Rangers reinvention under Russell Martin throws up major question over this ideological journey

Daily Record

9 hours ago

Our man takes a closer look at events from Fir Park and where it leaves the new Ibrox boss going forward
Time and patience.
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There's no question that's what Russell Martin needs most of all as he settles into his role of reinventing Rangers.
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And those of us who have warned as much repeatedly over the last couple of months since his appointment could stand accused of hypocrisy for questioning Martin's methods and beliefs just three games into this, his first season at the helm.
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And yet here we are, regardless.
Because, while time and patience will undoubtedly be required if Martin is to take the Ibrox club on this ideological journey the most fundamental question is, are they really sure they want to go there?
Because sometimes reaching the final destination frankly isn't worth all of the effort it entails.
And the early indicators suggest Martin's promised land might be quite some distance away from what it was made to look like in the brochure.
Of course, it's way too soon to reach any firm or damning conclusions but, it must be said, the early evidence is inconclusive at best.
When Rangers somehow made it through two legs of a Champions League pummelling from Panathinaikos an assortment of fan boys and happy clappers rushed to the defence of the manager while ignoring what they had just witnessed with their own eyes.
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The truth is Martin's side was an incomprehensible mess in both of these games against the Greeks and exactly how these players managed to get through the double header clutching onto a 3-1 aggregate victory almost defied any sort of sound logic.
Yes, granted the end result is ultimately all that really matters and Martin certainly earned himself a bit of badly needed breathing space by leading his team into the next round, where they will face Czech opposition in Viktoria Plzen.
But they will go into Tuesday's first leg on the back of a woefully timid opening day performance at Motherwell which has further undermined whatever confidence this club's supporters may have set aside for Martin and his big vision.
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Worse still, by very deliberately taking a machine gun to his own players in the immediate aftermath of Saturday evening's 1-1 draw at Fir Park, Martin has effectively left a blood bath inside his own dressing room.
He may have blamed the dropping of two league points at Fir Park on the attitude and professionalism of his players - in the hope that will have played well to a receptive audience - but the manager has a deeper responsibility to assess his own contribution.
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Perhaps even to re-examine the merits and key planks of the philosophy which he is attempting to lay down.
And that's where the really difficult questions begin.
Because, albeit at this early stage in his first season, it's already far from certain that Martin's grand plan for the way he wants Rangers to look and function is actually going to cut it.
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Way too risky in areas of the pitch where safety ought to come first. Not remotely brave enough in the places where taking chances and providing creativity is an absolute must.
He describes it as a 'possession based' approach and this tactical overhaul has sparked comparisons with the transformative work carried out by Ange Postecoglou on the other side of the city.
But Angeball, by its very nature, was brazenly front footed and openly aggressive. Martin's signature style appears to be something very different.
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Possession without any kind of proper purpose makes for a pointless, excruciating exercise.
And that's precisely what Rangers deserved to be after 90 painfully lacklustre minutes in Lanarkshire. That they escaped and got out of town without suffering defeat was nothing whatsoever to do with Martin's decision making.
On the contrary, he looked every bit as bedraggled and confused on the sidelines as his players did out there on a perfect, pristine playing surface.
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Martin's scathing, lacerating assessment of the performance also provided more questions than answers.
If, for example, he truly believes that Cyriel Dessers is some shining light and the most honest, diligent performer inside his own camp then why for the love of God has the Nigerian international been demoted for the first three games of the season?
Why throw lovebombs at the guy and yet leave him sitting on your bench? Why start him in a pre-season bounce game against Middlesbrough if his fitness is an ongoing concern?
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What exactly does Martin see in Danilo that makes the Brazilian a better bet to lead the Rangers attack?
And, if he has such intolerance for players who do nothing much more than go through the motions at their own pace and in their own time, then why has Kieran Dowell emerged from nowhere to become a regular first pick?
More to the point, why did the Scouser stay on the pitch for the entirety of Saturday's game despite failing so feebly in his defensive duties, allowing Emmanuel Longelo to get back to his feet and then pick his spot in the back of Jack Butland's net for Motherwell's equaliser?
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If the boss was prepared to give Dowell the benefit of the doubt then why was the same exception not made to the likes of Nico Raskin and Mohammed Diomande, both of whom were hauled off in the second half?
Could it be that Martin was referring to one or both of this midfield duo when he talked afterwards about the need for some of his players to 'drop their egos'?
Raskin is certainly an outspoken character behind the scenes and it's entirely possible that the Belgian international feels undervalued by his own manager after being removed from his central position in the middle of the pitch and told to operate instead closer to the left flank.
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In the first leg against Panathinaikos Raskin was repeatedly making way so that Max Aarons could drift inside into more central areas of the pitch but the full-back looked unsure of what he was being asked to do with the ball whenever it was at his feet.
That Aarons was noticeably less inverted in the second leg in Athens and once again at the weekend, suggests some sort of fuzzy uncertainty as to what the manager is actually expecting from him.
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And, although being deployed out of position on the left hand side, the Bournemouth man isn't helping himself by passing it back the way as some kind of default rather than instinctively attempting to find a way of pushing forward.
The Englishman has even been given the No.3 shirt off Ridvan Yilmaz's back which, in retrospect, was very possibly a sign that Martin intends on persevering with him in this position for the foreseeable.
Again, with Jefte and Yilmaz so out of favour that they are left back in the dressing room only, it's Martin's judgement which must shift back into central focus.
Yes, time and patience will be required along the way. But first and foremost the man at the wheel will have to prove he's driving Rangers in the right direction if he wants everyone else to get on board.