Max Aarons dispels notion Rangers stars aren't playing for Russell Martin after Livingston redemption arc
The on-loan Bournemouth defender scored a 94th-minute winner to give Rangers a narrow 2-1 victory over Livingston in West Lothian
Max Aarons has rubbished suggestions that Russell Martin has lost the Rangers dressing room - admitting their performance against Livingston on Sunday proved the squad are still battling hard for the under-fire boss.
There has been a feeling among many quarters that the current crop of players have downed tools and haven’t been playing for the Englishman, with Bournemouth loanee Aarons among the players to have been widely criticised for being sent off early on against Club Brugge for a last-man foul which left his team-mates in the lurch as they slumped to a humiliating 6-0 defeat in Champions League qualifying.
But Aarons confessed that has never been the case and is optimistic that the dramatic nature of their 2-1 win over Livi could act as a catalyst for an upturn in form - even thought it wasn’t enough to win fans over in the away end as chants directed towards Martin from angry punters continued.
“Yeah, I don't think there was ever anything in that,” Aarons declared. “On the pitch, that's down to us. The way we're going to play and our performance level is down to us.
“And I think as the weeks are going on now, we don't like it being this late into the season to get that first win, but I feel like we're starting to get better and perform with each other and get relationships.
“The aim is to be at the top part of the table, and that's what we've got to do. Like you say, the team's down, it has to start from today. We have to start that with the European game and then the league can continue.”
Aarons hopes last-gasp Livingston winner atones for Club Brugge red card
You could tell just how much Aarons’ injury-time winner in West Lothian meant to the full-back following a tough couple of weeks. He managed to change the narrative with his late strike on what was his first appearance since picking up that red card in Belgium.
Aarons has had to do plenty of soul-searching over the last month but admitted post-match he hoped his late strike would go some way to atoning for what was a hugely disappointment moment early in his loan spell.
Aarons confessed: “No-one was more disappointed than myself with that. I've never been sent off in my career. A moment like that, a lapse in concentration, was extremely disappointing for me, especially in a crucial game like that.
“It was always going to be a difficult game for the team, let alone with 10 men, so I knew I wanted to make up for that as quickly as possible and the first chance since that game on the pitch was Sunday, so hopefully in a small way I've done that.
“That's the moment you dream of coming to this club, scoring a late winner like that. But, you know, for the team, I think it was huge. I think we deserved that on the large part of today, we were good and we looked more how we want to look. Obviously disappointed not to play at the start, but from the side I can see that the boys looked better today.”
Asked how difficult the last couple of weeks have been for the full-back since losing his place in the team, Aarons stated: “No-one was more frustrated or disappointed than me with that game, but I think at this football club we need to have a strong mentality and character and show that every week, and I think, like I said today, it was a good start and a good win.”
Rangers scrutiny ‘different’ to what Aarons has experienced
Aarons has made almost 100 English Premier League appearances for Bournemouth, but he insists nothing could’ve prepared him for the intense scrutiny he and his Rangers team-mates have faced so far this season from 50,000 angry Bears, who are already calling for head coach Martin to be sacked.
“No, it's different,” he revealed. “I don't mean that in a bad way, I think it's just something that in your first few games you really realise it, and then it's about overcoming that and showing that character to deal with that.
“I also think it's a privilege to have that support, coming here to an away stadium and having three stands, it felt like a home game. And then it's on us to reward them with a good performance for them to watch, but most importantly a win.
“The more we can do that now, hopefully those wins are going to really push us forward and build a stronger relationship now with the group, the fans, everyone.”