Archive September 26, 2025

Unacceptable. Predictable . Ignored . whimpering out. No convictions. Out of ideas, raging.

After the Europa League defeat by Genk, which was a fourth in their previous seven games under Russell Martin, several former Rangers players were left in their mouths on Thursday.

What they said didn’t make anyone feel good. Not a lot of anger either. only regret, frustration, and sadness.

Even Ally McCoist, who is frequently ebullient, maintained a calm disposition.

Following the 1-0 defeat, the legendary former club’s manager and striker declared on TNT Sports, “The manager is in big trouble.”

“Something must change, and that means it must change dramatically.” This won’t last long. There is no purpose if the crowd doesn’t cheer you up at the stadium.

For the first time in his interview after the defeat, Martin may have doubted his repeated insistent that things will get better.

His “we’re not far away,” mantra was present, but it wasn’t delivered with the customary bullish tone. Instead, the Rangers’ head coach was sly, snippy, and depressing.

There was a hint that he knew things were going to get worse despite his ability to pick out positive individual performances that perplexed pundits and punters.

Rangers had their own problems this evening. a careless red card explore your imagination. a lack of enthusiasm Poor defense

The scoreline might have been more similar to what they did last face a Belgian side had it not been for Jack Butland.

Rangers had urged Martin to “attack” this competition. However, his team only had two shots on target and only had 13 touches inside the visitors’ penalty area.

He asserted that they were “a lot in Genk’s box, had good control, and were aggressive,” which surprised former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday.

The Motherwell midfielder said on Sportsound, “I’m surprised he said Rangers were aggressive.” I did not witness them creating chances or causing aggression.

Steven Thompson, who was at Ibrox with Halliday, acknowledged that Martin’s unconvincing message had a certain air of “acceptance.”

The former Ibrox striker claimed that his press conference lacked energy. He was able to sense that it was affecting him.

Some of Martin’s players either help him or not.

Mohamed Diomande’s “sheer stupidity” against Genk, as he was called by former Rangers midfielder Derek Ferguson, hampered his team’s attempts to regain any momentum following their weekend victory against Hibs.

An already struggling Rangers were sucked out by the midfielder’s needless first-half red card, which was a third in Martin’s first 14 games.

Before that moment of madness made life even more difficult, they were huffing and puffing in reality.

Given Genk’s quick start and the incisive runs of Zakaria El Ouahdi, in particular, Martin claimed his side had the upper hand early on, but many would argue otherwise given that many would disagree.

Rangers’ apparent lack of self-assurance was what caused former Ibrox players to be particularly troubling amid the punditocracy.

No quick start was required. When their team-mate left, no one could hear their sneer. There was no decisive decision. It was all… meh.

Ferguson remarked during the game on Sportsound, “It’s a struggle.” “I am aware that there are only 10 men, but you can always find a way with 10.”

It appears as though Rangers players don’t think there’s a way to get back into this game.

Hendrik Van Crombrugge, a goalkeeper for Genk, had a few close calls in the final five minutes, but nothing particularly troubling happened.

What do we do when players are looking at each other? ‘, “added Thompson”. They appear to have run out of ideas. Everything is so laborious and predictable.

Any domestic issues Rangers have encountered during the last few seasons have been comforted and eased by Europa League nights.

However, Thursday never appeared to be one of those explosive evenings.

Apathy and angst were present instead of enthusiasm and energy. As the players exited the tunnel, large areas of empty seats greeted them instead of a bellowing sea of blue.

Martin acknowledges that only positive outcomes will cause change. The brains of those who had to make their decisions were not persuaded to reconsider.

Few people praised the head coach when BBC Scotland asked viewers for their opinions.

Sam, I’m watching Martin’s interview. He never apologized to the fans who paid well; instead, he yelled and wiggled his way out of the situation. We don’t want to hear any of his excuses anymore because they are getting old. Pack your bags and do the right thing.

Robert: Martin has had numerous chances, but the football is terrible, and if nothing is changed, the supporters will leave.

Seb: Nothing at all. Lack of conviction, no clear strategy, possession for possession, open to almost every counterattack, and front-line cutting edge. The best way to sum up the management and team is anaemic. lacking in any positive aspects.

Mark: I won’t watch or watch Rangers until the new owners realize they hired them because they made a mistake hiring Martin. Formerly regarded as a club, but not anymore. We are so shocking that I wouldn’t be surprised if we were relegated.

Sally: There are players. They aren’t being managed. When possession is played to forwards, it is only of value. Tavernier needs to realize that other players can kick corners and free kicks. He consistently exposed the defense.

Unacceptable. Predictable . Ignored . whimpering out. No convictions. Out of ideas, raging.

After the Europa League defeat by Genk, which was a fourth in their previous seven games under Russell Martin, several former Rangers players were left in their mouths on Thursday.

What they said didn’t make anyone feel good. Not a lot of anger either. only regret, frustration, and sadness.

Even Ally McCoist, who is frequently ebullient, maintained a calm disposition.

Following the 1-0 defeat, the legendary former club’s manager and striker declared on TNT Sports, “The manager is in big trouble.”

“Something must change, and that means it must change dramatically.” This won’t last long. There is no purpose if the crowd doesn’t cheer you up at the stadium.

For the first time in his interview after the defeat, Martin may have doubted his repeated insistent that things will get better.

His “we’re not far away,” mantra was present, but it wasn’t delivered with the customary bullish tone. Instead, the Rangers’ head coach was sly, snippy, and depressing.

There was a hint that he knew things were going to get worse despite his ability to pick out positive individual performances that perplexed pundits and punters.

Rangers had their own problems this evening. a careless red card explore your imagination. a lack of enthusiasm Poor defense

The scoreline might have been more similar to what they did last face a Belgian side had it not been for Jack Butland.

Rangers had urged Martin to “attack” this competition. However, his team only had two shots on target and only had 13 touches inside the visitors’ penalty area.

He asserted that they were “a lot in Genk’s box, had good control, and were aggressive,” which surprised former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday.

The Motherwell midfielder said on Sportsound, “I’m surprised he said Rangers were aggressive.” I did not witness them creating chances or causing aggression.

Steven Thompson, who was at Ibrox with Halliday, acknowledged that Martin’s unconvincing message had a certain air of “acceptance.”

The former Ibrox striker claimed that his press conference lacked energy. He was able to sense that it was affecting him.

Some of Martin’s players either help him or not.

Mohamed Diomande’s “sheer stupidity” against Genk, as he was called by former Rangers midfielder Derek Ferguson, hampered his team’s attempts to regain any momentum following their weekend victory against Hibs.

An already struggling Rangers were sucked out by the midfielder’s needless first-half red card, which was a third in Martin’s first 14 games.

Before that moment of madness made life even more difficult, they were huffing and puffing in reality.

Given Genk’s quick start and the incisive runs of Zakaria El Ouahdi, in particular, Martin claimed his side had the upper hand early on, but many would argue otherwise given that many would disagree.

Rangers’ apparent lack of self-assurance was what caused former Ibrox players to be particularly troubling amid the punditocracy.

No quick start was required. When their team-mate left, no one could hear their sneer. There was no decisive decision. It was all… meh.

Ferguson remarked during the game on Sportsound, “It’s a struggle.” “I am aware that there are only 10 men, but you can always find a way with 10.”

It appears as though Rangers players don’t think there’s a way to get back into this game.

Hendrik Van Crombrugge, a goalkeeper for Genk, had a few close calls in the final five minutes, but nothing particularly troubling happened.

What do we do when players are looking at each other? ‘, “added Thompson”. They appear to have run out of ideas. Everything is so laborious and predictable.

Any domestic issues Rangers have encountered during the last few seasons have been comforted and eased by Europa League nights.

However, Thursday never appeared to be one of those explosive evenings.

Apathy and angst were present instead of enthusiasm and energy. As the players exited the tunnel, large areas of empty seats greeted them instead of a bellowing sea of blue.

Martin acknowledges that only positive outcomes will cause change. The brains of those who had to make their decisions were not persuaded to reconsider.

Few people praised the head coach when BBC Scotland asked viewers for their opinions.

Sam, I’m watching Martin’s interview. He never apologized to the fans who paid well; instead, he yelled and wiggled his way out of the situation. We don’t want to hear any of his excuses anymore because they are getting old. Pack your bags and do the right thing.

Robert: Martin has had numerous chances, but the football is terrible, and if nothing is changed, the supporters will leave.

Seb: Nothing at all. Lack of conviction, no clear strategy, possession for possession, open to almost every counterattack, and front-line cutting edge. The best way to sum up the management and team is anaemic. lacking in any positive aspects.

Mark: I won’t watch or watch Rangers until the new owners realize they hired them because they made a mistake hiring Martin. Formerly regarded as a club, but not anymore. We are so shocking that I wouldn’t be surprised if we were relegated.

Sally: There are players. They aren’t being managed. When possession is played to forwards, it is only of value. Tavernier needs to realize that other players can kick corners and free kicks. He consistently exposed the defense.

Anyone interested in a triple captain for Gameweek Six?

Many FPL managers will be thinking about using their triple captain chip because Erling Haaland is in top form and has an “easy” home match against Burnley for Manchester City this weekend.

It’s a chip you can play on whim if you own a player with a great fixture.

Are the players and teams in good form, as I always try to judge a good week? Is his pairing effective? Is it likely that he will play 90 minutes? And when will the next week be better?

Let’s examine this week’s triple captain opportunity in the context of my framework: The Haaland triple captaincy is a real temptation this week:

Form: Haaland has a strong start to the season. He has scored six goals in five Premier League games and averages 9.2 points per game, contributing to 75% of those goals that Manchester City have scored while playing on the field.

Fixture: Despite their best efforts to defend their ground, Burnley has consistently shown to have one of the league’s weakest defenses. This season, the Clarets have lost both of their away games. Their only losses came against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, who were 0-3 and 2-3 respectively. They also have the lowest expected goals conceded.

Minutes: “Fatigue and back pain” caused Haaland to be substituted on Sunday in the 75th minute. I anticipate that he will be back on the team with a full midweek rest. The less opportunities there are for such rests the longer we enter the season.

Are there better weeks? Remember that the chip must be used by Gameweek 19 only, and I always prefer a home game.

In gameweek 13, Haaland faces Leeds United (h), Sunderland (15h), and West Ham United (h) in gameweek 17.