Mark Langdon: Russell Martin might not be Rangers’ dream pick – but he could be the right one

Will Glasgow be big enough for the egos of Brendan Rodgers and Russell Martin?

Rodgers has long had to deal with David Brent comparisons following his cringeworthy comments in the documentary Being: Liverpool, and the impression many people have of Martin is that if he was a chocolate he'd eat himself. So it will be interesting to see the two go toe-to-toe in the Old Firm following the appointment of Martin to fill the Rangers vacancy.

It does not look a fair fight. Celtic were 17 points superior last term and will be more likely to qualify for next season's Champions League with just one playoff round, in which the Scottish champions will be seeded, to overcome. If Rangers are to pick up the Champions League loot they must win three qualifying rounds and their potential opponents include Salzburg, Fenerbahce and Nice before teams such as Benfica and Club Brugge wait further down the line.

Failure, if that is the right word, to make the Champions League would immediately put Martin on the back foot and there are many at Ibrox who reckon he will do well to last until Christmas, such was the underwhelming welcome afforded the former Scottish international who played 15 times for Rangers in a brief loan spell in 2018.

Steven Gerrard, a much bigger name who had worked wonders with Rangers previously, was being talked up to replace Philippe Clement at one stage, while Davide Ancelotti's arrival would have brought about more excitement after he was long odds-on favourite. 

Ancelotti junior might turn out to be a great coach but his only jobs have come as assistant to his dad, Carlo, at Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton and Real Madrid, and who could safely say there was not a case of nepotism in those appointments? Let's put it this way: It probably wasn't the toughest interview process to get those opportunities and yet he would have been celebrated more than Martin, who grafted his way up from the bottom of League One to the, er, bottom of the Premier League.

Southampton's shoddy season seems to have undone all of Martin's hard work at MK Dons, Swansea and in getting Southampton promoted in the first place, but it could be that Saints were just a bad side and would have been rooted to last place even with someone more pragmatic in charge.

Saints played 22 matches after Martin's departure in the Premier League, winning one, drawing four and losing 17 times. They scored 15 goals, conceded 50 and claimed seven points. That averaged out at 0.31 points per game, 0.68 goals scored and 2.27 goals conceded.

During Martin's 16 fixtures, Southampton won one game, drew two and lost 13. They scored 11 goals and conceded 36. Their points per game average was 0.31, they scored 0.68 goals and conceded 2.25. The manager – and Southampton had three during the season – basically made no difference.

Martin's confidence in himself comes across as arrogance and there will be a certain amount of jealousy towards him for his relationship with former glamour model Lucy Pinder. He talks about Buddhism, switched to being a vegan and was a member of the Green Party, all of which make him "a bit of a weirdo" in his own words when it comes to football. But he did a fine job at MK Dons and Swansea and his first season at Southampton ended in promotion, so he is adequately qualified for where Rangers are.

Because Martin is different and because he is so committed to a possession-based style, flak will quickly come his way if he does not start well. But he only has to look across the city to see a manager who has overcome similar jibes to make himself a success in Scotland.   

Read more from Mark:

Five things we learned from this season's Champions League 

Credit card takes a hammering but I witness long-awaited Spurs glory on unforgettable trip to Spain 

One FA Cup tradition that needs to remain 

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