Russell Martin appointed Rangers boss: Formation, tactics, and philosophy of new Ibrox boss explained

Signing a three-year-deal in Govan, the ex-Southampton head coach has been out of work since his departure from St Mary’s in December, but has now been named as the permanent successor to Philippe Clement who was sacked by the club 101 days ago following a 2-0 home defeat to St Mirren.

Beating off competition from ex-Real Madrid assistant manager Davide Ancelotti, the highly-rated 39-year-old coach said it was “a privilege to be named head coach of Rangers Football Club at the beginning of this exciting new chapter”, before adding: "I know what this club demands. From my time here, I had a taste of how special this club is, the expectation, the passion and the history.”

While the appointment has been met with a lukewarm response by sections of the Rangers fanbase, many are curious to see how their former loanee will do in the Ibrox dugout, with Martin viewed as one of the UK’s best young coaches.

Here’s how Martin is likely to set up his team, his preferred formation and style of play after being appointed as manager of Rangers...

What formation will Russell Martin play at Rangers?

Martin has tactical flexibility, and is able to adapt formations dependant on his squad, and the opposition he is facing. However, his tends to favour a system that will support his possession-based philosophy, with a 4-3-3 attacking formation implemented for the bulk of his managerial career. This appears to be the system he will most likely use at Rangers, dependant on what signings they make this summer.

He has been known to play 3-4-2-1, 3-5-2 and 4-1-2-1, all of which allow him to use inverted full-backs, and attacking midfielders in half-spaces. His choice of formation will be based around fluid build-up, possession, and high pressing.

What sort of system is Russell Martin likely to implement at Rangers?

“Nine times out of 10 in Scotland, Rangers will play against teams sitting in, and it’s about breaking them down. I think the philosophy of Russell is all about that. He wants his team to have lots of possession, push the opposition deep and then hurt them,” said ex-Hearts head coach Steven Naismith recently and, as is well documented, Martin intends for his teams to create chances by dominating possession of the ball.

His MK Dons, Swansea City and Southampton sides often topped the charts for ball possession and retention, with his style has been described as ‘ultra possession’ by some football statistics sites. During his promotion-winning campaign with Southampton in 2023/24, his side averaged 65.7% possession, while his MK Dons side set a British record when they scored a goal from a 56-pass move during the 2020/21 season. In that same campaign , only Manchester City and Barcelona scored a higher average possession percentage in Europe than Martin’s MK Dons outfit.

Adding balance and pressing style

While it can often be viewed as ‘death by possession’, with multiple backwards and sideward passes, his intention is to always find the spare man and is designed to dominate and exploit space, while his teams are also encouraged press aggressively in order regain possession quickly when the ball in lost.

However, he may adapt this slightly, admitting his spell with Southampton in the English Premier League last season made him consider if they should have “tried and dominate the ball but be aware there are times when we have to suffer”, saying they “needed to make a real focus on being really difficult to play against, as well as all the stuff with the ball”, before adding: “if you could bring the beauty with a ball, but also bring the darkness with that stuff, you need both."

Use of a single-pivot

He also likes to use a single pivot midfielder to help implement his style. The centrepiece of any Martin team, he relied heavily on Matt Grimes during his time at Swansea in this role. He likes his pivot to dominate the game, in order to swing control into his team’s favour.

Width and particularly ball-playing defenders

As attested to above, Martin wants his teams to dictate the tempo of a game, making ball-playing defenders (such as Rangers-linked Harry Darling) crucial to his system. His attacking midfielders or wingers are often pushed forward.

Martin’s philosophy, in simple terms, is perhaps best summed up by the man himself when he said: “The more we have the ball, the more we can control the game and take the fight out of opposition teams”, and he has a real commitment to it, saying previously: “I cannot stand on the sidelines watching something I don’t feel connected with or love.”

What has Russell Martin said about his style of play?

‘Express ourselves’

“We want to dominate possession, play with courage, and control the tempo of the game. It’s about expressing ourselves through the ball.”

Aggressive high-press

“We press high to win the ball back quickly and keep the opposition under pressure. It’s about being proactive and relentless.”

Fluid formations at Southampton

“Our system is flexible. Fullbacks can invert, midfielders can push into attacking spaces. It’s about creating overloads and exploiting spaces intelligently.”

Taking risks and identity

“I’d rather we lose playing our way than compromise our identity. Mistakes will happen, but they’re part of learning to be brave.”

Player relationships

“The players need to trust the process. It’s demanding, but when they see it work, it’s incredibly rewarding.”

Which Rangers players will fit into Russell Martin’s system?

It is clear he will have a big reliance on his Rangers players executing a possession-based, high-pressing style as he seeks to restore Rangers’ dominance in the Scottish Premiership. This means Nicolas Raskin could play a huge role in his side, either as the pivot or a box-to-box midfielder.

The Belgian international had an 86% passing rate in the 2024/25 Scottish Premiership campaign, making him a prime candidate to start in Martin’s midfield, with Raskin likely to be given the task of dominate the game with his passing and aggressive pressing.

Cyriel Dessers could also play a big role in his system, with the Nigerian particularly adept at pressing. He will lead the Rangers press and look to squeeze the space against a low-block, while he’ll also be the team’s focal point in the middle of the front three.

John Souttar is also capable of fitting into a Martin system, as a ball-playing centre-back. He is versatile too, with an ability to play in a back four, or a back three. Souttar would be given freedom to start attacks from the back, using progressive passes in a high defensive line.