Russell Martin gets police escort as furious Rangers fans block team bus
Rangers manager Russell Martin was targeted by his club’s own angry supporters after his side drew 1-1 with Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon
Russell Martin had to protected by police officers after a group of Rangers supporters blocked the team bus following a disappointing draw at Falkirk. Martin is extremely unpopular with fans and things escalated after Rangers were held to 1-1 draw on Sunday afternoon.
The former Southampton manager was appointed in June as the permanent successor to Philippe Clement. Things have not gone to plan for the 39-year-old, who has won just five of his first 17 games across all competitions.
Rangers fans have turned on the ex-defender, demanding he is sacked, with the club sitting eighth in the Premiership, 11 points behind leaders Hearts and nine adrift of bitter rivals Celtic. Their fifth draw in seven league games came at Falkirk on Sunday, with a strong Jack Butland save needed at the end to deny the home side a win.
There was a large police presence at Falkirk Stadium and a group of angry supporters, mainly dressed in black, waited at the team bus afterwards. Martin was then escorted to a separate car in an attempt to sneak him out without the fans noticing.
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But they ended up spotting the manager and made their feelings clear in tense scenes. It appears to be a situation that cannot continue, but Martin remains confident of his position and of turning things around.
“The team, ultimately, is a reflection on me and it has to be better and do better so I need to take responsibility and look at that myself,” he said.
Asked about his job security, Martin added: “You’d have to ask the people above me. I feel that the players and the staff are really behind me. I felt really supported by everyone else above me as well, and I can’t dictate whether that changes or not.
“I have to just try and focus on winning football matches, because of what I see every day with the players, how invested they are in it, how hard they run. If I felt any differently, I would feel differently here. It probably wouldn’t hurt as much, but I know they’re really trying.”
Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd was brutal in his take on Sky Sports. “I’ve watched a lot of them and it’s getting worse. There’s no getting away from it,” he said.
“I really don’t know what game Russell Martin was watching if he says ‘we created chances and we were unlucky not to win it at the end.’ Where were the chances? I didn’t see anything. If there was one team going to win that game, it was Falkirk.
“Russell Martin says you’ve got to have a style to win games. No you don’t. Nobody cares about performances as long as you walk off there with three points. Nobody cares. They’re getting worse!”
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