Russell Martin has had a rocky start to life as Rangers boss, with his team drawing their first four Scottish Premiership games and being dumped out of Champions League qualification by Club Brugge.
The transfer window saw £19.5 million worth of players join the squad, including the likes of Oliver Antman, Oscar Cortes and Joe Rothwell, but the squad does not seem to be clicking yet.
The Gers did manage to become the only team to stop Celtic’s winning run in the league following Sunday’s 0-0 draw. Coming off the back of the 6-0 defeat to Brugge, Martin was happy with his team’s improved performance.
“We showed aggression, desire, all the stuff we were questioned on from outside in midweek. We questioned ourselves on it. That was a big focus for us, to put in a performance which showed the guys are together. They’re all in, they want to run and fight – they were brilliant in that sense.”
However, the draw will only temporarily patch things over at the Ibrox, and the end of the transfer window saw an Italian club make a move for one of Martin’s frustrated players.
Rangers rejected late loan offer for out-of-favour Barron
Rangers rejected a late-deadline day loan inquiry for defensive midfielder Connor Barron from Bologna. Barron has struggled for minutes since Martin took over at Ibrox, and Bologna may have seen his absence from the team as a sign that the Gers would be willing to let him go for the season.
This would have been the third time that the Italian side has turned to Scotland for recruitment after previously signing Lewis Ferguson and Aaron Hickey. Barron’s first start under Martin came in Sunday’s clash with Celtic, indicating that he may yet be in the manager’s plans, and that may be why Rangers opted to keep hold of him.
After the Old Firm derby, Martin acknowledged Barron and other out-of-favour players’ frustration: “I said in the dressing-room, Dio, Tav and Connor Barron have every reason to be annoyed and disappointed with me because they’ve been out of the team. We always have honest chats about why.”
Barron’s return could mark a change for Martin
Martin was clearly impressed with Barron’s performance as he praised him and the other returnees: “Today they proved how hard they’re willing to work and run – and showed why they should be in the team. That’s the best possible reaction you could ever have. I’m proud and grateful for the performances they put in.”
Barron’s reinstatement into the team may be the catalyst for Martin turning things around at Rangers. Despite only having brief cameos in the boss’ first few months in charge, Barron now seems to be in contention for a regular starting place.
He only played for just over 30 minutes against Brugge, but the Belgian side failed to score while he was on the pitch. Brugge had likely taken their foot off the gas, considering they were eight goals up, but considering how poorly the match was going, Rangers did improve when Barron came on, and he was solid once again on Sunday.