Southampton owner reacts to Russell Martin Rangers move
Southampton owner Dragan Solak has backed Russell Martin to be a success as Rangers head coach, as he told him to ‘prove me right’.
Jim White read out the sentiments of Solak on his show on talkSPORT this morning, as he and Simon Jordan reacted to Martin’s official appointment at Ibrox.
Martin, 39, has been out of football since Saints sacked him last December.
The south coast side were bottom of the Premier League at the time, with just one win in 16 matches at that point.
A 5-0 defeat at home to Tottenham was enough for Solak to remove Martin from his role at St Mary’s, just months after the former Scotland international had guided the club to promotion via the play-offs at Wembley.
“I believe and hope Russell will have great success with Rangers, really happy for him to land such a high-profile job,” read White, on behalf of Solak.
The Serbian continued:Â “It is absolutely the right fit for him and great opportunity for him to develop as a manager.
“I always considered him to be a smart and intelligent manager with a great career ahead of him and I hope that he proves me right.”
Martin was officially unveiled at Ibrox earlier today, having signed a three-year deal.
Now, ahead of the new 2025/26 season, Rangers have confirmed that there will be more alterations taking place this summer.
An email was recently sent to supporters that outlined the extent of the works.
It read: “We acknowledge the frustration and inconvenience you have experienced in the Copland Rear following the building works in summer 2024.
“We understand this has impacted your matchday experience, and we sincerely apologise for the disruption.
“As part of the Copland Stand development and to improve the matchday experience, it is intended that specialist glass barriers will replace the current metal barriers in front of row A in the Copland Rear next season. The precise timing of this installation is subject to local authority approvals and the fixture calendar. We will provide confirmation of the timings for this in due course.
“In addition, work has commenced on the installation of additional toilet facilities in the Copland Rear and are expected to be completed ahead of season 2025/26.
“While these are positive steps to address the issues supporters faced recently, additional work will continue through the season to improve the overall stand and the concourse.”
Rangers’ first game back at Ibrox for the new season is currently pencilled in for Sunday, July 6, when they will face Club Brugge.
