Russell Martin turns to two Rangers stars singled out as boss twists for Champions League showdown
Rangers have the chance to put things right almost instantly after Russell Martin's astonishing TV blast at the weekend.
The Ibrox boss called out egos in his squad following another opening day without victory for the Light Blues as they conceded last one to drop points in the season opener at Motherwell.
The new manager insisted in his pre-match press conference for the visit of Plzen his filleting came from a place of love because he wants his players to do better.
He insisted it wasn't an attack on any individuals and for him honesty is the best policy and it is something he will use again if it comes to it.
But ultimately, the performance at the weekend was nowhere near the standard Martin has for his team and the fans made that clear at Fir Park as boos rang out from the stands as the whistle went.
That could mean changes from the boss tonight and he may have already hinted at a big clue over two stars that he namechecked for praise from that encounter with Motherwell.
He said: "Lyall Cameron came on and did great because he wants to run really hard for the team.
'I said to some of the guys in there that Cyriel Dessers is the only one we've had a bid for and interest in and he comes on and runs so hard, and the same on Wednesday.
'Some of them need to have a look at him and set that example. There will be people left behind if they don't want to come because they need to really understand what playing for this football club takes and means - and not just when it's having a nice time."
Mikey Moore and Oliver Antman are now in the door but the Spurs youngster won't feature in this one due to a UEFA rule on his Under-18 status while the new boss is awaiting to see if he gets the green light in time over the former Go Ahead Eagles man.
At his old club he's trained for over a month, had five training games and a full 90 minutes so is raring to go. He's also been on the grass already with his new colleagues so he could get a quick baptism of fire should the UEFA clearance arrive in time in what would be a major boost for Martin and his choices on the wings.
Thelo Aasgaard and Hamza Igamane remain sidelined for the Light Blues and will miss out on the first-leg encounter.
Findlay Curtis missed out at the weekend, but after his display and goal against Panathinaikos in Govan he could get the nod over Djeidi Gassama.
He has produced twice so far in the Champions League from the bench and that kind of danger coming on late into the game as the opposition start to tire could be a priceless weapon to unleash for Martin and his staff.
Predicted Rangers XI to face Viktoria Plzen
Rangers Champions League squad in full
Goalkeepers
Butland
Kelly
Wright
Thackray*
Defenders
Tavernier
Aarons
Souttar
Jefte
Djiga
Fernandez
King
Kerr*
Campbell*
Scott*
Hutton*
Caldwell*
Fernie*
Hynd*
Midfielders
Rothwell
Cortes
Barron
Diomande
Bajrami
Cameron
Dowell
Gassama
Raskin
Fraser
Nsio*
Rice*
Adamson*
Wark*
Smith*
McCallion*
Crilly*
Christie*
Forwards
Gentles
Curtis*
Eadie*
Stewart
Danilo
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
STV News
18 minutes ago
- STV News
'Celtic need to take a leaf out of Rangers' book on transfers'
Celtic have been told they need to be more like rivals Rangers in the way they conduct their transfer business. Go Ahead Eagles chairman Jan Willem van Dop says he has had dealings with both Glasgow clubs in recent weeks and found a stark difference between the two. Van Dop said at the end of July that the club would only sell one of wingers Oliver Antman and Jakob Breum this summer. Rangers were linked with Antman, while he said Celtic had made contact about Breum. Since then, Antman has completed a move to Ibrox and made his debut, and an instant impact, in the Champions League qualifier against Viktoria Plzen. Breum remains a Go Ahead player, while Celtic have been criticised for their lack of major signings in the transfer window so far. The Dutch club's chairman says Celtic's offer was nowhere near Go Ahead's valuation of Breum, and advised the club to up their game if they want to land their targets. 'Celtic showed some interest in Jakob Breum, but we felt that the gap between us was too wide,' Van Dop told Algemeen Dagblad. 'Things moved very quickly with Oliver Antman and Glasgow Rangers. Celtic could have taken a leaf out of Rangers' book, haha.' Speaking last week, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers made it clear he wanted new players in, and that he wanted to continue to deliver improvements on the squad and in results. 'I am not here to maintain levels, this is a really fast moving club and you have to keep moving quickly,' he said. 'It's one of the biggest clubs in world football and there is always a demand and an expectation, and the only way to get better is to keep improving and developing. 'The message to the supporters is that everyone here will be doing our upmost to improve on last season, and it's a really exciting season ahead, and if we can add where we need to add then it can be even better for us. 'For clarity, I love being here, yes there has been some challenges on the pitch, and off the pitch, since I have arrived, but that is management, that is coaching, but in the main I have absolutely loved it here and will continue to do so for however long that is. 'But, there has to be that ambition from everyone, it's no good just the manager having it and the players not, or whatever else, everything has to be aligned. I know that the club are also very keen to progress and develop. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
BBC News
21 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Hibs in dreamland' - what did the pundits say about Belgrade win?
Former Hibs midfielder Michael Stewart on BBC SportsoundIt's a side that have not played loads of European football but the team showed a lot of composure and round away performance from Hibs in Europe, it had a bit of everything Defensively sound, they never really looked in danger. The midfield were working their backsides off and building the game fairly well.I think David Gray will come away from that so happy with where his team are and recognising they've got a great opportunity of getting through to the play-off manager Tony Docherty on BBC SportsoundIt's a brilliant night for Scottish football, two fantastic away results. Hopefully they can finish the job off next Hibs performance was such a mature one for a Scottish team going away from home against an opponent with real did a job on them, they did what they had to do and they made Partizan look like an inexperienced team. The real plaudits go to a real mature Hibs midfielder Scott Allan on BBC SportsceneThat is a fantastic result for Hibs, that man Martin Boyle again. Hibs will be really confident taking that result back to Easter Road next playing with a real confidence, they don't seem like they'll give up a lot of chances, you really need to work to get a goal against Hibs so they should be really confident about next week. Former Falkirk & St Mirren midfielder Ryan Flynn on BBC's Scottish Football PodcastI think Hibs are just in dreamland at the moment. They did so well against Midtjylland and coming into this game I think a lot of people wrote them off going away to Partizan, in Belgrade, a hostile environment, and they just was a cool performance, calculated. Obviously Partizan get the man sent off but Hibs took full advantage of that. Patrizan had a little bit of pressure towards the end but Hibs stood firm. Obviously David Gray will say it's half time but I think everyone's looking forward to hopefully progressing through to the play-off round.
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Rangers potential Champions League rivals Club Brugge given damning verdict by Belgian expert
The Jupiler Pro League side lead Salzburg from their first leg tie but aren't in the best nick according to one man Club Brugge are a shadow of their former selves according to a top Belgian manager as they prepare for a potential Champions League play-off against Rangers. The Ibrox side were drawn against either the Belgian side or RB Salzburg if they complete the job next week against Viktoria Plzen after a comfortable 3-0 first leg home lead. The Belgian side have a big advantage after winning the first leg 1-0 in Austria, but former Anderlecht, Gent and Genk manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck is far from impressed with Club Brugge this season so far. He said: "With last season's team, Club Brugge would have won 3-0 or 4-0 in Salzburg. They need to bring in new players urgently. "They allowed Salzburg to have eight attempts at their goal in the first 15 minutes alone. That's far too many and a warning. A more clinical side would have taken some of those chances. "They must bring in defensive recruitments, especially. I certainly don't think the tie is over either. Salzburg are a young team with enormous drive and are very dangerous in the counter-attack." You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers page, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here.
