Russell Martin insists Rangers UEFA Champions League hopes remain intact despite a disastrous opening 20 minutes at Ibrox that left his side staring at elimination.
The Ibrox side were blown away by Club Brugge in the first leg of the play-off, conceding after just three minutes, finding themselves 2-0 down inside seven, and three behind after just 20 minutes of the game played.
Boos rained down from the stands as Rangers supporters watched their team unravel on one of the biggest nights of the season so far.
A second-half response offered a modicum of hope, with a crucial goal giving the Scottish Premiership side something to cling to ahead of next week’s return leg in Belgium.
But Martin knows Rangers will need to deliver a very different performance if they are to have any chance of reaching the UEFA Champions’ League proper.
The head coach said: “That’s as hard as it will ever be for the players on the pitch and I’m proud of how they responded.
“We concede a crazy goal and don’t respond anywhere near well enough. Then we concede out of anxiety and desperation, and the game plan goes out the window.
“When you’re 2-0 down after seven minutes, tactics don’t come into it, it’s about the reaction.
“We didn’t react well at all. But they all displayed courage in the second half.
“That goal changes everything. The tie is still open. We have the privilege of hunting and chasing. We go in as underdogs.
“I’ll enjoy that, and I think the players will too.”
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Not all inside Ibrox shared Martin’s positivity. Anger poured down from the stands during the nightmare first half, and again at full-time, from those who still remained, as supporters made their feelings clear.
Martin admitted he understood the reaction but urged patience, stressing the need for longer-term perspective.
He said: “I understand the intensity and emotion here but it can’t become a weight around the players’ necks.
“The precursor to change is pain.
“There has been fragility at this club for a long time. It’s bounced around between plans, often hinged on emotion.
“Now we have owners who understand where the club has been, where it’s at, and where it’s going.
“I came here knowing it wasn’t going to be easy or a quick fix. I hope we’ll be judged in May – by then I hope we’ll be in a really good place and winning stuff.
“There’s loads to be excited about moving forward. We have to go next week and really attack it.”
Judged in May
Martin’s defiance is clear. He wants Rangers supporters to believe the Brugge tie is still alive, but more than that, he wants his team to be measured over the course of a season rather than a single bruising night in Europe.
The problem for the manager is that Ibrox doesn’t often deal in long-term patience.
A calamitous start on the biggest stage brought raw fury from the stands, and only a remarkable turnaround in Belgium will ease the pressure.
For now, Martin’s plea is simple: judge me in May.
The new board are going to back their man, and as hard it is at the moment for us as a frustrated support to do so, we must back him too, until it is shown beyond doubt that it won’t improve.