Russell Martin

[Suhari]

35 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

HT. 0-0. On another day they would be at least 2-0 down - Butland made two fantastic saves to keep them in it. 

They've been second to everything and overrun in midfield every time Pana come forward. They are a mess defending corners and have only had one shot on target. This is against a side most of their fans were expecting them to comfortably roll over. 

Fans already asking why they play it sideways when there is a forward pass on, and seem puzzled that the high-energy, aggressive, attacking football and high press they've been expecting is nowhere to be seen. Already questioning why players are being played out of position, why the full backs are so narrow and inverted, and whether this style of play will work against packed defences in the SPL.

To be fair to them, 22nd July is very early in the window to be having a tough competitive fixture, and I'm sure the team they start the season with will look quite different to the side they've got out tonight. It's also somehow still 0-0, so it's not beyond the realms that they could nick something. But it's not a very good start. 

They're being brave though, right?

[coalman]

2-0. Rangers cruising into the next round. A new hero is born at Ibrox.

[Midfield_General]

2-0. Excellent goal on the break. 

[Gloucester Saint]

6 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

2-0. Excellent goal on the break. 

You can see exactly why @Chez was keen on Saints signing Gassama from Sheff Weds. 

[Dusic]

Good start for him in a big game and clearly has already coached the team to play his possession style - which of course is not for everyone but is why they will have selected him.

Think it will really suit him up there and he will do a good job. Their recruitment seems a bit more ambitious with the new funds.

[Midfield_General]

11 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

You can see exactly why @Chez was keen on Saints signing Gassama from Sheff Weds. 

Yep. Came on and was immediately the best player on the pitch. Looks an exciting player. 

[Wsaint]

Got quiet in here quick 😂

[trousers]

1 hour ago, Wsaint said:

Got quiet in here quick 😂

It's almost as if one game doesn't prove anything one way or the other...

[Pamplemousse]

If they beat PSG in the league phase then I'll eat some humble pie but until then let's just wait and see.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

2 hours ago, Dusic said:

Good start for him in a big game and clearly has already coached the team to play his possession style - which of course is not for everyone but is why they will have selected him.

Think it will really suit him up there and he will do a good job. Their recruitment seems a bit more ambitious with the new funds.

European football always seems too quickly upon Rangers and Celtic. If they've already adapted to his style significantly, then it's been a quick turnaround.

If they get through any preliminary rounds, then Martin's style will be an asset for Rangers. A limited budget side, controlling games against good opponents. It's in the league, he's going to have to be able to turn possession into goals. And against far more defensive sides than he faced with us. The gap in quality even between Rangers and the other Scottish sides will help. But there may be plenty of frustration along the way.

[woodsaint1]

I've quite a few friends who are big Rangers fans and to be fair they're not getting carried away by one performance. Ultimately RM will be judged on -

1. Whether they're able to close the gap to Celtic and how they fare in games against them

2. Whether they're able to reach the group stages of the CL

It will be a while before either will be determined, but by September we'll have an idea.

I remember being very excited after Sheffield Wednesday away, our first Championship game under RM. Although it was only 2-1, it was a game we dominated from start to finish (recall us holding onto the ball for the majority of the 9 minutes added time to comfortably see it out). There were many other games during that season where we were dominant, largely helped by the superior squad we had compared with other Championship sides. It will be the same at Rangers where they're expected to dominate the other 10 teams in the league, minus Celtic.

However, when we came up against good teams in the Championship, or in the PL against better teams/coaches, we got found out very easily because they had done their homework on our flaws under RM. I would like to see RM do well at Rangers, but could easily see Brendan Rodgers (a very good coach) and Celtic finding them out very quickly, unless RM has learnt from his experience with us. If they arent keeping pace with Celtic early on, the atmosphere at Ibrox will turn hostile very quick (RM is already on the back foot as he was shite during the brief spell he had there as a player).

[notnowcato]

Decent result on the night for Rangers. Panathanikos are a decent side, expect them to turn it around in the 2nd leg. 

[Wsaint]

10 hours ago, trousers said:

It's almost as if one game doesn't prove anything one way or the other...

Of course not, but when the opposition fans go quiet after giving it large and then conceding a goal, it's funny no 😂 I don't care about Russel Martin anymore, he's left and I never disliked him to begin with. Couldn't give a toss how he does at rangers, before I get dumped in with the martinites.

[Patrick Bateman]

9 hours ago, woodsaint1 said:

I've quite a few friends who are big Rangers fans and to be fair they're not getting carried away by one performance. Ultimately RM will be judged on -

1. Whether they're able to close the gap to Celtic and how they fare in games against them

2. Whether they're able to reach the group stages of the CL

It will be a while before either will be determined, but by September we'll have an idea.

I remember being very excited after Sheffield Wednesday away, our first Championship game under RM. Although it was only 2-1, it was a game we dominated from start to finish (recall us holding onto the ball for the majority of the 9 minutes added time to comfortably see it out). There were many other games during that season where we were dominant, largely helped by the superior squad we had compared with other Championship sides. It will be the same at Rangers where they're expected to dominate the other 10 teams in the league, minus Celtic.

However, when we came up against good teams in the Championship, or in the PL against better teams/coaches, we got found out very easily because they had done their homework on our flaws under RM. I would like to see RM do well at Rangers, but could easily see Brendan Rodgers (a very good coach) and Celtic finding them out very quickly, unless RM has learnt from his experience with us. If they arent keeping pace with Celtic early on, the atmosphere at Ibrox will turn hostile very quick (RM is already on the back foot as he was shite during the brief spell he had there as a player).

To be fair in that match, I think we had Tella who looked really and also JWP, who looked really good. 

In fact I just checked, we also had Alcaraz on the pitch too!

[franniesTache]

13 hours ago, Midfield_General said:

2-0. Excellent goal on the break. 

He'll coach that out of them i'm sure, scoring on the break isn't The Right Way of playing football and i'm sure Martin will be angry they didn't pass sideways and backwards first

[BarryVenisonsHair]

Please close this thread. It's weird. 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

42 minutes ago, BarryVenisonsHair said:

Please close this thread. It's weird. 

I'm still hoping to follow how Rangers are getting on with his approach this season, in the league and Europe. This would be where I'd post that.

[Patrick Bateman]

1 hour ago, BarryVenisonsHair said:

Please close this thread. It's weird. 

So is your hair

[Dark Munster]

8 hours ago, BarryVenisonsHair said:

Please close this thread. It's weird. 

Or you could simply not read it.

[Turkish]

He’s going down a storm at Rangers, just chatted to a couple of rangers fans in the resort they hate him already 😂😂

When he first joined us at least he came across as pretty authentic and most fans were behind him, he hasn’t even got these with them 

[notnowcato]

22 minutes ago, Turkish said:

He’s going down a storm at Rangers, just chatted to a couple of rangers fans in the resort they hate him already 😂😂

When he first joined us at least he came across as pretty authentic and most fans were behind him, he hasn’t even got these with them 

It’s a results business, not a fucking popularity contest. 

[Turkish]

20 minutes ago, notnowcato said:

It’s a results business, not a fucking popularity contest. 

Well exactly and he better start producing them quickly there by the looks of it. 

[saintant]

5 hours ago, notnowcato said:

It’s a results business, not a fucking popularity contest. 

He did very well in the popularity contest with us last season - results, not so much 🙂

[LGTL]

6 hours ago, notnowcato said:

It’s a results business, not a fucking popularity contest. 

Wish someone had have let him know this last season.

[trousers]

7 hours ago, notnowcato said:

It’s a results business, not a fucking popularity contest. 

You sure about that...?  

#footiebanter

Edited Thursday at 08:42 by trousers

[gio1saints]

1 hour ago, trousers said:

You sure about that...?  

#footiebanter

Incredible that so many people lack the mental capacity to understand what he’s saying there. If Klopp said it would it be something g to vilify him with? 
 

 

Liverpool 0–1 Inter Milan (March 2022 – lost on the night but advanced)

 

 

🗣️ “It’s not that I’m over the moon but I’m really happy because, especially in the first half, I liked our game a lot.”

 

Even when his team lost, Klopp focused on good phases of play and energy levels.

 

 

 

 

🧠 Why does Klopp do this?

 

 

• He’s focused on building confidence and resilience.
• Klopp often uses losses as teaching moments rather than scolding.
• It’s part of his man-management style — defending the team outwardly while correcting internally.

Easy to find other example of “ proper” top managers who have said pretty much the same thing. It’s not the sign of a bad or stupid manager that done make him out to be. Other stuff he said or did- maybe- but that quote-desperation time using that. 

[trousers]

3 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

Incredible that so many people lack the mental capacity to understand what he’s saying there. If Klopp said it would it be something g to vilify him with? 
 

 

Liverpool 0–1 Inter Milan (March 2022 – lost on the night but advanced)

 

 

🗣️ “It’s not that I’m over the moon but I’m really happy because, especially in the first half, I liked our game a lot.”

 

Even when his team lost, Klopp focused on good phases of play and energy levels.

 

 

 

 

🧠 Why does Klopp do this?

 

 

• He’s focused on building confidence and resilience.
• Klopp often uses losses as teaching moments rather than scolding.
• It’s part of his man-management style — defending the team outwardly while correcting internally.

Easy to find other example of “ proper” top managers who have said pretty much the same thing. It’s not the sign of a bad or stupid manager that done make him out to be. Other stuff he said or did- maybe- but that quote-desperation time using that. 

Content: 8/10

Formatting: 2/10

[gio1saints]

We scored 91 goals in our promotion year - the year of the most turgid football of the last 65 years for some fans. But yeah he’s a bad Manager. 

[Saint Fan CaM]

8 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

We scored 91 goals in our promotion year - the year of the most turgid football of the last 65 years for some fans. But yeah he’s a bad Manager. 

Nobody is saying he’s a bad Manager. He gives the best cuddles.

Football style however is as boring as [insert expletive of choice here].

[gio1saints]

1 minute ago, Saint Fan CaM said:

Nobody is saying he’s a bad Manager. He gives the best cuddles.

Football style however is as boring as [insert expletive of choice here].

Except when we score after a move in which everyone on our team pretty much touches the ball from goalie to back of the opposition net…🥰

I can remember some brilliant goals that made me swell with pride but then again I’d rather a flash of brilliance than a season of mediocrity or as my great friend once said “ better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep”. 🤣

[Saint Fan CaM]

4 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

Except when we score after a move in which everyone on our team pretty much touches the ball from goalie to back of the opposition net…🥰

I can remember some brilliant goals that made me swell with pride but then again I’d rather a flash of brilliance than a season of mediocrity or as my great friend once said “ better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep”. 🤣

I remember watching our last Championship season opening match at Highbury (a SW supporting friend had a spare ticket in the home stand) and saying to my mate that I couldn’t understand why the SW manager was not getting his team to press us harder…we were bossing the ball (of course). Then as the season wore on it became obvious that more and more oppo managers were figuring out how to combat RM’s possession biased system - the risks increased and our weaknesses were exposed. That’s the problem with RM - he puts his players in proverbial straight-jackets.

[tdmickey3]

12 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

Except when we score after a move in which everyone on our team pretty much touches the ball from goalie to back of the opposition net…🥰

I can remember some brilliant goals that made me swell with pride but then again I’d rather a flash of brilliance than a season of mediocrity or as my great friend once said “ better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep”. 🤣

I can remember some terrible goals we conceded due to the continual passing around, did you swell with pride then?

Most were extremely pissed off with it

[revolution saint]

21 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

Except when we score after a move in which everyone on our team pretty much touches the ball from goalie to back of the opposition net…🥰

I can remember some brilliant goals that made me swell with pride but then again I’d rather a flash of brilliance than a season of mediocrity or as my great friend once said “ better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep”. 🤣

Quoting Benito Mussolini in defence of Russell Martin, now there's a first.

[Sheaf Saint]

1 hour ago, Saint Fan CaM said:

I remember watching our last Championship season opening match at Highbury (a SW supporting friend had a spare ticket in the home stand) 

Yes, I imagine travelling back in time to watch us play Sheff Weds at Arsenal's former home would have been quite memorable.

[notnowcato]

3 hours ago, trousers said:

You sure about that...?  

#footiebanter

Very fucking sure. I would ask what’s your point, but then that would be rhetorical, right? 😉

[Miltonaggro]

1 hour ago, gio1saints said:

Except when we score after a move in which everyone on our team pretty much touches the ball from goalie to back of the opposition net…🥰

I can remember some brilliant goals that made me swell with pride but then again I’d rather a flash of brilliance than a season of mediocrity or as my great friend once said “ better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep”. 🤣

Your friend, el duce, also said "People are like women, they go with the winning man!" That must be why Russell got the Spanish archer at Saints.

 

[notnowcato]

3 hours ago, LGTL said:

Wish someone had have let him know this last season.

Someone did, at half time during a match in December 

[gio1saints]

Just testing who is reading and what’s the knowledge like lol.
I do not endorse his policies but the gist is that I like it when we play cosmic alien football. It’s like a massively rare event, an eclipse of the Sun or a fancy meteorite shower - compared to so many seasons of average mediocrity. I can appreciate that even if it was versus lower opposition and that we were terrible in the EPL. Does not mean when it was glorious should be forgotten about. Or who the Manager responsible for it was.  We by now all know the bad and the ugly- but let’s not forget there was also some good under RM! 

[BarberSaint]

5 hours ago, gio1saints said:

Incredible that so many people lack the mental capacity to understand what he’s saying there. If Klopp said it would it be something g to vilify him with? 
 

 

Liverpool 0–1 Inter Milan (March 2022 – lost on the night but advanced)

 

 

🗣️ “It’s not that I’m over the moon but I’m really happy because, especially in the first half, I liked our game a lot.”

 

Even when his team lost, Klopp focused on good phases of play and energy levels.

 

 

 

 

🧠 Why does Klopp do this?

 

 

• He’s focused on building confidence and resilience.
• Klopp often uses losses as teaching moments rather than scolding.
• It’s part of his man-management style — defending the team outwardly while correcting internally.

Easy to find other example of “ proper” top managers who have said pretty much the same thing. It’s not the sign of a bad or stupid manager that done make him out to be. Other stuff he said or did- maybe- but that quote-desperation time using that. 

Now if only Klopp was someone to emulate rather than being used by someone spouting bullllsshitt or psych crap. I like Will Still's approach. Say very little and keep calm.

[die Mannyschaft]

RM 100%win rate so far

[Turkish]

Must be talking about Rusty 

[Tommy Mulgrew]

7 hours ago, gio1saints said:

Just testing who is reading and what’s the knowledge like lol.
I do not endorse his policies but the gist is that I like it when we play cosmic alien football. It’s like a massively rare event, an eclipse of the Sun or a fancy meteorite shower - compared to so many seasons of average mediocrity. I can appreciate that even if it was versus lower opposition and that we were terrible in the EPL. Does not mean when it was glorious should be forgotten about. Or who the Manager responsible for it was.  We by now all know the bad and the ugly- but let’s not forget there was also some good under RM! 

Gio, let’s not repeat the lengthy debate we had on several threads two seasons ago.  Yes, we won lots of games (not enough) and we scored plenty of goals (and conceded far too many) but we gained promotion only at play-offs and only by abandoning RM’s principles.  And even when we won or drew the football was turgid and extremely boring.  And last season was a complete disaster.  I know you like the way we played under RM.  The trouble was not the few impressive walks of the ball into the net but almost everything else.

Let’s all start a new chapter and not look back longingly to our last season in the Championship.   Pleeeeease!

Thank you in hopeful anticipation.

[Dusic]

18 minutes ago, Tommy Mulgrew said:

Gio, let’s not repeat the lengthy debate we had on several threads two seasons ago.  Yes, we won lots of games (not enough) and we scored plenty of goals (and conceded far too many) but we gained promotion only at play-offs and only by abandoning RM’s principles.  And even when we won or drew the football was turgid and extremely boring.  And last season was a complete disaster.  I know you like the way we played under RM.  The trouble was not the few impressive walks of the ball into the net but almost everything else.

Let’s all start a new chapter and not look back longingly to our last season in the Championship.   Pleeeeease!

Thank you in hopeful anticipation.

At the end of the day the goal was promotion and we got promoted. That will be the same goal for Will Still this season.

There are clearly various ways of going about it. We clearly conceded a lot of goals but also scored a lot - 30 more than Sunderland who finished 4th this season (and 11pts more). From pre season so far I think we will perhaps be harder to beat but more turgid and certainly will score fewer goals.

There is a lot of revisionism about that season in the Championship. There were a number of games we scored 3, 4, 5 goals in and absolute battered teams scoring some great goals for example. I can't believe that people found that boring, nor the various games where we scored late winners.

Lets see how we do this season, I enjoyed a lot of that promotion season and the feeling of really targetting something - hopefully this season ends in the same result.

As for this thread, it mostly gets bumped by people slagging RM off, and I suspect a lot hoping Rangers lost in the CL game. Once people stop doing that then I suppose it will fade away...

Edited Thursday at 20:09 by Dusic

[Tommy Mulgrew]

17 minutes ago, Dusic said:

more turgid

I hope not.

18 minutes ago, Dusic said:

will score fewer goals

Again, I hope not.

19 minutes ago, Dusic said:

hopefully this season ends in the same result.

I hope so, too.

20 minutes ago, Dusic said:

Once people stop doing that then I suppose it will fade away.

As you can see, I am ever hopeful.

And looking to the future.

Although it might not seem like it at the moment, the future is bright - it’s red and white!

[Whitey Grandad]

18 hours ago, gio1saints said:

Just testing who is reading and what’s the knowledge like lol.
I do not endorse his policies but the gist is that I like it when we play cosmic alien football. It’s like a massively rare event, an eclipse of the Sun or a fancy meteorite shower - compared to so many seasons of average mediocrity. I can appreciate that even if it was versus lower opposition and that we were terrible in the EPL. Does not mean when it was glorious should be forgotten about. Or who the Manager responsible for it was.  We by now all know the bad and the ugly- but let’s not forget there was also some good under RM! 

I must have missed that match.

[BarberSaint]

5 hours ago, Whitey Grandad said:

I must have missed that match.

You were probably there, but asleep.

[Disco Stu]

On 24/07/2025 at 11:47, Saint Fan CaM said:

Nobody is saying he’s a bad Manager. He gives the best cuddles.

Football style however is as boring as [insert expletive of choice here].

No, he's a bad manager.

[Dark Munster]

I have to say that he's a bad manager.

[Whitey Grandad]

He destroyed my love for football and for that reason alone he shall remain forever in my pile of discards.