Rangers' Russell Martin filleted in 'failed promises' statement as £15m transfer target emerges

Martin has faced a furious fan backlash in the wake of Wednesday’s 6-0 Champions League play-off defeat by Club Brugge, which the 39-year-old himself admitted as being “humiliating” for all concerned at Rangers.

Appointed on June 5, Martin has yet to win a match in the Premiership after three 1-1 draws and goes into this weekend’s encounter with title and Glasgow rivals Celtic six points behind the defending champions.

Martin was brought in by Rangers’ new ownership group comprising of 49ers Enterprises and US-based health tycoon Andrew Cavenagh, and it is understood that they, chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell remain behind the head coach going into the visit of Celtic.

However, Martin still has to convince a growing number of the club’s supporters, with The Rangers Fan Advisory Board - who were established in November 203 and hold regular meetings with senior club management - publicly condemning the head coach and calling for him to be axed.

In a statement, the supporters’ group wrote: “We share the anger and frustration of our fellow supporters following the debacle in Bruges, which is the latest in a line of unacceptable results and performances under the tenure of Russell Martin.

Martin ‘failing to build an authentic Rangers team’

"Even this early, it is clear to see he is failing to build a Rangers team we would recognise as authentic, with a squad that is lacking in the fundamentals any supporter has the right to expect - organisation, physicality, hunger and desire, as well as enterprise and endeavour at both ends of the park.

"This is in stark contrast to the football philosophy we were promised – dominant football, aggressive pressing and relentless work off the ball, none of which has materialised.

"Irrespective of the result on Sunday, it is clear to us the manager should be replaced as a matter of urgency before our justified anger gives way to apathy. We appreciate the size of the task the manager took on and the number of new players introduced this summer, but Rangers is about winning consistently and we are not doing that often enough, nor showing credible signs that will change anytime soon.

"Whilst we appreciate the significant amount of change required at the club the board must commit to a new manager who understands and accepts the standards that have been set by our successful teams in the past – and can deliver on them."

The Rangers FAB statement followed on from calls by the Rangers Supporters Association, who also want Martin to be removed from his position. "It is our considered view that the current Head Coach should be relieved of his duties with immediate effect,” they wrote. “The Rangers Supporters Association will always stand behind the team, but we also have a duty to speak up."

Martin held discussions with Stewart and Thelwell straight after the Club Brugge defeat on Wednesday at the Jan Breydel Stadion and was left reassured by his superiors.

He may well have a new striker to call upon for the match with Celtic after Rangers agreed a fee of £2.6 million with Girona for North Macedonian hitman Bojan Miovski, who previously played in Scotland with Aberdeen before moving to La Liga.

Rangers are also exploring a loan move for Everton’s Portuguese striker Youssef Chermiti. The 21-year-old is not part of the Toffees’ first-team squad and is well known to Thelwell, who played a part in bringing him to Merseyside from Sporting CP on a £15m deal two years ago.

The potential arrivals of Miovski and Chermiti would help offset Hamza Igamane’s £10.5m departure to Lille after he passed a medical on Thursday with the French club.