Russell Martin leaves Rangers with two unwanted new records after sacking
Russell Martin has set two unwanted records at Rangers following his dismissal as manager.
Russell Martin’s tenure as Rangers manager has come to an end after the club confirmed his sacking on Sunday, following their 1-1 draw with Falkirk.
The Gers have parted ways with the Englishman, who was only brought into the role in June. Martin became the club’s latest permanent head coach, replacing Philippe Clement after Barry Ferguson’s interim tenure.
“While all transition periods require some time, results have not met the club's expectations,” Rangers wrote in the official club statement.
They are now searching for their fifth permanent manager in under three years and some familiar names have emerged as candidates to take the vacant position. While Rangers make the careful decision, Martin’s time at the club ends with two unwanted records next to his name.
Russell Martin becomes shortest-serving Rangers manager
Exactly four months after the announcement of his arrival in Glasgow, Martin has been dismissed by Rangers. His brief tenure is now the shortest ever time served by any permanent Rangers manager in the club’s 153-year history.
Martin was in charge of the Light Blues for just 123 days, a new record for the shortest managerial stint. In such a short space of time, the 39-year-old oversaw a period of utter turbulence, with fans turning firmly against him.
Protest action was taken against Martin amid the dreadful run of results under his reign. Last month, the Union Bears released a statement calling for the dismissal of Martin and confirmed a series of protest actions had been planned against both him and Patrick Stewart, which started with the Gers’ Premier Sports Cup clash against Hibs on September 20th.
Russell Martin win record as Rangers manager
Martin’s dismal performance record was more than a divisive period of time for supporters. With wins difficult to come by under the former boss, Rangers hit an all-time low as Martin cemented the lowest win rate of any manager in the club’s history.
The 39-year-old is the fourth Rangers manager in under three years to lose his job, but his predecessors - Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale and Philippe Clement - are head and shoulders above Martin when it comes to getting wins on the board, with two of them winning a trophy during their time at Ibrox.
With just one win in seven Scottish Premiership games, and a catastrophic exit from the Champions League play-offs, Martin’s final figures saw a win rate of just over 29 percent - the worst the club has seen.
Martin’s run is worse than Kenny McDowall’s stint in charge in 2015, which saw him return a 30 percent win record. Although the Light Blues were competing in the Scottish Championship at this time.
Rangers’ list of managers in recent years is growing and fans’ tolerance to subpar results is growing thinner. The club will carefully consider their next appointment, as whoever comes in will be given the hefty task of overturning this nightmare start to the 2025/26 season.