Russell Martin sacked by Scottish Premiership giants Rangers following draw against Falkirk
Updated 05/10/2025 at 23:26 GMT+1
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Rangers have parted ways with coach Russell Martin after a poor start to the Scottish Premiership season. The club are eighth in the league with just a single win to their name, and are 11 points behind leaders Hearts. It follows a 1-1 draw with Falkirk, after which supporters attempted to block the team bus, and Martin had to be escorted separately by police following the fracas.
Highlights: Rangers endure more misery with defeat in Austria
Video credit: TNT Sports
Russell Martin has been sacked as Rangers head coach after 17 games in charge.
The 39-year-old's final match was a 1-1 draw with Falkirk on Sunday, after which he was escorted by police as fans attempted to stop the team bus leaving.
"Rangers Football Club confirms that it has parted company with head coach, Russell Martin," read a statement on the club’s website.
"While all transition periods require some time, results have not met the club's expectations.
"Assistant head coach, Matt Gill, and first-team coach, Mike Williamson, will also be departing.
"Russell and his staff have worked exceptionally hard throughout their time at the club. We thank them for their efforts and wish them well for the future.
"Further updates from the club will follow in due course."
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Martin was appointed by the Scottish side in June after being sacked by Southampton last December.
His departure comes after the club's 1-1 draw with Falkirk, which leaves them eighth in the Scottish Premiership with one win and five draws.
Their only win in the league came on September 28 against Livingston, and they trail rivals Celtic by nine points and leaders Hearts by 11.
Rangers have been winless in the UEFA Europa League also, and crashed out of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League with a humiliating 9-1 loss to Club Brugge on aggregate.
Despite a poor start, Martin still retained the support of the board at Ibrox and that was reflected in the transfer market as the club spent around £34m on 12 new players.
That included a £10m deal for Youssef Chermiti on deadline day, which was the biggest fee paid by Rangers for 25 years.
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FALKIRK, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 05: Rangers fans clash with police as they look to stop the Rangers team bus leaving after a William Hill Premiership match between Falkirk and Rangers at the Falkirk Stadium, on October 05, 2025, in Falkirk, Scotland. (Photo by SNS Group)
Image credit: Getty Images
After the draw with Falkirk that sealed Martin's fate, Rangers fans attempted to prevent the team bus leaving Falkirk Stadium in a protest against the now-former head coach.
The under-pressure Martin had to be escorted away in a separate car by police.
Supporters had been demanding Martin's removal for weeks and yet another dismal performance saw fans take action, with a group sitting in front of the bus until they were dispersed by police.
Rangers were leading thanks to a first-half goal from Bojan Miovski, as supporters continued to chant against the former Southampton manager.
Falkirk substitute Henry Cartwright equalised in the 73rd minute to deny Rangers their second win of the season.
After the game and prior to his sacking, Martin took responsibility for the performance.
"The team, ultimately, is a reflection on me and it has to be better and do better so I need to take responsibility and look at that myself," Martin said.
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Martin says Rangers have 'mentality problem'
Video credit: TNT Sports
Rangers also lost a midweek clash to Austrian side Sturm Graz in the Europa League, leading TNT Sports commentator Ally McCoist to slam the "appalling" performance and draw parallels with Ruben Amorim at Manchester United.
"You can argue it's the same situation with Amorim at Manchester United," the former Rangers forward said during Rangers' 2-1 Europa League defeat.
"He likes to play that way, that's fine, as long as you have the players to play that way. It doesn't matter what team you're coaching."
The club are now searching for their fourth manager of the calendar year.
Philippe Clement began 2025 in charge until February, after which Barry Ferguson was installed as interim manager for the remainder of the 2024/25 season.
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