Russell Martin has insisted he will not resign as Rangers manager despite a toxic atmosphere at Ibrox following a 2-0 defeat to Hearts, which left the club without a win in their first five Premiership matches. Fans chanted for midfielder Nicolas Raskin, who was left out of the squad due to a dispute with Martin, and directed abuse at the manager throughout the game.
Lawrence Shankland gave Hearts the lead in the 22nd minute and, after having a penalty saved by Jack Butland in the 82nd minute, scored the rebound to seal a historic win for the visitors — their first at Ibrox in 11 years. The result moved Hearts to the top of the table and left Rangers in 10th place, their worst league start in 47 years.
'The fans are entitled to their opinion,' Martin said in his post-match press conference. 'I don't think many of them wanted me here in the first place.' When asked outright if he would resign, he replied simply: 'No.' He added that the players are 'scared' and that the atmosphere is making it difficult for them to perform. 'We have a lot of new guys trying to feel their way in an environment that's really difficult,' he said.
Martin had previously stated he had the support of the board, but when asked if that was still the case, he said: 'I don't know. We'll see, won't we? They've been great up until now. All of them. So we'll see.'
Hearts manager Derek McInnes, a former Rangers midfielder, expressed empathy for Martin. 'It's so unfair on a manager,' McInnes said. 'He is a fine man, he's a fine manager. It's early on in the season and he's integrating loads of players. As managers, that's all we ask for — a bit of understanding.'
