Russell Martin has issue to fix, new striker signing, please - Three things learned from Rangers vs St Mirren

Russell Martin has issue to fix, new striker signing, please – Three things learned from Rangers vs St Mirren

Russell Martin’s future at Rangers looks bleak after his side were held to a 1-1 draw at St Mirren on Sunday.

Findlay Curtis’ late goal was enough to cancel out Jonah Ayunga’s opener and earn a point for the struggling visitors, who are now winless in their opening three games of the Premiership season.

Pressure is continuing to mount on Martin at Rangers, and it was another toothless and troubled performance from his men in Paisley as they succumbed to defeat.

It was yet another concerning showing from the Gers, and with that in mind, Ibrox News picks out three things that we learned from the stalemate away from home.

Martin is coming under an ever-increasing amount of pressure at Rangers. (Credit: Imago)

Martin has to learn lesson and reign in Rangers’ expansive style

Martin’s appointment at Rangers was largely controversial, as fans and pundits alike highlighted the perils of his style of football that have been abundantly clear in his previous jobs.

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His expansive and free-flowing style has left the Govan outfit open and easy to expose in their own half, and they are simply not moving the ball with anywhere near enough intensity.

They are exactly what supporters have come to expect from Martin’s sides, and it is a huge concern that the club hierarchy were unable to foresee this when they were weighing up the appointment.

Everybody knew that Martin is incredibly stubborn in terms of the style he wants his teams to play, and he has already proved that time and again at Ibrox.

The 39-year-old surprisingly tweaked the system at half-time against St Mirren, and it did have a slight effect on the game in the second period.

He simply has to encourage his side to be a little more direct and get the ball from back to front more quickly; otherwise, he will keep getting the same results.

Martin has confirmed what everyone knew in that he has no plan B. (Credit: Imago)

A new striker is a must

Martin opted to start Thelo Aasgaard up front for Rangers on Sunday, and the new arrival did little to answer any of the questions surrounding his side’s options at the top of the pitch.

The Norwegian simply did not look capable of playing as an out-and-out striker, and his movement didn’t offer enough to his teammates in the way of passing opportunities.

Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane have both been linked with exits and are struggling for form and out of the team, while Danilo still lacks the necessary level of consistency.

There is just over a week remaining of the transfer window, but it has become clear that the Gers have to get another option through the door to lead the line, as Aasgaard has already proved that he is not the answer.

Aasgaard is not the answer for Rangers at the top of the pitch. (Credit: Imago)

Rangers have to fix set-piece issues

Rangers have been all at sea defensively under Martin, and this has been particularly prevalent in dead-ball situations.

The Gers look likely to concede from every single set piece, and they have consistently shown that they do not have the concentration or capability to track runners when a ball comes into the box.

They were almost undone just minutes into the game when they were count out by their ridiculously high line from a narrow-angled free-kick, and they were seemingly clueless when St Mirren deployed a routine from the training ground midway through the second half.

The Ibrox outfit simply do not react quickly enough, and don’t show the level of desire required to win the ball and defend their box, and that is indicative of their struggles in all situations at the moment.

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