EXCLUSIVE Rangers: Russell Martin tells some players to ‘drop their ego’ after Motherwell draw, but has he gone in too soon?
EXCLUSIVE
Rangers: Russell Martin tells some players to ‘drop their ego’ after Motherwell draw, but has he gone in too soon?
Russell Martin was “hurt” and “angry” following their “lucky” 1-1 draw at Motherwell; James Tavernier headed them ahead, but Emmanuel Longelo equalised late on; it is the third consecutive season they have dropped points on the first day. “Some of them need to drop their egos. There’s a major issue when you just want to jog around and do whatever you want.
Russell Martin has already stated that the Scottish Premiership is where his Rangers team will be judged, and he has wasted no time in telling the players what he thinks following more dropped points on the first day.
The new manager refused to use their Champions League success in the draw with Motherwell at Fir Park, telling Sky Sports that they were “lucky to get a point” as the fans booed them at full-time. “We were nowhere near where we need to be, and I’m extremely disappointed and hurt by that,” he told me. “They were more brave and aggressive than us. “There is a default at this football club, and it isn’t anyone’s fault.
“The default is to revert to type, which is when things are going really well, everyone is on board, and everything is great. When things aren’t going well, you try to protect yourself and do things for your own survival.
“When you want to just jog around and do what you want to do, there’s a big problem.” Some of them must drop their egos; I will look at us tactically and accept my role in it.
“But today, it’s not really tactical, it’s a mentality problem, and we got more than what we deserved actually.” “We need to figure out who truly wants to go all in and who does not. “But Europe isn’t an excuse.” This club demands to compete in Europe.
We qualified for that, so we’ll be playing a lot in Europe, and we’ll have a lot of games after the European games, which we need to manage much better than we do now.”
Martin has made eight summer signings and hopes to add more, but he has also warned that players will not stay to make up the numbers. “Cyriel [Dessers] is the only one we’ve actually bid for, and he comes on and runs so hard. Some of them need to look at him and set an example. “People who refuse to come will be left behind.
They will be left behind because they must truly understand what it takes to play for this football club and what it entails, not just when it is fun. “I know what we’re getting into, and I understand the fans’ frustration.
“We are only one game in, and it is still a work in progress.” We need to figure out quickly who really wants to listen, who will fight, and who will flee when things get tough.”
Has Martin gone in on his players too soon?
The Sky Sports pundits evaluated Russell Martin’s scathing full-time verdict at Fir Park. “He’s left early.
Is he right to do so? I believe he is on balance. “He understands the culture up here, and he knows he needs to win.
He went very early with this, but it’s a little desperate for the first game of the season – just easing himself in to absolutely machine gun the dressing room the way he did.
“For him to do that first game of the season, seeing them every day in practice, he must think they’re rank rotten. He must do it, because there should be more balance there.
“When have you ever seen a manager come out and fillet the team – and we all believe he’s correct – but when have you ever seen a manager do that first game of the season?” As I previously stated, everyone has a good preseason, everyone is happy, and everyone says it’s been wonderful.
“Now the season has started, he has to win, but that was extreme.”
Kris Boyd:
“For a long time, many Rangers managers sugarcoated a number of issues. Russell appears irritated while speaking there.” The fact that he is calling them out so early on worries me.
“He must be merciless. At this football club, far too many players have jumped ahead of their managers.
He singled out one or two players as having performed well, but there were a lot of them there today who were far from it, and it’s the same thing again.”
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