Rangers supporters are entitled to feel conflicted over the prospect of Champions League participation. The kudos and finance that come with involvement against Europe’s elite would be welcome. There must also be an awareness, however, that it may be a chastening experience.
Rangers’ last involvement in the competition proper ended with them on zero points and a minus-20 goal difference at the end of the group stage. That squad, from the 2022-23 campaign, was stronger than the wholly unconvincing class of 2025.
Russell Martin can take solace from guiding Rangers to a playoff round against Club Brugge and he needs all the positives he can garner. There was audible grumbling as an elongated process to find a successor to Philippe Clement landed on the former Southampton manager. That ramped up towards outright rage as Rangers opened their Scottish Premiership campaign with draws against Dundee and Motherwell.
Martin, portrayed by his detractors as a dreamy idealist, is immersed in a tough, but intriguing battle to win hearts and minds at Ibrox. It was rather a Rangers thing that Davide Ancelotti, famous by name but not managerial track record, was the preferred choice of a significant section of the supporter base. There is cynicism towards Martin and not unreasonably so; much of his rhetoric sounds similar to that of Michael Beale. It was quickly apparent Beale could not walk the walk at Ibrox.
In proving nothing happens in isolation in Glasgow, there is discord around Celtic’s lack of new signings as they prepare for a playoff tie against Kairat. Should one or both of the Old Firm drop into the Europa League, fierce reaction is inevitable, despite that being a far more sensible competitive environment. Rangers’ tie is tougher, but Celtic must handle the difficult logistics of visiting Kazakhstan. It also feels incongruous that Celtic are in a weaker position than when admirably progressing to the knockout phase of last season’s Champions League.
Martin need only glance towards Brugge’s performance at Celtic Park last season for evidence of the danger Rangers will encounter. They are a powerful, slick side who have made a strong start to their season. Rangers, by stark contrast, lack physicality and are prone to hilarious defensive calamity.
Martin’s brand of play demands risk-taking at the back and a quick-footed goalkeeper, which raises questions over the longevity of Jack Butland. Martin talks of pain and process, sentiments the fanbase has no particular interest in hearing. Martin presumably knows this, given he said as much at his unveiling in June. “Winning is how you convince people – players, staff and supporters.”
Rangers have had quite enough managerial churn in recent years without their American owners – who have been light on detail when it comes to their plans – needing to regard Martin as a short-term option. The 39-year-old must know this given he has been heavily critical of his players in public more than once.
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Logic dictates Martin must be afforded a sensible period of time before being subjected to serious assessment. There was no queue of elite coaches seeking to replace Clement. Martin’s work before Southampton flopped in the Premier League was decent enough, but there has already been cause to raise eyebrows.
The signing policy looks eerily familiar, with players appearing primarily from the English market. This route has failed before. Nothing looks different or gamechanging. Martin’s pointing towards a five-game unbeaten run drew ridicule given the paucity of the displays at Fir Park and when Dundee visited Ibrox.
There was also the mixed messaging around the potential postponement of Sunday’s league trip to St Mirren, as allowed by domestic rules but rendered tricky by the possibility of falling 10 points behind Celtic at Ibrox on 31 August. Rangers backtracked their request, which made them look as reactionary as has been typical in recent years.
Rangers have made a habit of reserving their best for European competition. It would be folly to assume their early struggles mean Brugge will progress. It is, however, also a truism that Martin would hugely benefit from victory over two legs. An unforgiving, browbeaten group of supporters are already at tipping point.
