Rangers hunt for a new manager is either going really quietly, or it hasn’t even started yet.
CEO Patrick Stewart wants to hire a sporting director first, however, having a permanent Rangers manager in place before the end of the season would at least give fans a hint of positivity.
That the San Francisco 49ers technical director Gretar Steinsson is helping Rangers for what will be a key appointment.
One name being mentioned, and who has been linked to Rangers before is Russell Martin.
Formerly of the Ibrox parish as a player, Martin is now out of work having been sacked at Southampton and has been speaking to Gary Lineker on The Rest is Football podcast.
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Russell Martin talks philosophy amid Rangers manager links
Although not solely responsible, Southampton are on track to be the worst team in Premier League history with Martin, before his departure, sticking resolutely to a philosophy that has seen him earn plenty of plaudits throughout his managerial career
When asked what he had been up to recently, Martin replied:
“Oh yeah, it’s at the point now where I’m really starting to feel excited about what’s next. I’ve turned down a few jobs in the last few months.
“One or two abroad and a couple here, but just because it didn’t feel right. And genuinely, I just didn’t feel ready to go back in. I felt a little bit hurt about being sacked for the first time, like, being really honest.”
Lineker asked, but Martin didn’t reveal who had been in touch.
The one thing that has been consistent throughout Martin’s time at MK Dons and Swansea before taking Southampton to the Premier League, was his style of play, something that saw Martin mentioned for Rangers in 2018 as the perfect choice.
There is an easy comparison to make with Ange Postecoglu’s high intensity, high pressing, ball dominant style that was so effective in Scotland.
“For me, if you show you can run and press, hunt the ball and then be really brave and dominate the ball and do things with it that you maybe don’t get a chance to in other styles of play, then surely it’s the best way for you to maximize your potential, your potential earnings, your capabilities as a football player, and hopefully the vulnerability and courage it takes as a person to accept that sometimes,” explained Martin.
“People forget that to dominate the ball, you need to press high and you need to get the ball back quickly.
“Otherwise, you can’t have 60% of the ball, which all the teams have had. But for some reason, when I get questioned about it from people a lot, it’s like, ‘you can’t have both’, but I really believe you can.
“Because to have the ball, you need to be able to press high and counter press and take the ball a lot.”
Is Martin a realistic option to be Rangers manager?
Rangers fans have seen Michael Beale and Philippe Clement both promise aggressive, attacking and dominant football, but neither were able to deliver it on a consistent basis.
Martin, on the other hand, has a proven track record of it.
Southampton shot themselves in the foot a few times defensively this season, but as Lineker alludes to in the interview, the shortage of regular goalscorers was the biggest issue.
That Joe Aribo has played at centre-half for the Saints this season tells its own story too, the embarassing and historic nature of Southampton’s relegation isn’t a surprise.
At Rangers, Martin would easily be able to emulate his possession dominant and front-foot style of play even with a few issues in the Rangers squad.
Postecoglu might not have been able to translate his philosophy from Celtic to the Premier League, but does that make his tenure at Parkhead any less noteworthy?
Martin might not be a popular choice, however, with options limited, Stewart, Steinsson and, whoever the new sporting director is, will all be looking for evidence that a manager can implement the type of playing style needed to dominate in Scotland.
Would he be miy choice? No. But it’s impossible to argue against him ticking an awful lot of boxes.
