Rangers announced Russell Martin as Head Coach this morning at an 11am press conference within the famous Blue Room at Ibrox Stadium. CEO Patrick Stewart and Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell sat alongside the new boss this morning to discuss the appointment and the plan moving forward for the club.
Stewart, only recently appointed himself earlier this year, spoke of his happiness of getting former Gers player Martin on board, as well as the process involved in getting, in their eyes, the right appointment.
He said: “I'm really delighted to be introducing Russell to you as the new head coach of Rangers Football Club.
Russell's appointment is the culmination of a series of steps we've been working on over the past few months, since I joined Rangers.
“We started with the football review, which I spoke to the media about in January. This led to several insights and recommendations, including the need to modernise our operations and develop a clear footballing identity.
“Then the next step was to appoint a Sporting Director, and Kevin, of course, was appointed in April, and came into the building just this week.
“We also have been developing a clear football style and identity, and that's work that's been going on behind the scenes, it's been led by Kevin, and it's involved football people. As I say, we've now culminated in appointing Russell, and in Russell we've got a head coach that aligns to the footballing style and identity that we've been developing.”
“In addition to wanting a head coach who's going to excel in terms of the style that we're looking to play as a club, we also were looking for a head coach that's going to improve our culture, develop our squad, and ultimately win matches, and Russell's been the standout candidate.
“This appointment is about building a winning team and a strong culture. Now, Russell's no stranger to our club, as you know, he's been a player here previously, and we expect success, and Russell knows that, and we're really, really excited for his leadership and for him to getting started.”
So the new boss has the backing of the board, but fans and ex-players remain split and unconvinced after his poor English Premier League record with Southampton, following a promotion winning campaign via the playoffs that earnt him and the Saints praise for their style of play.
One thing we can say about this board in comparison to the last is that they will not change their minds or back down due to fan opinion, they will make the best decision they see on paper, without any outside noise or influence.
We as supporters need to trust them until they give us reason not to, and back the boss until he gives us a reason not to.