RUSSELL MARTIN says he’s excited to lead Rangers into a new chapter after he was unveiled as the club’s new Head Coach earlier today.
The 39-year-old arrives at Ibrox with a wealth of experience in the dugout, impressing at MK Dons and Swansea City before taking the reins at Southampton and leading the south coast outfit back to the Premier League in 2024.
A highly regarded coach, Martin’s ambition, intensity and leadership has been abundant at each of his previous clubs as he now looks to deliver sustained success at Ibrox.
Speaking to RangersTV for the first time, Martin can’t wait to get going as Gers Head Coach: “It’s an amazing feeling and I’m really proud.
“I’m really grateful and humble to be here. It’s an amazing opportunity and football club.
“I’m really excited to get going. I’m tired and have had very little sleep – I got back from my holiday last night with my kids!
“I signed my contract late last night and had to get to bed for an early flight, but I’m excited to get going now.
“Hopefully everyone feels that excitement with the owners coming in.
“After so many conversations with them, Patrick [Stewart] and Kevin [Thelwell], I was just so impressed with their vision of the club.
“I can’t wait for us to act that out and create something that we’re all really proud of and other people feel proud of.”
Martin spent six months on loan at the Gers in his playing days, sampling the pressure and expectation which comes with the territory at Ibrox.
He admits that his experience at the club – although brief and turbulent on the pitch – has sharpened his hunger to create long-term success in the dugout in Govan.
Martin continued: “I said it was the right place at the wrong time the last time I was here.
“The club is brilliant; the fanbase, the intensity of the support and how much people feel and care about it.
“Inside of the building as well; the people that worked here and I had a brilliant relationship with.
“I’m looking forward to reconnecting with a lot of them. The sheer enormity of it; the challenge and excitement to build, win together, and build some energy which can be so powerful.
“We’ve had a lot of opportunities to get back into work since we left Southampton, but I didn’t want to take a job just for the sake of it.
“It was just the excitement of all of it; new ownership, fresh energy, how Kevin and Patrick have been throughout the process, the Chairman, Andrew [Cavenagh], as well.
“It’s been a really interesting last couple of weeks. It’s been thorough, intense, and tough, but it should be to get a job at this club. I’m really pleased.
“What can I take from my previous time at the club? I can take a huge amount. I was really disappointed with how it went on the pitch.
“I came with the aim of staying as long as I could as a player, and I remember having chats with people around the club at the time knowing I would be going back to Norwich about potentially coming back one day and coaching. It’s happened.
“I’m absolutely over the moon about that. I learned so much about the environment and the demands of the place; about what it takes and how difficult it is to be relentless to win in a way that connects with the fans.
“I’m really looking forward to putting a team on the pitch which reflects that.”
Martin’s most recent managerial stint came at Southampton, where he led the Saints to immediate promotion back to the Premier League in his first season at the club.
Life among the riches of the top-flight in England proved difficult for Southampton, with Martin departing the club in December, and the 39-year-old believes he’s all the better for the adversity he encountered.
He added: “You learn so much about yourself when things are difficult and you’re in a tough moment, which we were in the Premier League.
“We had a brilliant season in achieving promotion which was amazing; one of the best days of my life in sharing it with my family and friends.
“It changes very quickly because that’s football, so the challenge changes.
“But I actually learned to adapt, to be pragmatic when it matters and flex on certain things but being so uncompromising and so demanding on others is important.
“I’m really looking forward to instilling all of it and being so demanding with the players but hopefully giving them an environment where they can be themselves and enjoy playing for this football club because it should be a joy and an honour to play here.
“I want to take some burden off them, if they feel the weight of the tradition and history, because if we can do that then we can create something really special.”
Watch the interview in full below.