Russell Martin's case for Rangers locker and board room faith despite fan ire

It meant a year had passed since a game was first played in the shadow of Walter Smith’s statue. Sculptor Douglas Jennings’ creation was standing resplendent, as ever. It has observed a troubled vigil these last 12 months. The lowest moment might well have come before kick-off in Saturday’s Premier Sports Cup clash against Hibs, when Rangers fans, at the behest of ultras' group the Union Bears, protested so vociferously against Russell Martin, one of Smith’s less celebrated successors.

An omnipresent Rangers scarf remained tied round the statue’s neck as supporters congregated a little bit further down Edmiston Drive in their continued efforts to drive Martin and chief executive Patrick Stewart from the club. Martin even confirmed afterwards that the chants, many of them foul-mouthed, had interrupted the pre-match talk he was trying to give on the other side of the wall in the home dressing room.

What was it Bill Struth, whose name adorns the very stand forming the backdrop for these scenes, said about tolerance and sanity amid hardship? He stressed such times should reveal these qualities.

One wondered what Smith would have thought of it all. Few were as masterful as gauging the mood among Rangers fans. He was one of them, after all. But he was also expert at calling out actions he felt crossed the line. He could give an arch reply if the situation warranted it. On what’s remarkably become the fundamental issue of Martin eschewing the brown brogues previously considered a staple for Rangers managers, he might have raised an eyebrow: “Brown brogues didn’t win nine-in-a-row”.

Players did. Good and sometimes brave management, courtesy of Smith and assistant Archie Knox, did. A feeling of togetherness helped towards such sustained success too, that fabled team-that-drinks-together-wins together sense of brotherhood encapsulated by the likes of legendary skipper Richard Gough.

Rangers hillwalk and swim get thumbs-up

One of Martin’s most recent supposed crimes was organising a trip to Loch Lomond to try and foster a good team spirit in a bid to see Rangers through some undeniably choppy waters. It was predictably derided, although not by those players who actually went on the hike up Conic Hill or took a dip.

Of course, one wouldn’t expect current players to come out in public and declare their unhappiness. But what has been notable amid these troubled times is how much Martin appears to be backed by his players, even those who would be within their rights to harbour resentment towards him. Both James Tavernier, the man it seems Rangers cannot drop (even if Martin tried), and Nico Raskin, who was exiled for a couple of games, made telling contributions to Saturday’s 2-0 win.

They do appear to still be playing for him, which, granted, might be the ultimate example of damning someone with faint praise: ‘If that’s them playing for him, I’d hate to see it if they weren’t etc, etc...'

Saturday’s victory over Hibs was better. It wasn’t perfect, far from it. But the players put their shoulder to the wheel amid extremely challenging circumstances to deliver what many considered was a non-negotiable - victory. A friend later shared a text from a Rangers-supporting pal, who harrumphed: “Typical of this Rangers team to win a must-lose game”.

It neatly summed up the feelings of many fans who have reached the stage where they argue that some short-term pain might be worth it if it hastens Martin’s departure.

The supporters are always right – or are they? Liam Kelly is another of those players who might have reason to nurse a grievance against Martin. After being promoted to No. 1 by interim manager Barry Ferguson last season, the reinstatement of Jack Butland in this campaign meant he has returned to the role of deputy. Even on Saturday, when he might have been expected to resume League Cup goalie duties having played against Alloa in the previous round, he was named among the substitutes.

‘Fans are always right, no matter what they say’

This was even more surprising given he had been selected to face reporters at Friday’s pre-match press conference.

He handled this tricky assignment admirably. While he acknowledged knowing how Martin’s Loch Lomond trip would be perceived by those outside the club, he insisted it had been beneficial. As for the protest planned for the following day, he gave an adroit as well as informative answer.

“I have learned that at every football club I have been at, the fans are always right, no matter what they say,” he replied. “It’s their club. They are always going to be right. We as players are fully desperate to get this right for the manager. We are talking about someone who treats us with the utmost respect in the way he conducts himself in the building every day.”

Kelly might have had to say such things but he didn’t have to embrace Martin at the end of Saturday’s game, which he did. Despite what felt like the almost total lack of support for Martin from the home fans, the players queued up to embrace him as he stood very conspicuously on the sidelines waiting to greet them after a short lap of honour.

John Souttar was first off, closely followed by Tavernier and Nedim Bajrami, a little used substitute in recent times. All hugs and backslaps. Then came Jayden Meghoma, whose support of Martin is understandable given he’s retained such strong faith in him. Derek Cornelius, a new signing, followed. Again, the hugs could be expected. But last of all came Raskin – even he was given a high five and reciprocated seemingly enthusiastically.

Such scenes do not make everything all right. Rangers could even take a significant step backwards before they even take the field again, at Livingston on Sunday. Should Aberdeen remember how to score, and do so more times than Dundee United on Tuesday night, Martin’s side will slip to what seems like the unthinkable low of joint bottom place in the Premiership with the Harvest moon soon due to rise in the sky. The howls will feel justifiable. But one can still make a case for Martin from the support evident in the locker room as well as the boardroom.