Rangers

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

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Former Rangers manager Philippe Clement believes striker Cyriel Dessers would be an icon at the club had his goals led to a league title victory.

Dessers has scored 51 times in 109 games for the Ibrox side, including 18 in last season's Scottish Premiership.

But the 30-year-old has never completely won over fans and pundits as a result of his sometimes erratic finishing.

However, Clement feels the forward has been harshly treated.

"I think Cyriel got abused like nobody else at the club or on the pitch," he told BBC Scotland

"But he was always there to work hard, to do everything for the club every day, every training session, every game.

"And also in this period in his career he never scored as many goals as he did at Rangers in the past teams he played with.

"So in the end he performed really well with his qualities and he was top scorer at the end of [last season].

"Of course, fans always want more. I think if he would have played in a team who won the league then he would be a good player for everybody, but if you don't win the league then for the fans you are not a good player anymore.

"So that's life at Rangers and that's also the life fans can have. It's only as a club you need to see through things and you need to look at things rationally and not emotionally."

Read more from BBC Scotland's interview with ex-Rangers boss Clement

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John Souttar said Scotland fans were entitled to boo off the side after a "poor" all-round display in the 3-1 home defeat to Iceland.

The Rangers centre-back's header levelled the friendly match at Hampden, but an abject performance from Steve Clarke's men resulted in a sobering loss.

A number of the near 33,000 crowd launched into boos on both the half-time and full-time whistles.

Goalkeeper Cieran Slicker endured a nightmare debut after replacing the injured Angus Gunn in the opening stages, but many of the Scotland team failed to reach their standards and Souttar preferred to focus on the general display.

"Look, the result was collective," said the defender. "I don't think any of us could say we were great in the game. So it's on all of us. Everyone's got to take responsibility

"It was the exact opposite of what we wanted to happen. We wanted to start the game fast, press high, dominate the ball, and I think we were poor.

"Games like this at Hampden, we want to dominate, we want to press high and get the crowd on our side and we didn't do that.

"You don't want to be part of that, but the fans have paid their money and they can boo if they want.

"When we win, they're behind us so it's part and parcel of football."

Rangers have opened talks with Maccabi Tel Aviv over the g of 21-year-old Israel forward Dor Turgeman, who also has Italian and Spanish interest and could cost around £4m. (Daily Record), external

Rangers were one of several clubs who approached Maccabi Tel Aviv about a mid-season transfer for striker Dor Turgeman. (Sport 5 via Scottish Sun), external

New Rangers head coach Russell Martin is weighing up a move for defender Conor Coady, with the 32-year-old's future with Leicester City uncertain after relegation from the Premier League and despite having a year left of his contract. (Daily Record), external

Head coach Russell Martin wants to build his new-look Rangers team around Mohamed Diomande and will reject any approach from Everton for the 23-year-old midfielder. (Football Insider), external

Newcastle United are set to sign 16-year-old Rangers left-back Oliver Goodbrand, who had interest from abroad but is now due on Tyneside for medical. (Craig Hope on X), external

Robbie Ure, the 21-year-old now with Swedish club Sirius, says the opportunity to make the jump from Scotland's fifth tier with Rangers' B team to Belgium's second division with their Anderlecht counterparts played a big part in his decision to leave Ibrox two years ago. (The Herald), external

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Nick Mheat
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, Reuters

Russell Martin's career was on the perfect trajectory. In the space of fours years he had gone from the third tier to the Premier League.

But the new Rangers boss was served an almighty reality check in England's top flight after being sacked by Southampton with the team bottom in December.

Martin guided Saints to promotion via the Championship play-offs in his first season in charge, but was dismissed after a 5-0 defeat to Tottenham made it 13 losses in 16 Premier League games.

At that point, they only had one win, against Everton in November, and their tally of 11 goals was a league low.

Prior to his arrival at St Mary's, the former Ibrox defender gained a positive reputation for his attractive, possession-based style at MK Dons and Swansea.

His ability to implement that approach ultimately led him to Southampton and the Premier League, but he faced intense criticism for refusing to compromise in a division many regard as the world's best - and most unforgiving.

At the time of Martin's sacking, Saints had just five points from 16 games.

Their goal difference was -25. Only four teams have had a worse goal difference after 16 matches of a Premier League season.

Southampton had the most errors leading to goals (10) and most mistakes leading to shots (26). Martin's side also faced a league high of 108 shots on target.

But those damning statistics certainly do not mean he is destined for failure at Ibrox.

Dig a little deeper and there are underlying numbers that highlight why the new Rangers regime have decided the ex-Scotland defender is their man.

Martin's style is all about control. Despite being rooted to the foot of the table, Saints still managed an average possession of 53% across the manager's 16 Premier League games.

Over the course of the season, only six teams - Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester United - averaged more possession.

Martin's teams keep the ball well and they the ball well. Remarkably, his Saints side's 88% ing accuracy was bettered only by Man City last term.

His defence still gave away a load of opportunities, though, accumulating an expected goals (xG) against tally of 38 over just 16 matches.

However, the attack's failure to take their chances let the manager down, scoring just 11 goals from an xG total of 17.

How those numbers will translate to the Scottish Premiership with Rangers - a team with, by a distance, the second largest budget in the league - is unknown.

But, in theory, the new Ibrox hierarchy will expect Martin's controlling style to bring them consistent domestic results.

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Rangers are "not oblivious to the noise" among the fanbase over Russell Martin's appointment as head coach, says chief executive Patrick Stewart.

"I'm aware ers have strong views on who the right person for the role is," Stewart said. "We're not oblivious to the noise. Not at all.

"We're confident though - because we conducted such a thorough process - that the ers will get behind him, particularly when they see him in action."

With pre-season training just a matter of weeks away, Stewart knows the club has to stop sacking managers after the short reigns of Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale and Philippe Clement did not deliver what was required.

The challenge for Martin is not an easy one: deliver culture change and good results simultaneously.

If he can, he will be an integral part of the "strong future" his chief executive sees on Rangers' horizon.

Read more: Rangers now in 'seismic' period

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How much money will Russell Martin have to spend on new gs this summer?

Chief executive Patrick Stewart says a "decent amount" of the £20m investment promised by the club's new owners will be made available for Martin's transfer budget.

Michael Grant, chief football writer for The Times in Scotland, told the BBC's Scottish Football podcast: "Rangers have to arm him to be able to deal with Celtic.

"That's going to be extremely difficult for the club because when you look through the squad there's so much work to do.

"There's so many questions about players that are already there, the defence almost has to be rebuilt. We don't know if the midfield is going to stick together or whether a couple of assets might be sold. There's question marks about up front.

"All of this has to be addressed and pretty quickly. So you're immediately applying pressure on Rangers.

"If Martin stumbles in the first couple of games and they're behind again immediately, it seems like the same old cycle, doesn't it?

"The recruitment team has to get this right, they really have to arm him properly."

While Martin's appointment has not been universally welcomed by the Rangers , Grant said: "Critics are always going to be noisier than those who back him.

"It's an easier default position to just say, 'Oh I don't fancy this guy, he was rubbish at Southampton.'

"I think he'll pleasantly surprise a lot of Rangers ers. They will watch him and listen to him and think, 'Oh right, this guy's got something about him.'"

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Former Rangers forward Steven Naismith says new Ibrox head coach Russell Martin's "clear identity" is all about breaking down teams who sit deep.

Naismith played with Martin for Scotland and Norwich City, with Martin going on to manage MK Dons, Swansea City and Southampton.

"He's got a clear style, a clear identity and that, for me, is massive," said Naismith, who played for Rangers from 2007-12.

"Rangers need someone who can understand what they want and can implement it. Russell has done that now at three clubs.

"Nine times out of 10 in Scotland, Rangers will play against a low block, teams sitting in, and it's about breaking them down. I think the philosophy of Russell Martin is all about that.

"He wants his team to have lots of possession, push the opposition deep and then hurt them. Communication is one of his strongest points. He understands the highs and lows and what it takes to get the best out of a player."

Martin, 39, briefly played for Rangers in 2018, with the last of his 17 outings a remarkable 5-5 draw away to Hibernian, while there were sore 4-0 and 5-0 defeats to Celtic.

"If you don't understand the league, if you don't understand the club, that part can get overlooked and it can cause you big problems," said Naismith.

"Russell has experienced it, although it was brief. He understands the demand and he was probably at the club at a time when the quality of what was on offer wasn't great, so he's seen how tough it can be."

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Philippe Clement believes the new-found "stability" at Rangers will help Russell Martin as he bids to restore the club's on-field fortunes.

Martin was appointed Clement's permanent successor as head coach on Thursday, a week after a US consortium completed its takeover of the club.

"A lot of things have changed in the club in the last year or the last few years," Clement told BBC Scotland.

"The main thing is the club has stability to work in a good way with the players, with staff, with everybody in the club to have a consistent story.

"I think that is the big part, that the club has been lacking for years already."

Read more: Clement urges Rangers to 'show more patience'

Robin Propper, who ed Rangers from Twente last summer, has agreed a three-year contract to return to the Dutch club, who will pay about half the £2.5m they received for the 31-year-old centre-half. (WFCGRONINGEN via Twente Fans), external

Rangers are interested in g Vicente Pizarro, but Juventus and Valencia are among other clubs to have scouted the 22-year-old Colo-Colo and Chile midfielder. (TeamTalk), external

New Rangers head coach Russell Martin says captain James Tavernier will be "hugely important" next season and, while there are a few positions that have to be strengthened fairly quickly, he is willing to "be surprised" by some players in the current squad. (Sky Sports), external

Russell Martin hopes to have some new gs in his squad by the start of pre-season, with Rangers chief executive Patrick Stewart promising the new head coach a significant chunk of the £20m set to be injected into the club by their new American owners. (Daily Record), external

Steven Gerrard's much-touted return to Rangers as head coach was "never on the cards", according to former assistant Michael Beale. (TalkSport via Glasgow Times), external

Davide Ancelotti missed out on being Rangers head coach after stalling on a potential move to Glasgow and now the exiting Real Madrid assistant has had his chances of taking over at Como extinguished after the Italian club blocked Cesc Fabregas' potential switch to Internazionale. (Daily Record), external

Davide Ancelotti is one of several options being considered by Spanish second-tier club Deportivo La Coruna as they look for a new head coach and negotiations are expected in the coming days. (The Athletic via Sky Sports), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

What can the Rangers players - and fans - expect life to be like under new head coach Russell Martin?

Attacking midfielder Scott Fraser is well versed to comment, having starred for Martin at MK Dons in English League One.

Fraser, who is out of contract at Dundee this summer, told BBC Scotland: "The way Russell wants his team to play suits modern football, it certainly suits the bigger clubs.

"When we were at MK Dons, we dominated possession but we also worked extremely hard off the ball. So it wasn't a case of just our centre-backs ing the ball between themselves, it was possession with a purpose of trying to get it forward, and when you do get it forward it is about trying to sustain those attacks."

Fraser, 30, believes the Rangers players will "love" Martin's style of football, adding: "I think the fans will learn to love it as well.

"They will go to every game now knowing what to expect from their team.

"It is not just keeping the ball to try and look nice on the eye. He is very demanding on finishing the attack and if you can't finish the attack then you certainly sustain it by locking in.

"He doesn't let his centre-halves or deep midfielders sit back and watch the game, he expects them to be up on it, to be relentless with winning the ball back if they do lose it."

Fraser spent the 2020-21 season under Martin at MK Dons, winning the club's players' player of the year award.

"He is such a good guy first and foremost," he added. "But he has that really good balance of he is almost like a mate at times, but he has that good aura about him where you know he is the boss as well.

"He is so caring for his players, he would genuinely do anything for his players.

"When it is behind closed doors he is very hard on players as well but for the right reasons. He cares so much, he wants you to improve and I think that is what the Rangers players will really enjoy."

Does Fraser have a message for Rangers fans who remain unconvinced by the appointment?

"I would just say to give him a chance. A lot gets pointed at Russell about 'he doesn't have a plan B' but he is very clever in the way he can tweak things.

"So it might not look like he has changed a lot but for certain games he will definitely adapt to what needs to be done.

"I would tell the Rangers fans to just enjoy it, enjoy the journey. He is very process driven and it might take him a little bit of time to get things moving, but once he does I think they will really enjoy it."

With a new hierarchy and head coach now in place at Rangers, attention will turn to first-team recruitment.

But how will that work under a fresh structure at Ibrox?

Sporting director Kevin Thelwell, who has recently ed from Everton, revealed the club will take a "collaborative approach" with head coach Russell Martin and the recruitment team.

Former Wolves director of football Thelwell says he has never signed a player without the backing of the first-team boss, and that will continue in his new role at Rangers.

On how the new structure will operate, the 51-year-old added: "The head coach is responsible for the most important bit, preparation of the team, performance of the team and fundamentally the results.

"My role [as sporting director] is to make sure all the services around Russell are as strong as possible to give us the best chance of winning.

"For recruitment, it will be a collaborative approach. I've never been in this role and signed a player for the first team who hasn't been ed by the head coach or manager.

"We'll talk a lot about how we want to play, what profile we think we need and what positions we need. Between Russell, myself and the recruitment team, we'll identify players we think can make us better very quickly."

Russell Martin acknowledges he was not the first pick of some Rangers fans to be the club's new head coach, but he is determined to prove his doubters wrong.

Many ers have expressed displeasure at the decision to appoint the former MK Dons, Swansea and Southampton boss on a three-year deal.

But the ex-Rangers defender says his history of winning over critics makes him convinced he can do so again at Ibrox.

Asked whether he is confident he can prove his doubters wrong, Martin replied: "I have to be. I have a lot to prove. My whole career has been based on proving people wrong.

"Some names in football management are a bit more exciting than others, but I feel after five-and-a-half years of being a manger, coach and leader, I love doing it. I'm going to be all in with my energy."

"Ultimately I just want to win. If I'm winning, I'm sure [the fans] will be happy."

The 39-year-old, who led Southampton to Premier League promotion last year but was sacked by December after just one win in 16 games, wants to give the Rangers fans "a team they identify with".

Martin concedes he has not been the initial "number one choice" with the ers at any club he has managed, but he is hoping to forge a "real connection" with the demanding fanbase in Govan.

In order to that, however, the ex-Scotland centre-back knows he needs to show them instant success.

"To the fans, I have to win," Martin added. "I don't think I've been number one choice [with the fans] at any club I've been at.

"But, by the time we've left anywhere, we've felt a real connection with the fans. I hope this will be the same."

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Russell Martin has been speaking to the media for the first time after being confirmed as new Rangers head coach.

Here are the key lines:

• On landing the job: "Its an incredible feeling. Grateful to everyone for their faith in me. It's taken some time, but that's what you expect when you want to be manager of this football club.

• On why he wanted the job: "I had a few opportunities since I left Southampton, bit of a break with no real interest to get straight back in. I wanted to take time to reflect. That time was really important. This was the one I really wanted. One because of expectation, the size of it and what it mean to so many people. Also the opportunity to experience something completely different to anything else in football, that's what I felt when I played here for a short period. One thing that hurt me a lot as a player was it didn't go well here. I'm desperate to show a different version of myself. The whole thing is really exciting."

• On what fans can expect from his team: "We've managed three clubs [MK Dons, Swansea City and Southampton] and they have all looked really different. It's all the same concept, try and be aggressive with and without the ball. We're here to win and we'll do that in the best possible way we can. Hard working first and foremost. Making the club sustainable with academy players coming through and creating assets."

• On his short and long-term aims: "Win trophies. Build a culture at the training ground and here that we are proud of and people can feel in the building. An environment of hard work, honesty and openness. We're going to do it in our way. We're all on the same journey, ultimately that means to win trophies."

• On his message to the fans: "ers are the most important part at any club. My job is to give them a team they identify with. You need to work hard, you want people who have that to be at the club. To the fans, I have to win. I don't think I've been number one choice [with the fans] at any club I've been at. By the time we've left anywhere we've felt a real connection with the fans. I hope this will be the same. I hope people judge me at this moment [as manager] and not my time as a player here. My period here before gave me incredible learning."

• On proving doubters wrong: "I have to be [confident I can do it]. I have a lot to prove. My whole career has been based on proving people wrong."

• On whether he will be backed financially: "We've always been able to create a team we enjoy watching. The squad in place now can do better and be better. We're going to add. We're clear on what we need. But also giving people a chance to show a better version of themselves. Players always surprise you."

• On whether he thinks he can immediately challenge for title: "We're confident we can have a team that's better and win more points and really compete to win trophies."

• On his playing style: "Based on courage and intensity. Courage to take the ball and express yourself in final third. Concept of the game will always be the same, try and dominate the ball and territory, to to that you need to be aggressive without the ball."

• On what assistant coach Matt Gill will bring: "He brings technical expertise, brilliant coach, played a huge role in developing players at Norwich Under-21s. We're very different personalities."

• On whether he will get time and patience: "We need to win early and find a way to win while developing. We had to do that at Southampton, winning in a period of change. I can't sit here and say we need two years to build, I want us to keep improving and developing. The end product might not click immediately, but we need to find a way of winning while developing that."

Here are some more of your comments on Rangers appointing Russell Martin as their new head coach.

Peter: I hope Russell is capable of changing tactics during a game and not just a one-trick pony. He'll need to be a strong personality on the touchline and ensure everyone is following instructions to the letter. Good luck to him and his staff.

Neil: At just 39, he's still a young manager with plenty of room to grow and develop. I believe he has the potential to be a very good appointment.

J: With this appointment the new owners have proven they know nothing about Scottish football. Thelwell and Purdy? Laurel and Hardy more like. This manager has the credentials of a Hibs or Motherwell manager and is so far from the level of a club like Rangers, even if he is up to it, the sheer disbelief, disappointment and anger of the fans at the cheapest option being taken once again means he's on the back foot before he's even stepped through the door.

Elaine: A tad underwhelming and I'm slightly concerned as to who he can attract. But I'm happy to him and I'd love to be proven wrong. Good luck Russell.

Sally: Ancelotti would have been the better choice. Martin's style of play not suited to Scottish football. Ancelotti would have attracted players who otherwise would not have considered Scottish football.

Stevie: Worst appointment possible. Unproven with little real track record, last time out he was relegation material at Southampton. I fear for the club I love that we will stay also rans. Another Beale I think.

David: 49rs' first mistake is Martin, he had only one way of playing and can't change or adapt to other styles. I predict he will be sacked within six months.

Kheredine Idessane at Ibrox
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

First impressions of Russell Martin?

Very positive. He speaks well, has a clear vision of what he wants to do and how he wants his team to play, and is a big advocate of the one thing that could get him what he wants: hard work.

He's clearly delighted to be the new Rangers head coach and says he wants to make up for his time here as a player when, to paraphrase his own words, he was a bit rubbish and wishes he could have offered more.

He's driven, motivated and has a clear footballing philosophy.

I asked him at the end of his first media conference if he expected to be given time. He isn't. He said he needs to win early. By that I thought he meant trophies. He clarified that as winning games.

Clearly, however, he knows he has to deliver for an expectant club and . One thing is also clear: he is not afraid of the challenges ahead.

New head coach Russell Martin, speaking at his Rangers unveiling, discusses the style of football he will look to implement.