Russell Martin given win-or-bust warning by Rangers legend as sack pressure increases
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(Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media/Imago)
Ciaran Morrison
Fri 5 September 2025 19:13, UK
Rangers manager Russell Martin has been warned that he must beat Hearts if he wants to keep his job at Ibrox.
Martin has faced a troubled start at Rangers with a winless start to the Scottish Premiership and a humiliating Champions League exit to Club Brugge.
Rangers’ 0-0 derby draw against Celtic brought Martin some time after failing to beat Motherwell, Dundee and St Mirren previously.
14 new players were added to the squad over the summer as Martin rebuilds Rangers after years of discontent at the club for failing to topple Celtic at the top of the table.
Credit: Imago
Rangers’ task in the Scottish Premiership does not get any easier as they welcome unbeaten Hearts to Ibrox, who sit joint top of the table alongside Celtic.
Hearts have won three of their opening four games under former Aberdeen and Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes who joined the Tynecastle club in the summer.
Barry Ferguson, who Martin preceded in the Ibrox hot seat, has warned the fixture is one Rangers need to win.
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As per the Daily Record [5 September],Ferguson said: “The next big one is Hearts, because Hearts are sitting top of the league, Derek has got off to a good start.
Now he has this international break where he can let the dust settle a bit.”
Football Insider Verdict
With an international break to recover from a hectic and pressurised start to life in Glasgow, Martin needs to ensure his side put in a performance against Hearts.
Going five without victory is undisputed territory for a manager of either Glasgow club, and that could be disastrous for Martin.
The match against Hearts is simply one Martin must win at any cost despite the backing of the club’s new ownership.