Russell Martin addresses his Rangers changes, Matt Gill's key intervention and John Souttar's expiring contract

They do still have a second leg to negotiate in Czech Republic next week and Martin stressed that nothing had been secured although Rangers proved that the manager’s criticism following the weekend’s draw with Motherwell had been a necessary intervention.

He was left enthusing about the energy and described Lyall Cameron – one of the few to escape censure on Saturday night – as setting the tone for the evening with his energy. He also lauded new signing Oliver Antman, who like Cameron made his full debut although in his case it was just 48 hours after signing from Go Ahead Eagles. Antman enjoyed a fine performance, which included an assist for Rangers’ third goal from Djeidi Gassama.

But Martin knew he could not escape being questioned about his big personnel decisions, which included dropping skipper James Tavernier. The right-back made an appearance late in the second half, when it was already 3-0. Nico Raskin was another high-profile casualty who also made an appearance off the bench.

“He (Tavernier) was great, as were all the lads,” reported Martin. “I said my piece, if they have a piece to say then it’s really respectful and honest. The way he played when he came on tells you everything you need to know. There’s been no problem and I don’t envisage any going forward.”

Souttar’s contract situation

John Souttar wore the armband until Tavernier’s introduction, with 16 minutes left. The centre-half is out of contract at the end of the season and Martin wants him to stay.

“I think John has real leadership qualities and he can definitely step into that,” he said. “But you have a few other guys who can do that. But I chose John because I believe he has the respect of everyone in the dressing room.

“He’s played really well for us already and showed real willingness to do what we’re asking him to do. He’s a man and we have quite a young group on the whole. It was an important choice for us tonight and he did brilliantly, and if he does it again, he’ll keep getting better.”

On the matter of his future, he added: “It will be dictated by John, his agent and the hierarchy here. I’ll keep giving my opinion, for sure, but it’s not my job to sort that stuff out.”

Martin was happier to expand on the game he had just watched and applauded Cameron, who lasted 73 minutes on his first competitive Rangers start and caught the eye. “Lyall was fantastic,” he said. “His energy helped the team a lot and he did exactly what we asked him to do. He showed real moments of quality and his willingness to run for the team selflessly was immense.

“I’m really pleased with him because we’ve made a lot of signings and he’s probably gone under the radar a little bit. But he’s desperate to learn and do well. He has a lot of attributes and I’ve been really impressed with him. He’ll help us.”

‘Most complete’ team performance yet

Antman was also extremely lively in what Martin described as the “most complete” team performance under him so far. The manager made a point of noting his assistant Matt Gill’s contribution when it came to the new winger, who was forced to take on a lot of information on the eve of the match having only just joined. “Gilly sat down with Olly at half-time - he’d been battered with video stuff after a long 48 hours,” Martin said. “In the first half he wanted a lot of touches but in the second, he was devastating with so many runs in behind. That’s what Gilly showed him and that’s the process we’re in. I’m really pleased with him because we’ve picked out some bits and he’s taken it into the game.”

Plzen manager Miroslav Koubek has all but resigned himself to a Europa League play-off tie, which awaits them if they fail to overturn the deficit. “It is difficult,” he said, when asked about the second leg next Tuesday. “We are realistic. Chances are not high. If it was 2-0, we could possibly have done something with that.”