Latest news with #ex-Southampton
Glasgow Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Barry Ferguson reveals private Russell Martin Rangers chat
The former interim Rangers manager, who took over in February after Philippe Clement was sacked, wanted the job permanently. However, the club's new American-based owners chose ex-Southampton boss Martin as head coach. Ferguson has now disclosed that he recently had his first conversation with Martin. He has backed him to be a success at Rangers. Ferguson said: "I like the way he speaks to the press. "I've spoke to him privately and it was the first time I spoke to him. "I came off the phone with him and I was impressed by him. "He gets it, he understands it, I think if something doesn't go right he'll go and fix it." Ferguson's words show confidence in Martin's ability to lead Rangers to success.
The National
04-08-2025
- Sport
- The National
Inside Russell Martin's phone call with Rangers predecessor
The club legend stepped into the Ibrox hot seat back in February for four months after Philippe Clement was sacked. Ferguson wanted the job on a permanent basis this summer. However, the club's new American-based ownership conducted the recruitment process for a new head coach, and ex-Southampton boss Martin prevailed as the top candidate. Read more: Now, Ferguson has revealed that he recently spoke to Martin for the first time since all of the recent goings-on. And he has backed him to be a success in his new gig at Rangers. "I like the way he speaks to the press, I've spoke to him privately and it was the first time I spoke to him," Ferguson told Go Radio's Football Show. "I came off the phone with him and I was impressed by him. "He gets it, he understands it, I think if something doesn't go right he'll go and fix it."
Scottish Sun
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ‘has Besiktas contract terminated' with former England star's career left in limbo
Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain left Besiktas after they paid him a hefty fee FREE AGENT Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 'has Besiktas contract terminated' with former England star's career left in limbo Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN has become a free agent after Besiktas terminated his contract. Oxlade-Chamberlain, 31, joined the Turkish giants from Liverpool in 2023 but struggled to stand out mainly due to injuries. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has become a free agent after Besiktas terminated his contract 2 Besiktas tore Oxlade-Chamberlain's deal after paying him a hefty severance fee According to Yeni Safak, the Istanbul outfit tore the versatile midfielder's deal after paying him a hefty severance fee. The same source claims Besiktas paid £1.2million in order to release the former England international. That would pose as a cheaper price than to pay the former Arsenal star's remaining wages. The ex-Liverpool ace's contract with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side ran until 2026. Read More on Football Eze does it Arsenal face missing out on Eze as European giants go head-to-head for transfer Sources told SunSport Oxlade-Chamberlain fell out of favour in Solskjaer's eyes ahead of the coming season. The same sources claim Besiktas initially wanted to pay the ex-Southampton star's severance in instalments. However, the central midfielder refused to accept and a meeting took place where a final decision was made to pay everything in full. Oxlade-Chamberlain amassed a mere total of five goals and one assist in 50 appearances with Besiktas. The former Premier League ace's future is currently uncertain after his exit from the Turkish outfit. Besiktas, though, will still have English representation this coming season. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shows off his football skills at Beşiktaş Training Solskjaer's side signed ex-Chelsea ace Tammy Abraham on loan from Roma.
Scotsman
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Rangers set for transfer blow with EFL side 'confident' of signing Russell Martin favourite
The out-of-contract defender has been linked with a summer transfer to Rangers. Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Rangers head coach Russell Martin may be dealt an early blow in the transfer window after news emerged that one of his key targets was close to a move to the EFL Championship. Weekend reports had claimed that the new Ibrox head coach had identified out-of-contract Swansea City centre-back Harry Darling as a key signing this summer, with the defender well known to the ex-Southampton boss having played under Martin twice at both Swansea and MK Dons. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The departure of Leon Balogun has left Rangers in need of defensive reinforcements, while Dutch centre-back Robin Propper has been linked with a return to former club FC Twente in recent days. New Rangers head coach Russell Martin. | Getty Images Darling's availability as a free agent had alerted several clubs to his availability, with the Rangers Review reporting that the Glasgow giants had rival interest from across the EFL Championship, while Leicester City centre-back Conor Coady was also thought to be on the club's list of potential targets this summer. Described as a 'young and hungry' defender by Martin upon his signature at Swansea, the new Rangers manager hailed Darling as a player with 'all the attributes you need to play at the very top', adding that he had 'athleticism, mentality, technical ability and a great character." The feeling appeared to be mutual, with the English centre-back praising his former manager's influence on his career, saying: 'Russell was massive for me. He gave me the confidence to play out from the back and trusted me in big moments. His style is intense, but you buy into it because he's so clear about what he wants." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, it appears Rangers have now missed out on the 25-year-old after it a new report claimed that there was a 'confidence' that Norwich City had beaten off competition from the Gers and several others to the signing of Darling.
Scotsman
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
5 key Rangers fixtures that could shape Russell Martin's Ibrox reign - from Celtic visit to Hibs away
Rangers face a crucial early Old Firm clash with Celtic that could be pivotal their Scottish Premiership title hopes. Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... As Rangers head coach Russell Martin prepares to begin his debut season at Ibrox, the ex-Southampton boss and his side know they must hit the ground running in order to challenge a Celtic side that have dominated the last four Scottish Premiership campaigns. Announced at 9am on Friday morning, the Scottish Premiership fixture list has thrown up a number of pivotal early clashes, but there are five games in particular that will prove crucial to Rangers' hopes of mounting a serial title challenge for the first time in over four years. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 1. Motherwell (A) - August 2 The first game of the season has thrown Rangers boss Martin a bit of a banana skin, but it is imperative that they lay down a marker at Fir Park. Despite their own struggles last year, Motherwell proved to be a thorn in the Gers' side last season. Their 2-2 draw last December put serious pressure on Belgian head coach Philippe Clement at the time, and he lasted just a few more months in the role. While his successor, interim boss Barry Ferguson, fell to a 2-1 defeat against them at Ibrox in his first game in the home dugout. Rangers actually competed well against champions Celtic last term in one off games, losing just two of five games against their rivals. However, it was games against teams ranked lower in the table where they struggled. Should Martin manage to navigate a confident and comprehensive win on the opening day, it'll add some much needed confidence for the season ahead. Cyriel Dessers of Rangers FC is challenged by Kofi Balmer of Motherwell in lat season's Premier Sports Cup semi-final. | Getty Images 2. St Mirren (A) - August 23 As mentioned above, the Light Blues really struggled against teams ranked below them last year - and non more so than St Mirren. Stephen Robinson's side took seven points from their four games against Rangers last year, so supporters would be forgiven for having a groan yesterday morning when the fixture list produced an early match-up at the SMiSA Stadium. The Paisley outfit have finished in the top six for three consecutive seasons, and have proven they can match any side on their day. However, if Rangers want to wrestle the Scottish Premiership from the hands on Celtic next year, taking three points at St Mirren for the first time in over a year would certainly help their cause. Rangers' John Souttar and St Mirren's Alex Gogic get to grips with things in Paisley last season. | SNS Group 3. Celtic (H) - August 31 This one needs little explanation. An Old Firm derby coming this early in the campaign will be a fantastic early marker for both sides, with both Glasgow giants offered the chance to steal a march on each other in the opening weeks of the season. Despite the game coming so early in campaign, it is a game Rangers must simply not lose. They had the better of the league derbies last year, winning two, drawing one and losing the other. However, by the time tasted their first victory against Brendan Rodgers' side in January, they were already 11 points adrift at the top of the table. Celtic may have beaten Rangers once in the league last year, but that was an early 3-0 win at Celtic Park, which set out their stall for the season. Should Rangers win this particular game in the opening month of the campaign, it'll be a huge early boost. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hamza Igamane of Rangers scores his team's third goal against Celtic in the last year's 3-2 win at Celtic Park. | Getty Images 4. Hibs (A) - October 29 Later in the season, Rangers will head to Easter Road for a battle against an ever-improving Hibs side, who are looking to firmly plant their flag in the ground as one of the Scotland's most talented teams. David Gray's took Hibs from relegation battle to revolution last season, and they'll have designs on securing third spot and pushing both Glasgow clubs as hard as they possibly can. Another club who got the better of the Light Blues last year, Hibs lost just one of four games against Rangers - and Martin must change that statistic. A visit to Hibs is never easy, but fans may just start to believe if they can start the season well, and then pick up a big win in Leith at the end of October. Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers celebrates after scoring the opening goal in the 2-2 draw with Hibs at Easter Road last season. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group) | SNS Group 5. Aberdeen (H) - November 1 It was a season of two halves for the Dons last year. Kicking off the campaign with a remarkable unbeaten run, it looked like Jimmy Thelin's side had the quality to challenge for the title when they went nine points clear of Rangers with a 3-1 win in October. Sadly for Aberdeen, they tailed off badly and ended the season well off the pace in fifth place.
