, Rangers risk wasting one of their most exciting signings in years. That message was underlined again when Reuters confirmed his appointment, a decision fans now look back on with regret.