Russell Martin has broken his silence regarding his dismissal as Rangers boss back in October. After just 123 days in charge, Martin’s time at the Glasgow club made him the shortest-serving Rangers manager in history.
Martin has now revealed the abuse he received during his time at Ibrox was so severe that his children had to stay away from games.
Sacked After 123 Days Following Fan Fury
Martin was sacked after a 1-1 draw at Falkirk. Following what was described as a disastrous start to the campaign, he required a police escort to his car as fans vented their anger.
New owners 49ers Enterprises and club head Andrew Cavenagh acted, with the club trailing league leaders Hearts and rivals Celtic. Danny Rohl, his replacement, has since pulled them back into the title race.
Some fans are reportedly wondering if they might already be on their way to the Prmiership crown had the Martin experiment never occurred.
Toxic Atmosphere Affected Family
Martin has revealed the toxic atmosphere in Govan affected those closest to him. Speaking to BBC Radio 5Live, Martin said: “I don’t regret anything. I learned a lot and I’ll definitely be better for it.”
He added: “I love Glasgow as a city. I loved living there and the people face to face were fantastic.”
“It was character building. It was really difficult for the people around me; my family and my friends.
“Genuinely, when my kids came up they couldn’t come to the games because of the level of abuse I was receiving at that point and it was quite early on.
“When you look back at it, you learn from everything right? So there’s stuff that you would do differently and there’s stuff you’d insist on doing the same or maybe going even stronger with that.
Changes at the Club
Martin spoke about the changes happening at the club when he arrived. “There was so much change. I walked into the club and there were new owners who’d been there literally two weeks when I came in.
“A new director of football, chief exec, head of performance, a new head coach and 14 new players.
“I tried to stress a lot that it probably would take some time. So that’s my fault because I was at a place where historically and traditionally you don’t really have time.
“I don’t feel bitter about it at all. I’d have loved the time to have built something and I thought that’s what the club needed, was a bit of that.
“But the owners decided differently and made a decision.
Frustrations and Reflections
Martin admitted feeling frustrated. “The biggest thing I feel from that is probably frustration. There are small things I should have done a bit better and been more rigid with formation and certain principles, really.
“I tried to bend and felx to fit the newness of the group. We had some young players brought into the club and it’s not excuses, we should have done a better job than we did. We should have won more games.
“But we felt like we were going to get somewhere with it. So many young players came in and it’s such a unique environment at Rangers or Celtic with the level of expectation.
“Take manny Fernandez, going from Peterborough in Le