Russell Martin told 'different' Joe Rothwell will seal Rangers reunion as ex Celtic boss gives honest transfer take

Daily Record

3 days ago

Tony Mowbray has offered the inside track on the incoming Ibrox recruit
Tony Mowbray believed he was getting a kid with Premier League potential when he lured Joe Rothwell to Blackburn.
But the former Celtic gaffer reckons Rangers are now closing in on a midfielder who's ready-made for Russell Martin's new style at Ibrox.
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The 30-year-old is set to become Martin's third new addition of the summer after agreeing terms with Gers.
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Mowbray was the man who signed Rothwell for Rovers in 2018 after spotting the burgeoning talent that would one day lead the daring dribbler to England's top flight.
After four years at Ewood Park, Mowbray's prophecy was fulfilled as Rothwell joined Bournemouth in the top division.
And now his old manager is predicting big things again as Rothwell signs up to Martin's Rangers revolution.
The ex-Manchester United trainee has worked with the new Ibrox gaffer before, helping Martin's Southampton team to play-off promotion joy in 2024 during a six-month loan from the Cherries.
But it was another impressive stint with Championship winners Leeds last year which has convinced Mowbray that the youngster he signed in 2018 has blossomed into the all-rounder Martin can build a team around.
He told Record Sport: 'The Joe I saw playing for Leeds last season was different to the Joe I had when he was a younger player.
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'He's always been a good ball traveller. His ability to move at speed with the ball at his feet was why I signed him from Oxford.
'He's amazing with the ball at feet. He'll get you up the pitch very fast. That's why I always felt he was destined for the Premier League.
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'But playing for Leeds last year against my West Brom team, Daniel Farke asked him to play in a slightly different way. He became more of a passer, a No6, a sitter who controlled the game.
'But he can do both jobs. He's still amazing at covering ground fast. But then he can also pick passes through the lines.
'So I think he's developed into a slightly different player, one with more strings to his bow.
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'Rangers are getting a really talented boy, a lad who will get people off their seats.
'He's got all the tools in the box and whatever the coach wants him to do - whether it's dribbling or controlling games with his passing - he'll do it.
'What I do know of the manager at Glasgow Rangers is that he's going to want the ball and he's going to want to pass it.
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'He knows Joe's quality obviously having had him at Southampton - and he'll know he's getting a footballer who can control the game with the ball.
'Joe's so calm. If people rush him, try to pressure him, he'll just step past them and when he's off and running, you aren't catching him.
'He'll soon find out just how much time and space he gets in Old Firm games, mind you!
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'But I think Russell is trying to put the right type of players in the team to play the way he wants to. It's a very possession orientated game and Joe suits that perfectly.'
No-one needs to tell Mowbray about the pressure that comes with life in the Old Firm fishbowl.
As a player, he signed for Celtic at a time when the Parkhead club were trapped in the shadows of Walter Smith's nine-in-a-row superstars.
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And his 10-month run as Hoops boss endured more frustration as his Celts again failed to keep pace during Smith's second incarnation as Ibrox gaffer.
Nowadays, the balance of power has shifted towards the east end of the city and Mowbray admits Rothwell will have to do better than he did if he's to savour his time at Ibrox.
'I'm sure Joe will enjoy Glasgow,' he said. 'But you can only enjoy it if you're winning.
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'Obviously, Rangers have a lot to do to turn things around in Glasgow and up there, if you're not winning, you're coming second, which is as good as last.
'It's very difficult for anybody to say how to deal with the Glaswegian environment.
'I made a decision as a 28-year-old to play for Celtic. I thought I was mature having had some great years down south and yet I found myself going into something I wasn't ready for really.
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'Joe will have to find out for himself how he's going to cope living every day in that city.
'If Celtic are still winning everything it's going to be difficult. But as a lad I really like Joe. He's a good human being.
'I hope it goes well for him - well maybe on a personal note I hope it doesn't go that well! But I do think it's going to be interesting this year.'
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Mowbray will certainly be keeping a close eye on how Martin fares in Scotland having come up against his Swansea and Southampton teams in the Championship.
The 61-year-old's brother Darren worked closely with the former Scotland defender while in charge of recruitment at St Mary's.
'I know he's exceptionally driven in what he wants to do,' added Mowbray. 'He has his own vision of how he wants to play and I think it will challenge Celtic.
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'But Russell has to have the quality of the players and the braveness of footballers to make it work.
'The Premier League has been difficult for a lot of coaches going up there for the first time. He found that difficult last year. But his team that won promotion was undoubtedly one of the best in the Championship.
'Russell did an amazing job with Southampton. His team was amazingly good with the ball.
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'Once the players understood how he wanted to play, they were pretty formidable.
'It did take a bit of time for them to get to what he wanted, though. My old Sunderland side beat them quite heavily early on.
'But as the season unfolded, they got stronger. When they got to the Premier League, everybody told him he had to be more flexible.
'But he's his own man and his side played amazingly good football. When it worked you'd think, 'Wow'. That's why the supporters should be excited, because it won't be total Celtic domination.
'But football is about results. You have to win and Russell has to turn that amazing brand of football into winning football. If he can then they'll all be happy. Celtic will have a genuine challenge on their hands.'