'Ways to air that': Rangers boss Russell Martin has say on angry fan exchange with Ibrox powerbrokers

Another week, another drama at Rangers. This time it is centering around footage of angry supporters in a heated exchange with members of the club’s hierarchy.

In the wake of Rangers’ 2-1 defeat by Sturm Graz in Austria on Thursday night in the Europa League, chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell were approached by supporters clearly intent on making their feelings known on the club’s performance under head coach Russell Martin.

Stewart and Thelwell appeared uncomfortable and vexed by the situation at the team hotel in Graz, with one Rangers fan demanding change with an expletive-filled tirade against how the team has started this season. Sitting eighth in the Premiership, Martin has presided over just five competitive wins since taking over in June.

Rangers head coach Russell Martin takes his team to Falkirk on Sunday. | SNS Group

Rangers turn their attentions back to domestic matters on Sunday when they travel to Falkirk. With a two-week international window coming afterwards, nothing but a positive result will do. Martin has been publicly backed by Ibrox chairman Andrew Cavenagh and his fellow board members, but the patience can only go on for so long - especially when directors are getting it in the neck.

“I think everything's just heightened,” was Martin’s take on the fans’ frank discussions with Stewart and Thelwell. “I think not just here, not just in football, but in the UK in particular at the moment. I understand frustration.

“Like I've said before in many interviews, no-one's more frustrated than I am - the sort of lack of consistency we've had in terms of results. I feel like we're getting somewhere, and you can't build something really quickly, especially when there's been so much change, like I said.

‘There are ways to air that’

“But these people, Patrick, Kevin, the owners, myself, they really care about building something here and have a really clear plan. And to be judged on it so early on for everyone is probably frustrating and difficult, but we also have to accept that people are unhappy.

“But I think there's ways to air that and view that. I just don't think it should ever become personal, but it is what it is.

“For me, we just wanted to get back to the hotel. The guys got to bed about an hour later, so that's my only concern. It's not any of that. It's about getting the players ready to win, recovering properly. We just have to win football matches to placate that and calm that down.”

Rangers have brought in 13 new players this season - with the mentality of many questioned. One of the new recruits in Max Aarons recently explained that playing for the club is “different” and in an interview with Sky Sports, Martin was asked how easy it is to spot the traits required to cope with the expectation level at Ibrox.

“I think you can do many things in the recruitment process, but I'm not sure you can ever know about someone fully until they step into the cauldron and live that moment,” the manager added. “I think obviously when you have players who have played hundreds of games at top, top levels of football, it's maybe a bit easier for them to have some level of resilience. But it's not the path we've gone down.

“We've gone for young, hungry players that were desperate to be here, and now we have to help them as much as we possibly can, and that's my job. So I want to talk about mentality. I love the group's willingness to do what we're asking them to do.

“The running power they've had the last few weeks, they need to keep the togetherness that's growing all the time. And the rest of it, we just have to help each other get through it. We've spoken many times about this overall mood at the moment.”