A FAMILIAR OPTIMISM
When the white smoke billowed from the Ibrox chimney in June and Russell Martin was revealed as the new manager of Rangers, vast swathes of the club’s fans could scarcely have been more unenthusiastic. Indeed, short of announcing that Pope Leo XV had left his new role at the Vatican and would be taking over after Barry Ferguson’s lengthy spell in caretaker charge, it is difficult to imagine any other appointment prompting more fury. “We’re not oblivious to the noise at all,” harrumphed the Rangers CEO, Patrick Stewart, upon being quizzed about fan reaction to his announcement. “But I think we are confident because we’ve embarked on such a thorough process to take us to this point where we’ve appointed Russell that we’re confident supporters will get behind him.”
