4 days ago
Russell Martin is riding the Rangers rollercoaster but it could still go off the rails if he isn't careful
In the space of three days, the new Gers gaffer has watched fans swing from writing off his team to hailing them as Champions League certs
Last month, James Tavernier summed up his 10-year run at Rangers as like being spun around on a rollercoaster.
Well it's taken Russell Martin just four games to have his senses dazed for the first time by the Govan Big Dipper.
In the space of three days, the new Gers gaffer has watched fans swing from writing off his team after their Fir Park slip-up on the opening day of the season to hailing the new-look Light Blues as Champions League certs following Tuesday's much-improved win over Viktoria Plzen.
But Martin will surely know already the perils of getting carried away with the peaks and troughs of management.
Coaches love to wheel out that old line about not getting too high with the victories and too low with the set-backs.
The trouble is that there are few places where the peaks are so exhilarating and the pits of despair so dark and depressing as Glasgow.
Martin will certainly have had a taste of that during his ill-fated stint up here as a player.
But this week's Euro thrill ride was his first chance to breathe in the intoxicating air that sweeps through Ibrox when Rangers max out their performance levels.
It can be a dangerous mix if it's not balanced out with a dose of reality. And for Martin's team, the facts are that while the Plzen performance was a huge step in the right direction, there is still plenty of work to be done if they are to avoid spinning off the Ibrox rollercoaster rails.
However, Martin has already demonstrated that he has grasped the requirement for a calm, sober approach and to keep the heid in this city - even when those around him are losing theirs.
After the 3-0 win over the Czechs which has allowed Gers to firmly plant one foot in the play-off round ahead of next week's return clash in Bohemia, Martin spoke about the need to shrug off the outside noise and focus on what matters most - maintaining performances.
'I know there's a tendency up here that one thing becomes a really big thing really quickly,' he said when quizzed on his decision to drop skipper Tavernier and last year's main man Nico Raskin. 'It's not at all. Saturday will be a different team again because we have to go again with the same energy and intensity.'
Having set a benchmark, Martin knows his side have to hit it again or else face a repeat of the jeers that followed them down the tunnel at Motherwell after that dismal Fir Park draw.
But by taking such swift and firm action with his team selection after crashing on the curtain raiser, it looks like Martin has begun the process of winning over some of his Ibrox sceptics.
For a man famed for his vegan lifestyle, Martin certainly didn't hold back as he chewed out his players after their late slip-up allowed Emmanuel Longelo to snatch a point for Well.
Dropping Tavernier and Raskin was a major call but it proved to be the right one as his team swept Viktoria aside. Now he'll demand the punters cut him some slack and get on board with his vision for the future.
But it will be interesting to see if the senior pair are recalled for Saturday's clash with Dundee.
Three points against Steven Pressley's struggling Dark Blues is simply non-negotiable.
Should Gers hit the buffers, though, it will leave Martin in a difficult position. Having made one about turn with his line-up, he'll be left looking like a flip-flopper if he's forced to do it again only days later.
But get another positive result and the Ibrox support will be belting up looking to complete their Champions League thrill ride against Club Brugge or Salzburg.
Let them get carried away with it all. That's what being a fan is all about. They pay their money and have every right to dream big if they want to.
As for Martin? Well don't expect him to get any more excited than if he were having a sleepy shot on the Teacups.
