Scathing Rangers claim I heard about Russell Martin is another language but I don't buy the speculation

Daily Record

4 hours ago

Russell Martin will need the finely-tuned attributes of Harry Houdini when he starts work on Monday.
The escapologist's speciality was being suspended upside down in a tank of water while handcuffed and wearing a straitjacket.
He had three minutes to hold his breath and extricate himself from his constrictions. Or else.
It's not a life-or-death scenario for the new head coach at Ibrox, despite what the more excitable might claim.
But endangerments are building up.
There's Panathinaikos in the Champions League qualifier next month – defeat over two legs looks unthinkable.
There's a row over the circumstances that saw John Souttar put country before club, and delayed an operation, to be available for Scotland's recent two friendlies.
Meanwhile, the club's activity in the transfer market has had the same grip on fans' imagination as FIFA's Club World Cup.
Limited enthusiasm has been shown by a support who were expecting big bucks to be thrown at new players by Rangers' new owners, 49ers Enterprises.
A civil ceremony to formalise the arranged marriage between the club and their backers will take place at an EGM at Ibrox on Monday.
Shareholders will meet to approve £20m of fresh investment. Symbolically, it is a day when governance of the club is taken out of the hands of those who, historically, were brought up to support Rangers.
Money knows no allegiance, however, and years of minimal success necessitates an influx of cash from anywhere, and San Francisco is as good a place as any.
Martin comes into this potentially febrile environment with his eyes wide open and with a need to close his ears to the outside noise.
I came back from the Highlands last Monday having watched two of my grandsons perform at Lochaber Provincial Mod.
Then I turned on the radio and wondered if I was still dealing with the linguistic problem of not understanding a word.
A Rangers supporter denounced Martin as a 'second-rate manager' and said Rangers would be lucky to finish in the Premiership's top six.
It was a cultural rather than language barrier confronting me. My grandkids aren't Gaelic speakers but had learned their competition piece phonetically.
The radio caller, on the other hand, was word perfect when it came to unfounded speculation. Martin has enough to worry about without fretting over guesswork. He faces a must-win match at Ibrox against Panathinaikos next month in his first competitive match.
He'll need to wriggle out of that like Houdini would – because a lot of the players who had previously excelled on European nights at Ibrox are no longer there.
That situation might worsen if Cyriel Dessers is sold from beneath him.
Martin must focus on matters he can control and ignore irrelevant details like Gers never beating Panathinaikos in four previous meetings.
The past has no relevance to the present or the future, which Russell must shape in a positive way. Monday begins a new era at Ibrox and the weight of history is on Martin's shoulders.
Houdini was an illusionist too but the head coach will be under no illusions about his job. The difference between success and failure will be visible to all from every angle.