Fan meltdown as Rangers board backs Russell Martin, and here’s why | OneFootball

Rangers fans are left asking one question this morning. Why have the owners and board categorically backed Russell Martin when the evidence is staring them in the face? Another mauling in Europe, another humiliation, and a manager sitting on a pathetic 30% win rate. Yet instead of cutting their losses the directors and executives are standing by him. Martin himself admitted he has spoken with Kevin Thelwell and Patrick Stewart, and both have given him their complete support. So what is going on as Rangers board backs Russell Martin.

Glory

The answer is as grim as it is simple. The American owners did not buy Rangers for glory or silverware. They bought Rangers to make money. That is why Ibrox Noise was against the takeover from day one. These people had no real idea who Rangers were, and they proved it in a telling interview where they basically admitted they closed the deal with a single phone call.. That is all Rangers were to them: a financial asset.

Fans pointed to their so-called success at Leeds, but that success came at a price. Leeds bled cash for two years under these people. Only when Daniel Farke cracked the promotion formula did the owners see their payday. That was all it took for them to cash in. Rangers are simply the next vehicle. They do not need Martin to win matches for them to profit. Sponsorships, endorsements, commercial partnerships, and investor interest can all generate revenue regardless of results. Of course winning helps, but it is not essential to their strategy.

Ownership

The other problem is structure. Rangers are no longer public. We were once a PLC with shareholders able to vote on directors. That right has been stripped away. Fans, groups, and investors who hold shares now have no voice. The Americans control the toy, and they can do whatever they want with it. For them Rangers are a business, and as long as the balance sheet is healthy the league table does not matter.

This is why Martin is still in a job. It has nothing to do with faith in his ability and everything to do with the owners’ priorities. They are capitalists, investors, money men. The football side is secondary. Yes, a few figures on the board might genuinely care about Rangers, but they are drowned out by those who see only dollar or pound signs. The result is a regime worse than what came before. Fans thought we were getting Celtic killers. Instead we got owners who have made everything worse.

And until they change direction, Rangers will remain stuck in chaos, with a manager the fans loathe but the board protects, and a club treated as nothing more than a cash cow as Rangers board backs Russell Martin.