Russell Martin insists Rangers blast came from place of love and is not an attack on individuals

Daily Record

8 hours ago

His full-time reaction from the opening day draw at Motherwell grabbed the headlines as he filleted his side.
At least Russell Martin is still able to crack a joke.
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At his press conference ahead of Rangers' Champions League qualifying tie against Viktoria Plzen at Ibrox, a TV camera operator asked: 'Can you just hang on for a second'?
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The Rangers boss replied: 'I'm hanging on, and it's only been three games'.
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So he's still smiling, for now anyway.
But it was obviously in stark contrast to his mood after Saturday's 1-1 draw at Motherwell on the opening day of the Premiership season.
Not for the first time in recent years, it has put Rangers on the back foot - and two points behind Celtic - early on.
But it was the manager's reaction at full-time that grabbed most of the headlines.
He accused his players of being egotistical and self-centred. He questioned their attitude and application.
After one league game as Gers gaffer, it was a filleting for the ages.
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And it led to some of Martin's doubters questioning whether it was ill-advised, especially so soon into his Ibrox reign.
Of course, he's under pressure in this job. That comes with the territory.
But this wasn't a rant at the end of his Rangers tenure.
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It was an early warning to his players that Martin isn't about to settle for being second best in Glasgow.
He assured the players that it came from a place of LOVE, as opposed to it being a scattergun assassination of his squad.
In the build-up to this European tie, he's adamant the reaction has been positive.
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But Martin warned that any individual had responded negatively - it would probably have told him they really shouldn't be at Rangers in the first place.
As he looked forward to the Czechs' visit, while reflecting on the weekend, he said: 'If the players know the coaching staff by now, they'll know it all came from a place of love and care for them.
'Ultimately, we are here for the players.
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'We're here to win football matches but as coaches, day to day, we're here to help players.
'That's our job, to develop them, improve them and to help them enjoy playing for a club like this.
'Because I don't think too many of them have enjoyed it enough here, playing for this amazing club.
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'It's not easy. But I didn't come out with that stuff to be ruthless or anything like that.
'It came from a place of love because I want them to be better.
'It's not an attack on anyone. It's about us as a club being stronger and understanding what we need to win here.
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'When it comes from that place, they understand it. And we always have honest conversations about why.
'I believe the players are really trying and they're good human beings.
'But the default to try and protect yourself when it gets tough? We need to shift that a little bit.
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'If it had a detrimental effect on certain individuals, they're probably not the ones we want to come on the journey with us.
'If it hurts you to the point where you feel you've been singled out, that's probably an issue of you not being all in at this club or with us.
'I don't worry about it being detrimental on the team. I've questioned teams in the past about attitude and the response has been fantastic.
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'I guess this is where you learn a lot about people.
'But I'm really comfortable saying where it comes from. It's not a concerted effort to out anyone or beat anyone.
'We're here and we're going to be honest with everyone.
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'That has served us well so far. I'm pretty sure it will serve us well again and we'll be really successful.
'We just have to get through some teething problems.'
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What makes it so hard for Martin to accept - when he has to question work-rate or attitude - is that he had to graft for everything he got as a player.
What he lacked in ability, he made up for in effort and commitment.
And that's why it frustrates him when he sees players with more talent than he had not giving it everything.
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He said: 'I understand why everyone isn't the same as me.
'I achieved what I did in my career purely from hard work and being resilient.
'It wasn't talent at all. I captained most of the teams I played for because I wanted to help people and work for the team.
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'I just think it has to be a minimum requirement. As a footballer, you work so hard to get to a club like this.
'You need a level of talent and resilience to find your way here.
'But when you get here, you can't take your foot off the gas.
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'The demands here are huge and sometimes it's too much for people.
'Our job is to make it as easy as possible for them to be successful. But the level of effort and attitude has to be there all the time.'
Martin has vowed to leave behind the players who don't buy into what he's trying to do at Rangers.
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That means getting rid of them, which hasn't been easy for this club in recent years.
So is Martin concerned that could create a problem?
He said: 'No, I don't think so. We'll learn, we'll see. There's plenty of time before the window closes. I'm sure all the players here want to be part of something.
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'If not, and they don't want to be here, I don't want to force anyone to be at the club. So it will be up to their agents to find the right people for them and us.
'But I won't have anything to do with that. My concentration is on the training pitch with players, trying to help them as much as I can.'
And they'll need that to get past Plzen at Ibrox.
Still without injured duo Thelo Aasgaard and Hamza Igamane - as well as waiting on UEFA clearance for new boys Mikey Moore and Oliver Antman - Matin said: 'The game's going to be tough. They're a really powerful side.
'They play forward quickly and it's a different test to Panathinaikos.
'It's exciting for us but we have to try and turn it into the game we want at Ibrox. We have to be up for the fight.'