Rangers on verge of appointing Russell Martin as new head coach
The 39-year-old former Southampton boss will be installed in the Ibrox hotseat in the next 48 hours, barring any last-minute hitches.
The appointment of a new man at the helm is the latest in a series of major changes at the club.
An American consortium led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises secured a majority shareholding on Friday and new sporting director Kevin Thelwell officially began work on Monday, when he said that the recruitment of a new head coach would come to a conclusion 'in the coming days'.
Outgoing Real Madrid assistant manager Davide Ancelotti, son of Carlo Ancelotti, and Martin were the two frontrunners for the post, vacated by Philippe Clement in February, with former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson taking over to the end of the season, which ended trophyless.
However, it is the former MK Dons and Swansea boss, who had a short loan spell as a player at Rangers in 2018, who will be tasked with wrestling the power back from the other side of the city where Celtic this season won their 13th William Hill Premiership title in 14 seasons and have a stranglehold on Scottish football.
However, many Rangers fans have revealed some dismay at the notion of Martin's arrival.
The former Scotland international brought Southampton up to the Premier League through the play-offs in 2024 but was sacked in December as they headed back towards the Championship with one win from their first 16 games.
Chris Hughton, Martin's boss at Norwich, offered a glowing character reference, saying on talkSPORT: 'If I'm looking at Russell's managerial background, he is known of course, for playing a certain way, very expansive in the way that he wants to play, very much a passing game and progression through the thirds.
'But he's a strong personality also. He's had a few knockbacks in his football career so far.
'I think any knockbacks, he will look at very much as experience and look to improve in every aspect that he can. I saw him recently, and he was in good form and really looking forward to getting back into the game.
'I think he's had a few offers. So this is somebody that's still very respected in the game, and of course, the rollercoaster in management, there are always going to be ups and downs, but he's a very confident individual and very confident in what he wants to do on the football pitch.
'He was very much a leader in the changing room, vocal in the meetings that we had and, of course, he was my voice when it came to any sort of direction on the players.
'So no surprise to me that he eventually went into management. He always showed those characteristics. And he was somebody that, as he improved in his career as a player, is of course very much looking to improve the same way in management.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
19 minutes ago
- Reuters
Sabalenka eyes claycourt supremacy with Gauff hoping to be second time lucky
PARIS, June 6 (Reuters) - The French Open women's singles final takes centre stage at Roland Garros on Saturday. World number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus takes on last year's semi-finalist, American Coco Gauff, as she looks to land her first French Open crown to add to her three Grand Slam titles. Long considered a hardcourt specialist, the 27-year-old top seed Sabalenka, the most powerful player on the tour, will try to establish herself as an all-rounder with her first title in Paris. She has already won back-to-back titles at the Australian Open in 2023-24 as well as the U.S. Open crown in 2024 but she had never before reached the final in Paris with the slower clay not naturally suited to her heavy-hitting game. Her three-set semi-final victory on Thursday over four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek, who was looking to become the first woman since tennis turned professional in 1968 to win four editions of the tournament in a row, elevated Sabalenka to a new level. The Belarusian did not change her power game or adapt it to clay. Instead she used it effectively to forge past her opponent. Despite the closed roof that made the ball even slower, Sabalenka's serve was still a major weapon as she dished out a third-set bagel against Swiatek, who had been on a 26-match winning streak at the tournament and is nicknamed the 'queen of clay'. "I wasn't really trying to overhit," Sabalenka said after her semi-final win. "I didn't really think to overhit and hit harder than I usually do." It is this power that Gauff, a far more natural claycourt player than Sabalenka, will need to overcome. A finalist here in 2022, Gauff is also looking for her first singles crown in Paris. She won the women's doubles last year but will be looking to add the Suzanne Lenglen cup to her Grand Slam collection that so far has one major, the 2023 U.S. Open where she beat Sabalenka in the final. The American does not have anywhere near the punching power from the serve or baseline that her opponent will bring into the encounter but her athleticism, precision and ability to stay in the rallies will be key. One of the best movers on the tour, Gauff has dropped just one set en route to the final. She also superbly handled the pressure in her semi-final against local wildcard Lois Boisson, coping admirably with home crowd's vocal support for the surprise semi-finalist. "Obviously she's (Sabalenka) someone who has great big shots, and she's going to come out aggressive," Gauff said. "She's going to come out swinging. I think I just have to expect that and do my best to kind of counter that." FRENCH OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON SATURDAY (prefix number denotes seeding) COURT PHILIPPE CHATRIER (not before 1300 GMT) 1- Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) v 2-Coco Gauff (United States)
Daily Record
20 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Brendan Rodgers warned Kyogo is a no-go for a Celtic return but boss needs new faces to keep trophy hunger alive
Former Scotland star Don Hutchison thinks it's a big summer for Celts and there were also words of advice for target Lennon Miller Celtic are going back to the future with Kieran Tierney set to return to the club after five years at Arsenal. And the hero's return comes just six months after Jota made an emotional comeback at the club. It's no wonder Hoops fans are looking around for some more former favourites to sign up for another spell at the club. Punters would take Matt O'Riley back in a heartbeat, with the £25m midfielder dropping a major hint he's not that happy at Brighton after battling back from long term injury. But it's a modern day legend who they'd really love to see sticking on the Hoops again – Kyogo. The frontman only left in January with his £10m move to Rennes, but the Japanese ace has suffered a miserable time in France. No goals, just a handful of appearances and a new manager who clearly isn't convinced. Celtic supporters would roll out the red carpet – but they have been warned Brendan Rodgers it's not alway wise to go back. Former Liverpool and Scotland star Don Hutchison – who did two stints at West Ham – has warned against turning back the clock. Hutchison, speaking to Gambling Zone, said: 'I've not seen a load of him (in France), to be honest. I saw him when he played up in Scotland. I think he's a player that fits. He's a very good player. But it's not going his way right now, obviously, and there's a chance Celtic benefit from looking forward rather than to the past.' Kyogo might remain in the part but Hutchison insisted Hoops boss Rodgers has some big decisions to make for the future. Celts have hoovered up back-to-back Doubles but the manager has admitted he's keen to bolster his squad this summer. Hutchison said: 'That's always the dilemma, I think, for a manager when you win. I always liken it to teams, when you come up from the Championship – do you stay loyal, or do you move them on? "And Brendan's probably having that exact same conversation. Right, the players that have won us a lot, do I stay loyal? 'Character-wise, you'll know them inside out. 'But then you've got to have that foresight to think, who's going to drop off, who might be the player that goes complacent, who might be the player that over the last couple of years or months, has been the one that's just slacked off a little bit or who's just picked up one or two injuries, do I try and freshen it up with younger players? 'I'm a player that's played for 20 years in a lot of dressing rooms. And when you see a new signing coming in, it does have a bit of a weird effect in a good way. It can brighten the mood off the pitch and brighten the tempo on the pitch. When a new player comes in, he tries to impress and that alone can galvanise. "If he plays in your position, you're then trying to impress because you want to tell the boss that he's not just going to come in and take your place. The competitive edge definitely goes up a yard when new players get brought in.' Celtic are keeping tabs on Motherwell wonder kid Lennon Miller – with clubs in Europe also in the hunt. Hutchison has been keeping an eye on the emerging talent and he insisted it's vital the teenager doesn't become a squad player at his next club. He said: 'When you're someone like him who's a good young player, it's all about the games. It's about the amount of games that you play. There's a great saying: availability is the best ability. It means you've got to be fit, so you've got to stay away from injuries. 'Availability means you've got to be in the manager's plans to be starting games. Availability means you've got to be consistent enough to churn out the games. 'And when I was young, when I tried to play 10, 15 games a season, it felt great. Then you want to try and hit 25 and 30 and then you want to be durable enough to be ever-present and play every game in a season. 'Someone like Lennon Miller, it's now being consistent in your performances and the amount of games that you play, and that's what makes you fitter and stronger and better.'
Wales Online
20 minutes ago
- Wales Online
Swansea City in dialogue with Nottingham Forest over O'Brien as chief clears up transfer links
Swansea City in dialogue with Nottingham Forest over O'Brien as chief clears up transfer links Swansea haven't given up hope of a reunion next season and director of football Richard Montague has now confirmed the latest Lewis O'Brien did well at Swansea City (Image:) Swansea City's director of football Richard Montague insists the door hasn't yet been closed on a possible return for Lewis O'Brien this summer. The midfielder spent a hugely successful six-month loan spell with the Swans last season, starting all 16 games for the club after arriving in January and producing a string of eye-catching performances in the process. The 26-year-old has one year left on his current contract at Nottingham Forest, and the prospect of him breaking into their first-team plans appear slim, despite his exploits for the Swans. Sign up to the Swansea City WhatsApp service to get breaking news and top stories sent to your phone A host of Championship clubs have taken an interest, while Spanish giants Valencia are also understood to be admirers of the midfielder, but his next move remains shrouded in uncertainty. O'Brien is understood to have enjoyed his time in south Wales, and has similarly enjoyed a good relationship with head coach Alan Sheehan. Finances have already been mentioned as a key stumbling block were Swansea to show an interest in bringing him back, but Montague says the door is by no means closed on a possible reunion, adding that the club have already held discussions with his parent club. Article continues below "We have had good conversations with Forest," he added. "They were really good to deal with last season, they sent us a really nice message to thank us for how well Lewis did with us, which was great to receive. "We have a good dialogue with them. The ball is a little bit in their court at the moment because of Lewis' contract situation. He is on a Premier League salary and there needs to be some give in some sense to make it work for us. "But it's definitely an option that's still on the table. "We are talking to Lewis and having good conversations with Forest. We would love to be able to do something. It's just timing and matching it all up with the financial realities." Central midfield is an area the club are targeting in this window, although it seems they are not pursuing a deal for Lincoln City's Ethan Erhahon. Swansea had a bid for the 24-year-old knocked back earlier this month, and club insiders at the time indicated the Swans had ended their interest and moved on to other targets. Reports elsewhere later claimed the Swans were still circling for the Scotland under-21s international. However, those suggestions appear to be wide of the mark for now. 'We have talked about so many players and quite a lot have got to the point where we have spoken to agents or clubs," Montague continued. 'There isn't anything concrete in that one. I am happy to say he has been a player who has been lists but it's not progressing any further at this stage.' In terms of possible interest in their own players, Montague says there hasn't been any approach for midfield pair Goncalo Franco and Jay Fulton, both of whom have been the subject of speculation recently. Franco is understood to have caught the eye of clubs in England, Germany and Portugal, while Fulton has recently been linked with a move to Plymouth Argyle. 'Jay did unbelievably well for us when he came into the team at the back end of the season," Montague said. "He gave us some great minutes and is an unbelievable character. 'He is a senior player, which is probably lacking a bit in that age profile now with some of the key departures we had. 'Jay is an important player for us and there is no news about any offers or movement with Jay.' On Franco, he added: "I am aware of gossip and rumours. There is so much noise around this time of the year which is understandable because need things to write about. 'But until we have anything concrete, there is nothing for me to say about it. Sign up to our Swansea City newsletter here. 'He has obviously had a brilliant season and we would love to keep him here, so let's hope that's how it stays.' As well as central midfield, a centre-back is believed to be near the top of the summer wishlist - even if out-of-contract start Harry Darling decides to commit his future the club. Article continues below Swansea are already set to complete the signing of former Bolton Wanderers captain Ricardo Santos, but are actively look at further options, with Ben Cabango currently the only recognised senior centre-back on the books right now. They are also understood to have cast an eye over FC Sion's Gora Diouf in recent months, but he now doesn't appear to be a serious target as things stand.
