Russell Martin says Rangers job ‘was the one I really wanted’ as he returns to management | OneFootball

Russell Martin has been appointed Rangers head coach on a three-year deal.

Martin, a former Rangers player, has been out of work since being sacked by Southampton in December 2024 immediately after losing 5-0 to Tottenham.

The 39-year-old had managed Swansea and MK Dons prior to his appointment at the Saints, who he led to promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt. Rangers have been looking for a new full-time head coach since parting ways with Philippe Clement in February.

The former Ibrox defender says he has taken time to reflect following his Saints exit and is excited at the prospect of taking charge of his former side.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” Martin said. “I’m really grateful to the board, to Patrick (Stewart), to Kevin (Thelwell), for their faith in me.

“It’s been a tough and rigorous process and it’s taken some time, but that’s what you expect when you want to be manager of a club of this stature, size and expectation.

“I’m desperate to get started and I’m excited about what’s to come.

“There were a few opportunities since I left Southampton, but I wanted to take time to reflect and review what we’ve learned as a coaching staff and what I’ve learned as a leader and a coach.

“That time was really important.

“When this one was first suggested, this was the one I really wanted. One because of the expectation and the size of it, what it means to so many people. The opportunity to come here and experience something different to anything else in football.

“I’ve managed three clubs, all with the same concept of the game – to be the aggressor with the ball and without it.

“They all played different shapes and different people making up different positions. We are here to win and we will do that in the best way we possibly can.

“That is what Rangers fans expect, to be really aggressive, really intense, really passionate, really hard-working first and foremost.

“I know the expectation here is to win. We want to do that in a way that’s aligned with how we want to feel about the team and how Rangers fans want to feel about their team.”