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3 weeks ago
16
Furious fans again turned on Russell Martin after a 2-0 defeat to Hearts at Ibrox left Rangers still looking for their first Premiership win after five games.
There were nine minutes on the clock when home supporters began to chant the name of Nicolas Raskin, the Belgium midfielder left out of the squad amid a dispute with the Rangers manager. The crowd broke into chants against Martin when Lawrence Shankland drove the visitors ahead in the 22nd minute and they sporadically targeted him during the rest of another dismal performance.
Rangers stepped it up in the second half but, after seeing his 82nd-minute penalty saved by Jack Butland, Shankland netted the rebound for Hearts’ first win at Ibrox in 11 years to take them nine points clear of the home side.
Martin was not a popular appointment in the summer and his rating with supporters plummeted further after four successive draws in the league and being bundled out of the Champions League qualifiers by Club Brugge 9-1 on aggregate.
The international break had allowed the former Southampton boss to bolster his squad. The Canada defender Derek Cornelius, on loan from Marseille, and Youssef Chermiti, the 21-year-old Portuguese attacker who signed from Everton for a reported fee of £8m, started on the bench for Rangers, unchanged from a goalless draw against Celtic before the international break, when they failed to have a shot on goal.
Derek McInnes dropped the goalkeeper Zander Clark to the Hearts bench, with Alexander Schwolow handed a debut, while defender Stephen Kingsley and winger Alexandros Kyziridis replaced injured Frankie Kent and Blair Spittal respectively.
In the fourth minute Craig Halkett headed just over Butland’s crossbar and the Rangers goalkeeper saved a drive from Shankland before the Raskin chants rang round the stadium.
Shankland found more joy when Cláudio Braga slipped in a delightful pass inside the box and he drove across Butland and into the far corner of the net.
In the 37th minute Schwolow made his first real save when he tipped a curling shot from midfielder Thelo Aasgaard on to the crossbar and over and a save from Djeidi Gassama was the last real action of the first half which brought boos from the home fans.
There was no surprise that Martin made changes for the start of the second half with Cornelius on for Nasser Djiga and Oliver Antman replacing Mikey Moore while Joe Rothwell soon took over from Connor Barron.
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There was some improvement. Antman’s shot drew a save from Schwolow, Gassama curled a shot against a post and Cornelius headed a corner over the bar.
Chermiti came on for Jayden Meghoma in another reshuffle and the changes looked to have had the desired effect when Cornelius had the ball in the Hearts net following a melee inside the six-yard box but the referee, Steven McLean, blew for a foul on Schwolow and the video assistant referee concurred.
When Mohamed Diomande pulled down Harry Milne inside the Rangers penalty area, McLean pointed to the spot. Shankland’s effort was saved by Butland but he was first to the loose ball and slotted in.
Rangers fans departed in their droves – there was time for the Hearts substitute Tomas Magnusson to hit a post – and it is difficult to see how Martin can survive the toxicity that has enveloped his short tenure.
