Charlie Grace

Sat 13 September 2025 17:02, UK

Rangers’ poor start to the season looks set to continue with Russell Martin’s side falling to a 2-0 defeat against Hearts.

Martin is a man under increasing scrutiny from pundits, with his Rangers side now 10th in the Scottish Premiership after the first four games of the season.

An encouraging 0-0 draw against Old Firm rivals Celtic would have given Martin reasons to be optimistic over the international break.

However, Lawrence Shankland’s opener for Hearts quashed any optimism at Ibrox, as the Edinburgh side took the lead over Martin’s side before Shankland made it 2-0 with a late goal.

Lawrence Shankland sinks Russell Martin

The Rangers fans have been critical of Martin’s treatment of Nicolas Raskin, and Shankland’s goal will have increased that criticism.

Gordon Duncan, who is reporting for Gillette Soccer Saturday discussed the hostile atmosphere in Glasgow, as Rangers fell behind again.

Duncan said: “It is toxic in here. You will hear it in here in two minutes time when the Rangers fans will make their feelings known.

“They’re booing random passages of play and they are furious here. It is very toxic here,” Duncan continued, as half time drew closer.

Russell Martin under threat of the sack as poor start continues

Despite receiving backing for his handling of the Raskin situation, Martin has faced a plethora of scrutiny from pundits.

The ex-Southampton boss has struggled to imprint his style on the squad at Rangers, with three 1-1 draws being followed up by a humiliating 9-1 aggregate loss to Club Brugge in Champions League qualifying.

Martin would have hoped that a positive performance against Celtic would have given his side a springboard to bounce off of coming out of the international break, but that hasn’t been the case against Hearts.

If results and performances don’t improve soon, Martin may fund himself under threat of getting sacked, as the Ibrox mood continues to turn sour.