Ex Premier League star can't believe 'crazy' Rangers tactic Russell Martin is implementing after previous big time failure
Under-fire Ibrox boss confirmed he would hold talks with chairman Andrew Cavenagh in the wake of Thursday’s 1-0 Europa League loss to Genk
Former English Premier League defensive stalwart Richard Dunne admits he can’t quite believe the “crazy” tactic Rangers boss Russell Martin persists on implementing after previously failing down south.
The under-fire Englishman earned promotion to the English top-flight with Southampton by playing a front-foot attacking style of football, but he was found out the following season at St Mary’s, which led to his eventual dismissal.
A tame defeat by Belgian strugglers KRC Genk in their opening Europa League fixture on Thursday was the latest setback to Martin’s leadership.
Ex-Manchester City and Aston Villa star Dunne believes his inability to try a different approach will cost him his job at Ibrox once again.
Speaking on Premier Sports Ireland, he admitted: “For me, it's crazy. Exactly what he did at Southampton, he's trying to replicate at Rangers. He's trying to force a style of football on players that aren't capable of doing it.
“Rangers have some good players at other tactical aspects, not what’s trying to be forced down their throat. As a manager, he needs to have a look at himself and go, ‘do you know what, my tactic doesn't even work in either league’.
“If you fail with Southampton, it's like, the league's too tough for us. But he's failing with the second biggest club in Scottish football and failing miserably. So I can't see them sticking with him for too much longer.”
Petrov: ‘There's no such thing as time’ in Glasgow
Celtic hero Stiliyan Petrov doesn’t expect Martin to last much longer in the Ibrox hotseat.
He stated: “I don't think so. There's no results, there's hardly anything you can pick from their game. The manager keeps coming out in the press and saying ‘I need time’. There's no such thing as time, especially when you're a manager of Celtic or Rangers.
“You don't have time. You only get time if you win games. If you don't win games, you don't get time.”
Discussing their current league position, Petrov added: “Yeah, it's really poor to see. It's hard to see because I've played against them. I know how passionate their fans are, what the club stands for.
“It's difficult to see, but it's down to them. It's down to them if they want to... I was surprised with the appointment of Russell Martin.”
Rangers squad lack belief in Russell Martin
It’s clear supporters can’t take much more of Martin’s disastrous reign after just four wins from 14 games. having staged angry protests calling for change already in recent weeks.
Petrov continued: “It's normal. Huge fan base. A big club as well. The fans now, the younger generation, they want success. Especially when Celtic had so much success.
“It seems like there's no right decision at the moment for Rangers. Do the players believe in this manager? I don't think so. There's no performances. There's not a standout player to say, ‘OK, we do have a few issues. We're working on a certain style’.
“But there's no style there. You keep losing games and you try to get more time. There's no such thing.”