Rangers board guilty of negligence over Russell Martin - next manager appointment must be bang on the money

This is not what US health tycoon Andrew Cavenagh and the 49ers Enterprises had in mind when they swept into power at Rangers earlier this year. Their arrival was to herald a new dawn at Ibrox after years of coming second to Celtic. Right now, they are nine points behind their Old Firm rivals and 11 off top spot, occupied by Hearts. This is regression, not progression.

Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Falkirk was the final nail in the coffin. Failing to win and the scenes afterwards, with fans barricading the team bus and Martin forced to make an exit through a side door under escort, ensured a swift decision by the Rangers hierarchy as they hastily convened in the hours afterwards.

“While all transition periods require some time, results have not met the club's expectations.” That was the key phrase in Rangers’ 79-word statement released at 9.40pm to confirm that Martin had been sacked. Rangers have only won five games in 17 under the 39-year-old, and only one of those victories has come in the Premiership. These are not results befitting a club of Rangers’ stature.

In all honesty, Rangers could and should have pulled the trigger sooner. Alarm bells rang in pre-season when the team looked rotten against Club Brugge and Middlesbrough. Beating Panathinaikos and Viktoria Plzen in Champions League qualifiers bought Martin time, even though those results were partly down to exceptional performances from goalkeeper Jack Butland. An ill-advised rant after drawing 1-1 with Motherwell on the opening day of the season, when Martin called out the “egos” of senior players, felt premature. And then there was the 6-0 embarrassment in Belgium against Club Brugge, only salvaged by a 0-0 draw against Celtic.

A two-week international break was followed by the most abject defeat by Hearts at Ibrox, when Rangers fans - already very disenchanted by Martin’s appointment - went full metal jacket and called for him to be axed. It was negligent of the Rangers board not to act then. They have lost three weeks, in which they beat Hibs in the Premier Sports Cup but lost more ground in the title race, the only win coming in stoppage time against Livingston.

Martin labelled ‘cabbage’ by Rangers fans

Martin’s style of football immediately grated with the Rangers fans. Bluntly, Martin’s style full stop irked them. He was called “cabbage” by some supporters for being vegan, and was subjected to personal abuse no human should have to suffer. In all of this, Rangers’ fanbase has left a bitter taste in the mouth too.

Those fans will be celebrating in Govan and beyond tonight. Martin’s spat with darling Nico Raskin at the end of August was a big turning point, for it alienated the supporters and undermined the credibility of his man-management skills. Make no mistake, for however difficult the young Belgian is to manage, Rangers are a better team when he is in it.

Rangers have invested heavily in the playing squad. Thirteen new recruits were given to Martin and he has failed to mesh them into a cohesive unit. What will gall Rangers fans even more is that across the city, Celtic look vulnerable - and it is only Hearts, the current league leaders, who are making hay.

Martin should not carry the whole can. Sporting director Kevin Thelwell needs to shoulder huge responsibility for some of the signings. Rangers have mined the English leagues this summer, but Max Aarons, Joe Rothwell and Thelo Aasgaard have looked ill-equipped for Ibrox. Teenage loanees such as Jayden Meghoma and Mikey Moore should not be allowed to “develop” at a club of such stature and when Rangers spend the guts of £8 million, it ought to be on a ready-made striker, not the potential of 21-year-old Youssef Chermiti, a man who has not scored in over two years of league football.

Failures everywhere at Rangers. And when the fans turned on Thelwell and chief executive Patrick Stewart in an Austrian hotel after losing 2-1 to Sturm Graz on Thursday night, the writing was on the wall. The suits weren’t going to take more flak.

Martin leaves with the reputation as Rangers’ worst manager. Most of the fans despised him. He often talked about the need for some “pain” before things get better at Ibrox but you don’t get that time when in charge of one of Scotland’s biggest football clubs. As a former Rangers player, albeit for six months, the ex-Scotland internationalist surely will have known that.

Cavenagh and Co’s blind faith

Cavenagh and his fellow board members tried to stand by their man. His departure four months in is a terrible reflection on their decision-making, particularly as Rangers claim they went through weeks of gruelling vetting to identify the right man.

Who is next after Martin? Assistants Matt Gill and Mike Williamson also depart, so it will be interesting to see who holds the fort in the interim. With an international break now upon us, Rangers are next in action on October 18 against Dundee United at Ibrox.

Does Cavenagh have Barry Ferguson’s number, the Rangers man who kept the seat warm in between Philippe Clement and Martin earlier this year? Perhaps Ferguson has blocked him after being overlooked for the gig on a permanent basis. He would have made a better fist of it than Martin.

Rangers are in a right old mess. Sitting eighth in the Premiership and having lost their first two Europa League matches, this is a club in rapid decline. The next appointment needs to be swift, decisive - and bang on the money. Martin was a big part of the problem. Now Cavenagh and Co must show their worth by fixing it.