Russell Martin makes Rangers vow as new boss delivers clear message to doubters

Daily Record

a day ago

Martin was paraded inside the Blue Room today after being confirmed as Ibrox boss
Russell Martin has vowed to win over his doubters and told Rangers fans: I'm here to win trophies.
Martin, 39, was paraded at Ibrox on Thursday morning after penning a three-and-a-half-year deal to take charge.
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The former Southampton, Swansea and MK Dons boss convinced the club's new owners that he was the man to lead the revival.
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Rookie Italian coach Davide Ancelotti and former Gers boss Steven Gerrard were also in the frame but Martin was the Chosen One.
Martin's long-awaited appointment has split punters who have vented concerns over the ex-Scotland and Rangers defender's credentials.
But Martin - who led Southampton to Premier League promotion before being axed in December - has backed himself to make the Light Blues a force again.
Asked if he's confident he can get critics onside, he said: "Yeah, I have to be. I have a lot to prove. My whole career has been based on proving people wrong, really.
"At every level, I got questioned. There are always some names in football management that are always a bit more exciting than others, of course.
"But I feel after five-and-a-half years of being a manager, coach, a leader - I love doing it.
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"And I'm going to be all in here, bringing my energy, my love for it and passion and hopefully that will reflect on the pitch and people will see that.
"At some point, they'll enjoy it and hopefully I'm sure if our team is winning, they'll be happy."
Sitting alongside chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell, Martin added: "The supporters are the most important people at any football club. They'll be here long before and after any manager or coach.
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"So I think my job is to give them at team that they identify with and feel proud of. A team that wins and they go to a game knowing what to expect.
"A team that's going to give everything, to run as hard as they possibly can. I think that's one thing that gets overlooked about the teams we managed.
"They always ran the most out of possession, the most sprint distances, the most high-speed runs. They have to if they want to dominate the ball and be aggressive, so I think it's a given.
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"It's never a given actually, it's an attribute. You need to work hard and not everyone has that. So we want people that have that to come to the club.
"I'm sat next to two people who work extremely hard and have a work ethic that matches my own. I'm excited about all of that.
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"And to the fans? Listen, I have to win. I don't think I've been the number one choice at any club I've been at.
"At MK, from a player to become the manager was a bit of a surprise to supporters. To then go to Swansea, they lost in the play-off final, the budget's been cut and then we turned up from League One.
"And then Southampton was the same. They had just been relegated from the Premier League, so I'm sure there were all sorts of names being mentioned with the job, and then I got it.
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"And by the time I've left every club I've been at, I've felt a real connection with the supporters. I've felt they've been really behind us.
"Definitely the playing staff and the staff we've been working with wherever we've been, because of the relationships we've formed and maintained at every club we've been at.
"And I hope this will be the same, I really do. And I hope people judge us and me in particular on this moment and not when I was a player here a while ago because it's very, very different.
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"I feel my whole playing career was based on hard work, resilience and trying to find a way myself. I'm even surprised at the playing career I had to play in the Premier League because if you said that when I was 18, I wouldn't have thought that.
"But I feel my whole playing career was set up to become a coach and a manager. I always wanted to do that and I'm really grateful that I've ended up playing for as long as I did.
"But I've always had a burning desire to do this from an early age and actually, my period here from before, was an incredible learning for me.
"It helped me so much in my journey about culture, what to expect, about what's required. Listening to Jimmy Bell and Stevie the physio and listening to them talking about it, it just whetted my appetite even more.
"So I learnt a lot when I was here and it's helped me prepare for it now."
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