Russell Martin: This is what Rangers failed to do against Kilmarnock
Rangers defender Russell Martin insists the Gers need to make sure they are keeping clean sheets even when they aren’t playing well and struggling to score.
The Light Blues fell to a second consecutive home defeat when they lost 1-0 to Kilmarnock on Saturday following on from the 3-2 Old Firm defeat six days earlier.
Martin missed the Old Firm clash but played the full game against Killie as the Gers recorded their seventh home defeat of the season.
The 32-year-old insists the Gers “need to find a way” to stop giving away silly goals when opposition teams come and sit in against them and try hit the Light Blues on the counter.
“When you are not at it and not playing as well as you can then the least you need to get is a point and try and keep a clean sheet and we haven’t done it,” Martin said, as quoted by the Belfast Telegraph.
“We need to find a way. Hearts came and did the same and we found a way to break them down. We scored fairly early in that game and I think it is much easier when you get the early goal because the other team has to open it.
“The longer it goes on, the longer they have something to hold onto and they always have the hope they might be able to nick something, which is what happened. Especially here at home we need to be winning games like that and we need to find a way to do it.”
Martin joined the Gers in January on a season-long loan deal from Norwich and has made nine appearances for the Light Blues so far.
The 32-year-old missed the clash with Celtic with a back injury before returning to the side at the weekend but has since withdrawn from the Scotland squad for the friendlies with Costa Rica and Hungary.
The Gers return to action after the international break when they travel to face Motherwell at Fir Park on March 31st and will be hoping Martin is fit again.
Football Insider verdict:
The Gers’ struggles to break down teams are well documented and their habit of giving silly goals away has been a problem for a number of years now as teams come to Ibrox confident of taking something. The Light Blues have needed to do something about it for a long time and have tried repeatedly but continually end up making the same mistakes that have punished them before. With two weeks before the Gers return to action, Graeme Murty will have some time to work with his defence and try fix things.
In other Rangers news, fans have demanded that the club signs this Old Firm scourge in the summer, claiming he is better than Celtic’s Olivier Ntcham.
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