A former Premier League manager is interested in taking over at Rangers, and is now just awaiting a call from the club’s hierarchy about a move to Ibrox, according to a new report.
Rangers slip up again as Celtic claim Scottish Premiership title
It was a weekend to forget for Rangers fans as rivals Celtic clinched their fourth consecutive Scottish Premiership title — and a 13th in 14 seasons — while the Gers slipped to another draw.
Celtic cruised to a 5-0 victory over Dundee United to seal the title, while Rangers were held to a 2-2 draw by struggling St. Mirren — results that highlight the contrasting fortunes of the two sides this season.
After the draw with St. Mirren, Rangers caretaker boss Barry Ferguson described his team’s performance as “not good enough.”
“I know it’s a difficult place to come, but when you take the lead twice, you need to maintain that lead,” he told BBC Scotland. “That’s been a problem all season, and that’s the reason we have not been challenging. You can do all the work on the training ground and say all the right things in meetings, but when you cross that white line, you have to deal with it yourself.”
On Celtic’s title triumph, he added: “It’ll be painful for my staff, it’ll be painful for the supporters. And I want it to be painful for my players. Because you’re at Rangers, and we need to start challenging, properly challenging, for trophies.”
Martin “interested” in Rangers move
Though Ferguson has undoubtedly been an improvement on former boss Philippe Clement, he may not stay in charge beyond the end of the season — meaning the Gers and the 49ers will need to find a new man to take the reins at Ibrox.
According to The Scottish Sun, that man could be former Southampton boss Russell Martin. Martin was sacked by the Saints earlier this season after a disastrous Premier League campaign that ultimately ended in relegation. However, he is a target to take over from Ferguson at Rangers.
The Sun reports that Martin is very interested in the job and is simply awaiting a call from the club’s hierarchy about filling the position.
Despite his poor record with Southampton, Martin received heavy praise from one of the game’s greatest managers — Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
Speaking after City’s 1-0 win over Southampton back in October, Guardiola said of the former MK Dons boss: “It’s a good game to learn as a manager. I am going to learn a lot with Russell because they did really well.”
On how Martin set Southampton up that day, Guardiola added: “They are really good. I’m a spectator. I prefer the players to get the ball to feet, not the teeth.
“When I see the opponent do the things I like to do with my team and they do it really well, I make a compliment. I’m sure I will learn; there were some movements, the reasons why they do things, the movements they make to link to the striker. It’s not easy.”