Russell Martin remains confident in the backing of the Rangers board, despite a challenging start to their season. Their recent 1-0 defeat to Genk in the Europa League opener highlighted ongoing struggles.
Rangers began well but faced a setback when Mohamed Diomande received a red card after 41 minutes. Oh Hyeon-Gyu scored the decisive goal for Genk, exploiting a defensive lapse.
Rangers' performance this season has been underwhelming, with only four wins from 14 matches across all competitions. This marks their lowest win tally at this stage in their history. Additionally, they have suffered five defeats, the most since the 1994-95 season when they lost six of their first 14 games. The Ibrox crowd expressed their disappointment with boos at full-time.
Despite the loss, Martin insists that his support from the board remains unchanged. "I don't think this game, when we were down to 10 men for so long, changes that [support]," he stated during a media conference. He emphasised learning from the defeat while preparing for upcoming matches with determination.
The match saw Rangers strong in the first half, managing six shots with two on target. However, they only achieved an expected goals (xG) of 0.6. John Souttar's header was cleared off the line during this period. In contrast, Genk accumulated 3.4 xG against Rangers, largely due to Oh's missed penalty and other opportunities.
Martin praised his team's resilience despite being reduced to 10 men for much of the game. "The red card changed the game a lot," he noted, adding that he encouraged aggression rather than just defending for 45 minutes. He expressed pride in his players' efforts during the second half.
Rangers failed to register any shots on Hendrik Van Crombrugge's goal in the second half despite late pressure. Martin acknowledged this but remained optimistic about future performances as they adapt and improve over time.
Jack Butland's Heroics and Reflections
Goalkeeper Jack Butland played a crucial role by saving an Oh Hyeon-Gyu penalty just before halftime. This marked his fifth save out of six penalties faced in all competitions this season (excluding shootouts). Despite his efforts, Butland expressed disappointment with Rangers' sluggish start to their Europa League campaign.
"It's obviously not the way we wanted to start the competition at all," Butland admitted. He highlighted some bright moments early on but acknowledged challenges posed by playing with ten men against European teams.
The match ended with Oh having another goal disallowed for offside, adding to Rangers' frustrations. Despite these setbacks, Martin remains focused on improving team performance and achieving better results in future matches.
