Russell Martin is a realist living in a world full of Ibrox fantasists. Who knows, he might just give Celtic a run for their money?
Eric Knott 
(Photo by Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
You know something? It’s about time the Ibrox fanbase were hit with a juggernaut called reality.
Or in Russell Martin’s case, a tanker called reality.
Whether it’s a juggernaut or a tanker, Russell Martin is the one steering it.
I actually believe that Martin has walked into Ibrox and decided, “f### these fantasists, I’m going to give them a dose of reality. We’re starting from ground zero here, and we’re going to build it all the way up from there!”
Like James over on The Celtic Blog, I recognise that Martin is clearly portraying an image of just not giving a shit about the white noise that surrounds the club he manages.
I also noted in his opening press conference after landing the job at Ibrox, he wasn’t one of these usual merchants who started with the, “I want to get this club back to where it belongs.”
And the reason I think he didn’t, is because he actually has a proper concept of where it belongs.
Or at least where he’d like to get it to belong.
There is no doubt he understands the size of the club, but I’d surmise that he also understands the unrealistic size of the expectations of the fanbase.
When I look at Russell Martin and listen to him, like I did in this afternoon’s media conference, I don’t quite know what to make of him.
He’s definitely the wrong guy in the wrong movie at the moment, but it genuinely appears as if he couldn’t care less.
I can’t make out whether that’s calculated or misplaced bravado.
Now, I don’t mean that he doesn’t care about the job, he clearly does.
I think it’s more a case of whether he actually cares about the opinion the fanbase have of him or not.
Since the Ibrox club climbed out of the grave of the dead club in 2012, their way of operating has been around constant appeasement of the fanbase.
But you begin to get the feeling that this is coming to an end.
You get the feeling that the Americans, like Russell Martin, might just be realists, not fantasists.
They understand that this thing now has to be torn down, and built from the ground up.
And while we might continue to laugh at Russell Martin, and his hapless charges, maybe, just maybe, he will turn things around given the required time to do so.
So that bravado from Martin that I discussed earlier on in this article might just come from a place of confidence.
Confidence that the Ibrox board are in line with the vision he has laid out for the club.
And that things just have to get worse before they get better.
That there will be a transition.
From a Celtic perspective, we have to hope that the turning point in this transition does not happen on Sunday.
It seems to be the game they have targeted to turn things around.
And because I find it very hard to read Russell Martin’s body language, and equally hard to take him seriously, I’m left wondering just what the hell will happen on Sunday.
That also stems from a place of uncertainty when it comes to our club.
After Tuesday night’s debacle, I can’t help but worry about how that will impact us psychologically.
Now, I know Martin and his team are just as susceptible to suffering from the psychological impact of their mauling on Tuesday night.
As a result, what you’ll have on Sunday is two sides who will be pretty uncertain of themselves.
Now, we might start with Michel-Ange Balikwisha in our starting line up.
Based on the way things have been going on our wings of late, that’s got to be an improvement.
In reality, Sunday is probably going to be one of the strangest Glasgow Derbies in a while.
Both club are experiencing turmoil of different kinds.
But it seems that Russell Martin is content to allow this play out whatever way it will.
He has a vision for the Ibrox club, whether he’ll get to see it through remains to be seen.
However, he seems confident that he will.
Who knows? Given time, he might just give Celtic a run for their money.
It cannot be said that his board have not supported him in the transfer window.
Unlike ours.
Who now seem to think it’s okay to close the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Sunday will indeed be interesting.
Am I confident?
To be honest, I haven’t got a clue what way this will go.
I suppose that’s what makes it interesting.
Like I said, one of the strangest Glasgow Derbies in recent memory.
But that’s where we are right now.
We never needed to be.
But we are.
#Sack the Board
#Renewal is coming
An interesting article. BTW to all the readers – I am from Poland so don’t know the specific atmosphere sourounding Glasgow. Yet I can’t fanthom anybody working as their manager/head coach standing any chance of survival or building any lasting legacy there. Can you explain me – what are the causes? Their sense of entitlement? Their previous success built on cheating and their fans getting used to it?
What is their way out? Is it even possible that their fans will one day adapt and accept the reality that success is built on the foundations and any immediate success is hardly possible?
When I go through their forums, blogs (eg ibrox noise, follow follow etc), They always say that ‘rangers demand instant success’, Boyd, McCann and others in the media always say the same. I find it impossible for them to come to terms with the fact that it takes time. What do you think?
The sense of entitlement comes from an inability to let go of the success of the club that died in 2012, despite the fact that club’s success was, as you rightly pointed out, achieved through cheating, an unlimited overdraft from Bank of Scotland, and Celtic being in a hugely transitionary period in the 90’s. They lorded it over us then, won 9 in a row and believed that to dominate in Scotland was their God given right. They cannot let go of that mentality, hence the reason they demand instant success. They believe that if they played Real Madrid tomorrow, it is still their God given right to win. Simply because they got used to winning by fair means or foul, it made no difference to them, as long as they won. That caught up on them in 2012, yet to this day, they just cannot accept it. Why do you think they still use Simply the best as their anthem? How can you be Simply the best when you are serial losers? That says it all.
I notice that you and James Forrest goes into the same scenario like twins he says he will not let Idah go before he has a replacement and is slagged by James about putting his foot down a long time ago that man is the best we will possibly ever get and you and Forrest have not a clue what goes on behind closed doors so if you and him has no genuine truth cry it a day when fergus came in to save us I bought £1000 of shares to help save the club an ordinary working bhouy and did not care about the money, Brendan’s has got his hands tied.
They take your money and laugh all the way to the bank and it stays there,stop giving them your money
Personally, I think Martin has bought into the Hun boards vision and was picked specifically because he wouldn’t mind tearing them down and starting again, but burying the toxicity of the fan base in the rubble. There’s definitely something going on over there. We have to be ready for it but as long as we have this board I doubt we will.