Martin also explained THAT post-match debrief at Motherwell and why he felt interviews became personal attacks
20:56, 16 Mar 2026Updated 22:01, 16 Mar 2026
Former Rangers boss Russell Martin(Image: SNS Group)
Russell Martin has revealed the abuse he got as Rangers boss was so bad that it forced his kids to stay away from Ibrox.
The former Gers head coach has broken his silence on being sacked by the Glasgow giants back in October after just 123 days, making him the shortest serving Rangers manager in history.
Martin was binned after a 1-1 draw at Falkirk and needed a police escort to his car as raging punters vented their fury following a disastrous start to the campaign.
New owners 49ers Enterprises along with club head honcho Andrew Cavenagh were forced to act with the club falling well behind league leaders Hearts and rivals Celtic.
Replacement Danny Rohl has dragged them back into the title rice, and many fans wonder if they might already be on their way to the Prmiership crown had the Martin experiment never happened.
The atmosphere in Govan was toxic well before it was brought to an end and Martin has revealed it really affected those closest to him.
“I don’t regret anything. I learned a lot and I’ll definitely be better for it,” he told BBC Radio 5Live.
“I love Glasgow as a city. I loved living there and the people face to face were fantastic.
“It was character building. It was really difficult for the people around me; my family and my friends.
“Genuinely, when my kids came up they couldn’t come to the games because of the level of abuse I was receiving at that point and it was quite early on.
Rangers fans protest against manager Russell Martin and chief executive Patrick Stewart
“When you look back at it, you learn from everything right? So there’s stuff that you would do differently and there’s stuff you’d insist on doing the same or maybe going even stronger with that.
“There was so much change. I walked into the club and there were new owners who’d been there literally two weeks when I came in.
“A new director of football, chief exec, head of performance, a new head coach and 14 new players.
“I tried to stress a lot that it probably would take some time. So that’s my fault because I was at a place where historically and traditionally you don’t really have time.
“I don’t feel bitter about it at all. I’d have loved the time to have built something and I thought that’s what the club needed, was a bit of that.
“But the owners decided differently and made a decision.
“The biggest thing I feel from that is probably frustration. There are small things I should have done a bit better and been more rigid with formation and certain principles, really.
“I tried to bend and felx to fit the newness of the group. We had some young players brought into the club and it’s not excuses, we should have done a better job than we did. We should have won more games.
“But we felt like we were going to get somewhere with it. So many young players came in and it’s such a unique environment at Rangers or Celtic with the level of expectation.
“Take manny Fernandez, going from Peterborough in League One to Rangers, playing in front of that crowd all of a sudden and it’s a completely different experience.
“He’s been brilliant. Kevin Thelwell, Dan Purdie and myself sat down and saw those attributes but we knew he might not play in the first couple of months.
“Mikey Moore the same. Outrageous talent and we signed him becasue he really wanted to be part of that and experience something big.
“At Spurs he was the guy who would maybe come off the bench. Now he’s coming to Rangers and expected to be the guy to make something happen.
“For us, we had to try and work out the best way to do that in that team and it’s no surprise to me that he’s gone on and done brlliantly.
“So there’s loads of frustration for me as a manager and a coach and a leader but ultimately, it’s always your fault.
“It’s my fault I didn’t do well enough. You learn from it and I’ll be better for it for sure.”
Rangers fans protest with signs in the stands against manager Russell Martin
Martin was accused of being spiky in interviews as the crisis at Ibrox deepened.
And he didn’t wait long to call out his own players, letting them have it after the opening day 1-1 draw at Motherwell, promising to weed out the slackers in his squad.
But he insists he said the exact same thing within the dressing room walls, and reckons subsequent interviews just became personal attacks on him from people who didn’t know enough about him.
He added: “Everything I’ve ever said in the media, I’ve never not said to the players. If I ever come out and criticise the group, it will only ever be for effort.
“It’ll never be for mistakes becasue the way we want to play, I’ll never come out and question or criticise someone for losing the ball on the edge of the box.
“If the intention is good, I will support you all the time. But when I feel there’s a bit of a problem with attitude, mentality, your intention or togetherness or courage…
“There’s a lot of self preservation in football where people make a choice that’s not for the team. It’s for the protection of their own ego or their own position in the club.
“After the first game at Motherwell, people said ‘ah you went really early,’ but what I said to the guys was ‘what I’ve told you now, I’ll say out there as well,’ because it’s going to be a problem if it carries on.
“But in the other interviews, I just felt they became tiresome because it wasn’t really about the football. It was almost like an attack on me as a person from people who didn’t really know me.
“So there were some interviews where I probably came across quite punchy, but when you’re having to deal with them every two days it’s like, let’s talk about something proper.
“It is is what it is and I’ve learned a lot. One thing being that it’s probably one of the most interesting, exciting and difficult places to manage in world football. It’s really good, the opportunity.