Russell Martin not out of Rangers woods yet after early horrible Ibrox atmosphere as 'upset' puts focus on Hibs

Never mind Queen’s Park, Russell Martin’s Rangers trashed expectations. Not only by progressing past Hibernian to win for just the second time domestically this season but doing so comfortably in the final analysis. Perhaps it’s Hibs who might find themselves under some scrutiny now.

Not everything went Rangers’ way. It was still a bittersweet as well as somewhat toxic day. Dundee’s last-gasp win over Livingston meant the Ibrox side dropped to second bottom of the Premiership and could indeed go bottom if Aberdeen can remember how to score goals and beat Dundee United on Tuesday night. Martin is far from reprieved.

Even the fact it was a player he brought back in who set Rangers on their way was not necessarily being treated as reason to commend the manager. His many critics wonder why Nico Raskin has been exiled in recent weeks. The Belgian linked up with James Tavernier to head in the skipper’s corner kick shortly before half time and was named man of the match after also playing a part in Bojan Miovski’s goal shortly afterwards.

It was notable that Raskin did not run to celebrate with his manager after scoring the opener. However, he did embrace him when he was replaced, to rapturous applause, with two minutes left. There can be little doubt the team is playing for Martin, which made it more concerning when results were as poor as they were. But here everything came together for Martin. He very conspicuously – and deliberately – greeted every player after the team had completed a lap of honour. They all seemed as delighted for him as they were for themselves.

Few football managers can have worked in such challenging circumstances. Even while Martin was giving his pre-match talk in the home dressing room there were chants urging him to get out of the club wafting in from outside.

Martin and Stewart right in Rangers fans’ firing line

Several hundred fans, perhaps even as many as 1500-2000, which was a reasonable proportion of the 34, 682 crowd, gathered outside the Ibrox front porch to give Martin and CEO Patrick Stewart what for.

The protest extended into the game, forcing a delay. After ten minutes, the Union Bears began tossing what looked like small rubber balls into Jack Butland’s goalmouth. A banner was hoisted into the air: Delaying The Inevitable – Martin Must Go. It was a horrible atmosphere and while the Union Bears had stressed their intention to support the team, these performative actions initially seemed detrimental to Rangers’ prospects.

Spare a thought for Derek Cornelius, the Canadian defender given a full debut on such an occasion and who might have been wondering what on earth he’d let himself in for. Not that he had too much chance to stand around pondering. He was quickly introduced to the perils of Rangers’ high line under Martin when finding himself as last man in a footrace with Martin Boyle following Dylan Levitt’s thump up the park. It doesn’t take much to pierce the Ibrox defence, as was again proved here.

That said, Boyle’s takedown did in the first instance seem masterful and turned a so-so ball into a devastating one. Although Butland got a hand to the forward’s shot, it crept agonisingly in from a Rangers’ point of view, with Cornelius unable to retrieve the situation on the line.

It was hard to avoid glancing at Martin following this development. What now? Well, someone up there does like Martin after all. A VAR intervention saw the goal chalked off after replays showed the ball running down Boyle’s left arm. The world is not so cruel to allow, for the second weekend in a row, an opening goal against Rangers where a hand had been used in the run up. The failure to rule out the first of Lawrence Shankland’s eventual match-winning double for Hearts remains a bone of contention for Ibrox supporters.

Their side enjoyed more fortune here. Boyle had earlier sent an effort just over having been set up by Kieron Bowie, who had found the angle just too tight to take a shot himself after rounding Butland following Josh Mulligan’s surging run.

‘The idea is to put the ball in the net’

Ranger, for all their possession, were proving typically impotent. “The idea is to put the ball in the net!” someone screamed from the main stand. For once, the invective was not aimed specifically at Martin although of course, the insinuation was clear. His style of play is killing Rangers.

There’s nothing more effective than simply getting the ball into the goalmouth, which is what Rangers were invited to do after winning a corner after 42 minutes. Tavernier sent it into an area so often attacked by Raskin, who got in ahead of Miguel Chaiwa to nod the hosts into the lead.

The Belgian contributed to Rangers’ second just four or so minutes later, in time added on at the end of the first half. He whipped a lovely pass into space for Mikey Moore, whose shot struck Rocky Bushiri and fell invitingly for Miovski to sweep in.

“Hibs are falling apart!” sang the home fans. It was possible to discern some self-awareness in the tone. Rangers should have scored more in the second half. Miovski saw a shot cleared off the line by Grant Hanley and Djeidi Gassama hit the bar with a curling effort. Substitute Oliver Antman sent a shot just past following a solo run.

It still wasn’t all sweetness and light. The Union Bears held up another banner in the second half which read: “Quick to blame fans, slow to admit failure. Stewart out.” No one is out of the woods yet, not even Martin. But it’s a start.