Fair to say, the start of this season has not gone to plan for Rangers.
The Light Blues were actually impressive during the early rounds of Champions League qualifying, knocking out both Panathinaikos and then Viktoria Plzeň, winning the first leg at home both times.
However, their Champions League dreams quickly went up in flames on Tuesday night, 3-0 down after less than 20 minutes at home to Club Brugge, ultimately defeated 3-1, but still needing a miracle in Belgium next Wednesday, or once again the Europa League beckons.
Meantime, the start of the Scottish Premiership campaign has been catastrophic, held to a 1-1 draw by both Motherwell at Fir Park and then Dundee at Ibrox, thereby failing to win either of their opening two league matches for the first time since 1989 under Graeme Souness.
Thus, the pressure is really on as the Gers travel to St Mirren on Sunday, with the first Old Firm of the season to come a week later.
Defeat in both of these fixtures would be unthinkable, but could have drastic consequences for the new man at the helm.
Russell Martin is under pressure already
When he was appointed during the summer, Russell Martin became only the 20th permanent manager since Rangers’ first in 1899.
However, the way things are going, he could become the shortest-serving, not including caretakers, as the table below documents.
William Wilton
1899-20
718
Bill Struth
20-54
1,390
Scot Symon
54-67
681
David White
67-69
113
William Waddell
69-72
130
Jock Wallace
72-78
306
John Greig
78-83
289
Jock Wallace
83-86
124
Graeme Souness
86-91
257
Walter Smith
91-98
377
Dick Advocaat
98-01
195
Alex McLeish
01-06
235
Paul Le Guen
06-07
31
Walter Smith
07-11
245
Ally McCoist
11-14
167
Mark Warburton
15-17
82
Pedro Caixinha
2017
26
Steven Gerrard
18-21
193
Giovanni van Bronckhorst
21-22
69
Michael Beale
22-23
43
Philippe Clement
23-25
86
Russell Martin
25-present
8
As the table outlines, Pedro Caixinha is the shortest-serving permanent Rangers manager of all time, taking charge of only 26 matches in 2017, winning just 14, overseeing the infamous Europa League qualifying defeat at the hands of Progrès Niederkorn.
Well, with pressure increasing already, Martin could break that record, needing to remain in charge until late-November to avoid this fate which, at the moment, is in the balance.
However, could the new manager immediately win over the Ibrox faithful by landing a statement signing before the window closes?
Rangers aiming to rebalance midfield
Most would’ve forecast that midfield would be the strongest part of Rangers’ team, given the performances of Mohamed Diomandé and player of the year Nicolas Raskin last season.
However, they’re yet to find the right balance with those two alongside summer signing from Bournemouth Joe Rothwell, who is yet to impress supporters.
With that in mind, could Rangers reignite their interest in Andy Irving, after it was reported by the Scotsman earlier this month that they were among many sides interested in securing his signature?
Numerous other clubs from across Europe are also interested, Wrexham, Köln, Stuttgart, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Sturm Graz, to name but a few, but Rangers could place themselves at the front of the queue.
The 25-year-old, who is reportedly valued at £3.5m, has already had a fascinating career; born in Edinburgh, he began his career at Heart of Midlothian, loaned out to both Berwick Rangers and then Falkirk, appearing 61 times for Hearts in total.
He then made the unconventional move to Türkgücü München, spending one season in Germany’s third-tier, before joining Austria Klagenfurt, playing for two seasons in the Austrian Bundesliga, scoring 16 goals and registering 14 assists.
This earned him a move to West Ham, although he’s been used infrequently by the Irons, his sole Premier League start, to date, coming at Stamford Bridge in February, serenaded by supporters throughout, despite a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Chelsea.
He was then handed his senior international debut by Steve Clark against Liechtenstein at Rheinpark Stadion in June, remaining very popular amongst West Ham supporters, earning the nickname the ‘Portobello Pirlo’ due to his ‘precocious talent’ and ability to dictate play from the base of midfield.
Writer Kai Watson outlines how Irving can “play under pressure” and “break the lines with his passes”, concluding that the Scotland international “would do well in Martin’s system”.
As he proved at Southampton last season, Martin is not going to change his principles nor his philosophy, or playing style, so the only way he is a success at Rangers is if the players are better able to carry out his instructions.
Based on what he’s produced so far, Irving appears as though he could do just that at a high level, so he could be the man to save the sinking ship, with his ability to succeed in the system being played.
Journalist reveals what he's heard about Russell Martin's Rangers future
Is the Gers boss already on his way out of Ibrox?
ByHenry Jackson
As a Scotland international, Irving may also warm to supporters quickly as a player they may have an added investment in, which could help to get the fans back onside at Ibrox.
