Russell Martin will be Celtic nemesis or his own worst enemy but either way he runs towards danger
Russell Martin will either turn out to be Celtic 's nemesis or his own worst enemy because of his managerial philosophy.
But before the verdict is delivered, I have to say I like his style.
Don't run away from potential danger. Run towards it and shape your own destiny. Foolhardy or foolproof? Time will tell.
It helps in Europe, of course, when you meet a Greek team who couldn't have kicked doors at Halloween whenever they got a sight of goal. But that's not Russell's problem.
And I suspect his team will make light work, home and away, of Viktoria Plzen as well when they face the Czechs in the next Champions League qualifying round.
The last Czech to cause Rangers serious discomfort was Lubo Moravcik in a Celtic jersey – and he was a one-off.
I said here before Gers met Panathinaikos that I could never recall an Ibrox manager being handed a match of such magnitude before he had even dealt with a domestic game in his new role, as Martin had, to survive.
Now, having lived with that burden, Russell has the chance to put an inordinate level of pressure on Celtic, inadvertently and intentionally, before the month is out.
If one half of Glasgow makes the Champions League group stage and the other one doesn't, it is the cue for regret and recriminations.
If the one who goes through in Europe then beats the one who dropped down to a lesser competition in the first Old Firm derby of the season then all leave is cancelled in a city as claustrophobic as Glasgow.
That's Martin's target to hit or his trauma to deal with if Celtic beat whoever comes out of the hat for them on Monday in the Champions League draw and they are the side to win at Ibrox on August 31.
It was never like this in Southampton, that's for sure.
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Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
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