RUSSELL MARTIN insists the tie is very much alive as Rangers head to Belgium for the second-leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off round against Club Brugge.
With a 3-1 defeat at Ibrox last week, the head coach firmly believes his side can find a way back into the match and says the energy and mentality from his squad will be key tomorrow evening.
Speaking to the media at the pre-match press conference, Martin said: “I am excited about it, I think we have a real chance to come here and attack it. Every team will have a plan so it will be interesting to see what their plan is and I'm sure it will be to try and build on their margin they are winning by.
“We have been on the other end of this position already twice going into games not quite knowing how the opposition are going to approach it, so our energy and our mentality has to alter their plan very quickly and make their energy change.
“They are a good team, we know that, and I think they felt we were a good team in the second-half last week. I hope we put enough good moments together in that second-half to make sure they have a little bit of fear of what's to come.
“We are ready, so we are going to attack it and see where it takes us. It is exciting and the tie is very much alive in our eyes.”
When asked what a big win could do for his squad, Martin said: “I think it will settle the guys down a little bit, they need to feel evidence of it working and at the minute we haven't been able to get it over the line in the league games.
“We want to win every game, so it has been frustrating, but it is also not the end of the world, and this week can really change things for us and how people feel about it.
“How we feel about the work we are doing inside the building doesn't change, we work as hard as we possibly can on something to make sure players understand what is really important and we have to find some consistency and flow in that. That comes with energy really so we have to maintain that all the time and I am excited about what the group can achieve.”
Martin says it is up to the squad and their performances to change the energy of the supporters. He added: “There is an unwritten contract between players, a team and fans and the team has to dictate the energy of the fans. I really believe that.
"We didn't give them enough at St Mirren, after the game when you haven't won of course there's going to be frustration, so I understand that, I think the players understand that, we have spoken about it but the unwritten contract between us and the fans is that we have to really define the energy of the supporters.
“I don't think it comes the other way around so we have to do a bit more to make sure that we are giving them something to cheer about at the end of the game and I really believe we will, so I am not going to criticise the supporters.
“They are the most important people at the club, and I think a lot of them understand what is going on and the changes that were needed here. There will be some that will be really unhappy because we are not winning as many games as they would like so that is understandable especially at this amazing football club.
“I am really calm, and I am really convinced we will change this energy and the reaction at the end of the games. When we are winning and when we are in flow it will be beautiful and we'll all share it together.”
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