Russell Martin

[Saint_clark]

8 minutes ago, beatlesaint said:

If he doesnt end up on Sky as a pundit I would be surprised if he got another job in England very quickly. He may well rock up in France or Belgium to work his magic next.

I'm going to burst a blood vessel laughing the first time Sky Sports says "an opening goal in the League Two match at the Priestfield stadium but for who, Russell?" and they cut to him in the pouring rain with headphones and a mic. 

[Turkish]

9 minutes ago, beatlesaint said:

If he doesnt end up on Sky as a pundit I would be surprised if he got another job in England very quickly. He may well rock up in France or Belgium to work his magic next.

He'll probably end up Sky telling everyone else what they should be doing. Might even land a Director of Football gig where he can tell everyone what they should be doing but have none of the responsibility, either are perfect for his skill set.

[Turkish]

2 hours ago, Crab Lungs said:

Well, the first thing I did when I saw this was have a giggle. He absolutely reaped what he sowed there, especially with all the excuses he used.

He looked very much like a guy who let the ferocity of managing Rangers and the spotlight of being with one of Glasgow’s big two get to him. Whilst egomaniacs like Rodgers can absorb the attention into their ego, Martin was fundamentally affected by it.

When he talked about anxiety in the players, that was projection. The anxiety was in himself.

Now the dust has settled somewhat, I am left with a truly baffling question. Did he underachieve with us? 

Actually, I genuinely think he did very well for us, in fact, probably gave us some of our best memories as fans. 

And despite his obsession with his vanity tactics, he did show that he can adapt when required in the Championship. The hybrid 3 at the back system he rolled out vs WBA and Leeds twice in particular does point to a manager who can organise his side.

its the fragility of his ego that is stopping him becoming a genuinely good manager IMO. If only he were to realise that having that flexibility to change things is tactical nous and not a weakness.

Popcorn at the ready for the next job…

You make some good point Rylan but the issue with Martin is that he comes out with this trust the process, i'd rather lose than win playing another way, i will not change, players need to believe in what were trying to do etc garbage over and over again.

He spouts this over and over again, right until he needs a result then he changes. Look at the Celtic game, he set them up completely differently with the objective clearly not to lose as he knew he'd be in deep shit if they did. He did the same with us, when things got tricky for him and he need a win, he changed it.

As you say flexibility is a strength not a weakness but when he goes on endlessly about philosophies, ways of playing, everyone trusting him but then change it soon as your arse is on the line it just shows he doesn't even trust the process himself. 

[Dman]

18 minutes ago, beatlesaint said:

If he doesnt end up on Sky as a pundit I would be surprised if he got another job in England very quickly. He may well rock up in France or Belgium to work his magic next.

A championship side will 100% snap him up. Probably Norwich. 

He has the desierable promotion on his CV to shout about and he clearly can talk a good game.  

His problem, he will never in the near future, get a side who (in theory) just need to turn up to be one of the top sides, like he did with us then Rangers. 

[offsidetrap]

I for one am going to miss him up here and hopefully my postie will calm down now. Given the choice I wouldn’t naturally be in the rangers camp but it’s become an essential masochistic watch for the last few weeks so going to have to find some new self harming hobby that can fill the pain void. It’s certainly not been boring especially the sports scene commentary. 

[benjii]

Not sure why everyone thinks Norwich.

He left there under a bit of a cloud and there is zero appetite amongst Norwich fans.

Although they do seem to have hipster stat-wankers in charge, so you never know.

[Dman]

2 minutes ago, benjii said:

Not sure why everyone thinks Norwich.

He left there under a bit of a cloud and there is zero appetite amongst Norwich fans.

Although they do seem to have hipster stat-wankers in charge, so you never know.

Exactly. Its an easy link, a bit like Rohl is to us. 

I'll be surprised if Mannging lasts much longer, he's out of a job and feels like the kind of appointment they'd make. 

[Jack]

12 hours ago, LaptopSaint said:

W1D5L1 v W2D5L2

Pass the popcorn 

Scar tissue 

[Willo of Whiteley]

I’d be surprised if he went straight into another job. I’m sure he’s got a monumental payout coming 😂

I’d be going abroad in his position.

[skintsaint]

[RedArmy]

Maybe Pep will bring him in as an adviser. 

[Baird of the land]

1 hour ago, Turkish said:

He'll probably end up Sky telling everyone else what they should be doing. Might even land a Director of Football gig where he can tell everyone what they should be doing but have none of the responsibility, either are perfect for his skill set.

Women's Superleague maybe.

[saintant]

1 hour ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

I’d be surprised if he went straight into another job. I’m sure he’s got a monumental payout coming 😂

I’d be going abroad in his position.

Well if Rangers were smart they'd have given him a contract that stipulated he only gets paid out if he fails after a certain number of games or points given his history. Mind you, they clearly aren't smart or they wouldn't have hired him in the first place. Their hierarchy have some tough questions coming but I don't think they have any answers other than holding their hands up to the charge of rank incompetence. Most of their fans predicted a car crash from the start and they will want more heads then Russboy to roll.

[OldNick]

2 hours ago, beatlesaint said:

If he doesnt end up on Sky as a pundit I would be surprised if he got another job in England very quickly. He may well rock up in France or Belgium to work his magic next.

He's a leftie and so I expect Gary Neville will betrying to get him a job as a pundit lol

[beatlesaint]

46 minutes ago, OldNick said:

He's a leftie and so I expect Gary Neville will betrying to get him a job as a pundit lol

Sit him next to Kris Boyd, that'll be interesting 😁

[Holmes_and_Watson]

2 hours ago, Crab Lungs said:

Well, the first thing I did when I saw this was have a giggle. He absolutely reaped what he sowed there, especially with all the excuses he used.

He looked very much like a guy who let the ferocity of managing Rangers and the spotlight of being with one of Glasgow’s big two get to him. Whilst egomaniacs like Rodgers can absorb the attention into their ego, Martin was fundamentally affected by it.

When he talked about anxiety in the players, that was projection. The anxiety was in himself.

Now the dust has settled somewhat, I am left with a truly baffling question. Did he underachieve with us? 

Actually, I genuinely think he did very well for us, in fact, probably gave us some of our best memories as fans. 

And despite his obsession with his vanity tactics, he did show that he can adapt when required in the Championship. The hybrid 3 at the back system he rolled out vs WBA and Leeds twice in particular does point to a manager who can organise his side.

its the fragility of his ego that is stopping him becoming a genuinely good manager IMO. If only he were to realise that having that flexibility to change things is tactical nous and not a weakness.

Popcorn at the ready for the next job…

Lots of good points, and some of the reasons I find it interesting to see him at otherIn his Championship season with us, he got promoted. So, he didn't underachieve with the main deliverable. We also had games where his system made us look very impressive.

The argument is that we went into that season with a squad good enough for autos. Despite a record unbeaten run (another achievement for him) we were well off the top 2. The resetting of the system after every move, is designed for clinical possession based superiority. It's not there to increase risks, despite potentially routing lower quality teams. The benefit is that we're supposed to do better against the more expansive, better quality sides. In fact, it was a small number of teams that played into that, at Championship level. One of them was Leeds, which turned out well for us. But he did mix it up for WBA.

By never going after teams, he's always a target for underachieving in games. I think this is where his perceived ego comes from. He plays his way, and has thousands of people questioning it. At the same time, we still shipped goals. Had he taken risks, it would possibly turned draws into defeats. His expectations of players made the system vulnerable, and it's something he's never found a solution for.

If you're going to be focused on a single system, I get why you'd want to endlessly focus on communicating it. If you don't believe, the players won't. But he did switch when the pressure mounted. He did try and get us winners with unplanned changes, making us look lost. So, he knew the evidence didn't fit his expectations. But wasn't prepared, or didn't know how to, compensate.

He's not been in a position with us in the PL or Rangers where he can point to successes to quieten critics. The flaws are there to see.

[benjii]

1 hour ago, Baird of the land said:

Women's Superleague maybe.

Good job they're mostly Spare Rib Ticklers, or his todger would be ruined.

[skintsaint]

Will end up at Forest Green Rovers at some point on the way down....

[Doctoroncall]

25 minutes ago, skintsaint said:

Will end up at Forest Green Rovers at some point on the way down....

No he won’t. 

[Willo of Whiteley]

He’ll be back in a job either going in January I reckon, post transfer window so he can’t be blamed for anything, and to try and build his own team the following season.

[AlexLaw76]

Norwich is screaming out for him. Any of the middling clubs who fall away from the playoffs… Blackburn maybe.

Hull or Watford will probably need a new manager soon, which is what they do.

 

[Willo of Whiteley]

He’d be better off waiting for a few months, he’ll get a much better prospect if team and probably more money

[Lord Duckhunter]

I’m not the arrogant cocks biggest fan,and I take great pleasure in his demise, but I can’t quite believe how awful results have been.
 

It’s remarkable that his only league win was an injury time winner against the mighty Livingstone. 
 

His reputation has gone down quicker than Bonnie Blue. Here’s hoping he’s back in the game soon, because supporters reaction to his next appointment will be comedy gold…

Edited 11 hours ago by Lord Duckhunter

[Toussaint]

2 hours ago, Baird of the land said:

Women's Superleague maybe.

He can be their Vidal Sassoon 

[coalman]

 

[East Kent Saint]

41 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

He’d be better off waiting for a few months, he’ll get a much better prospect if team and probably more money

Or a few years , or for Forest to become managerless and have no sane person applying for the job .

[saint michael]

surely that’s the end of his mgr career. I know footie has gone barmy but would anyone really touch him after the debacle in the prem with us and Rangers gig……. Mind you

[Verbal]

1 minute ago, saint michael said:

surely that’s the end of his mgr career. I know footie has gone barmy but would anyone really touch him after the debacle in the prem with us and Rangers gig……. Mind you

On his current trajectory his next post will be at Barcelona. He is the poster boy for failing upwards.

[coalman]

Another record falls to Martin. Now he's the shortest serving manager in Rangers' 153 year history.

[skintsaint]

[bpsaint]

43 minutes ago, Verbal said:

On his current trajectory his next post will be at Barcelona. He is the poster boy for failing upwards.

Mental isn’t it, MK Dons, Swansea, Southampton, Rangers.

On paper you’d look at that and say he’s obviously done a good job and got himself head hunted to move up a level each time, how deceiving.

Someone will come in for him again though I’m sure, perhaps another rebuild project at Championship level where his record is ok. Perhaps someone like Burnley when they come down again next season.

[SaintsBarry74]

Abysmal, especially in a league that’s basically a two-horse race. Celtic and Rangers have absurd buying power next to the other ten clubs.

[benjii]

36 minutes ago, SaintsBarry74 said:

Abysmal, especially in a league that’s basically a two-horse race. Celtic and Rangers have absurd buying power next to the other ten clubs.

Bit like us now!

[AlexLaw76]

[skintsaint]

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, skintsaint said:

No fucking about. Get it done. 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

3 hours ago, SaintsBarry74 said:

Abysmal, especially in a league that’s basically a two-horse race. Celtic and Rangers have absurd buying power next to the other ten clubs.

That's what the board meant by results not meeting expectations, even in a time of transition.

Greig and Wallace were managers when Aberdeen and Dundee United were also strong. Greig was a club legend in exactly the way Martin wasn't, and still came under lots of pressure.

The Wallace stat is a bit of a red herring. That only covers his second spell. He had 65% in his first, when he broke Celtic's hold on the league.

Both Wallace and Greig were managing in a very different era. Wallace was followed by Souness who transformed them, along with heightening already high expectations.

Caixinga had the previous shortest tenure record, had fans up in arms, and has nearly twice the win %. Le Guen was also a shortest tenure record holder. His side was doing well in Europe, but meh in the league along with player fallouts. He also brought in a load of players, practically none of whom made an impact. Rangers replaced him with Walter Smith, a non left field manager, who promptly sorted things out.

None of them were playing football as disliked as Martin's. The board's lack of understanding of how fans expected domination, not possession, says a lot about their understanding.

[AlexLaw76]

Trust the Process; Embrace the Pain did not become beautiful at Rangers in the end.

Sad times for the footballing purists 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

13 minutes ago, skintsaint said:

"I'd rather lose a game, than give up the principles I've always held. Those of front footed, aggressive football, making us pound for pound the best team in Europe."

-Martin's message to Luton fans.

[lambtiss]

Can't help thinking that the Scots saw through his chicanery and blag a lot sooner than we did or perhaps they are just more vocal and active?

Edited 4 hours ago by lambtiss

[Holmes_and_Watson]

18 minutes ago, lambtiss said:

Can't help thinking that the Scots saw through his chicanery and blag a lot sooner than we did or perhaps they are just more vocal and active?

Both. They saw him coming a mile off. Nothing burst the new regime bubble quicker than "We're funding a Russell Martin side."

It's never universal. Some were giving him a chance. But most of them lasted about a half of watching it, if that.

With reference to the chart above, it's a goldfish bowl, and anything not winning the league (regardless of circumstances) is a disaster to be howled at. So, they've plenty of practice that we don't think about.

As a bonus, he was widely disliked as a player there. And that was personality, if also mainly playing ability. There's every chance he brought in Rothwell, to move himself down "most disliked players" lists.

[SaintsBarry74]

41 minutes ago, lambtiss said:

Can't help thinking that the Scots saw through his chicanery and blag a lot sooner than we did or perhaps they are just more vocal and active?

Yeah, both. Their fans didn’t want him from day one.

Imagine if these fanatics had lost 9-0 not just once but twice - their ground would’ve undoubtedly been reduced to ashes by now.

[SaintsLoyal]

Rangers should never appointed him, nowhere near being worthy.

is he still sucking Pinders tits ?

[Nieldy]

Off to luton and will do a Nathen Jones.😁

[John Boy Saint]

12 hours ago, saintant said:

Well if Rangers were smart they'd have given him a contract that stipulated he only gets paid out if he fails after a certain number of games or points given his history. Mind you, they clearly aren't smart or they wouldn't have hired him in the first place. Their hierarchy have some tough questions coming but I don't think they have any answers other than holding their hands up to the charge of rank incompetence. Most of their fans predicted a car crash from the start and they will want more heads then Russboy to roll.

He was interviewed 7 times by Rangers before they gave him the job!