Rangers lambasted after 'unacceptable' Club Brugge implosion but Martin calm on future despite 'catastrophic' start to season
Updated 28/08/2025 at 09:10 GMT+1
TNT Sports pundit and former Rangers striker and manager Ally McCoist blasted the Scottish side after their "unacceptable" capitulation against Club Brugge, losing 6-0 on the night and 9-1 on aggregate in their UEFA Champions League play-off. Despite the result and a poor start to the domestic season, manager Russell Martin remains calm on his future ahead of a huge Old Firm clash with Celtic.
'Catastrophic' - McCoist on Rangers manager dilemma
Video credit: TNT Sports
Ally McCoist lambasted Rangers for their "unacceptable" 6-0 defeat to Club Brugge in the second-leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off tie, which they lost 9-1 on aggregate.
Rangers conceded an early goal which was quickly compounded by Max Aarons' "embarrassing" red card, and the Belgians scored five more times to heap misery on Russell Martin.
The manager, who was only appointed in June after being sacked by Southampton the previous December, is under pressure after a winless start to the domestic season, with the Old Firm derby against Celtic coming to Ibrox on Sunday.
TNT Sports pundit Ally McCoist commentated on the comprehensive defeat and did not hold back in his post-match assessment.
"That was unacceptable," he said. "I wasn't confident Rangers could get a result tonight. Hopeful? Yeah, but realistically you look at the performances this season, you look at the first half against Brugge last week, miles off it.
"But what those travelling fans and those watching at home expect is a level of competition and competitiveness, which they didn't see tonight.
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Highlights: Ten-man Rangers thrashed by Club Brugge in Champions League play-off
Video credit: TNT Sports
"Rangers supporters deserve a lot better than the level of commitment, organisation, willingness to defend that they saw tonight. It's a sad reflection when the best player on your team is the goalkeeper and he's lost six goals. Make no mistake, if it was not for him, it could have been a cricket score."
The former Rangers forward criticised the club's transfer strategy, pointing out their lack of physicality in new recruits and across the squad.
"There's a lot more to it than what I'm about to say, but they've underestimated size. Physically, they're small. They look like wee boys. They won't thank me for saying it, they'll hate me saying it, but they look like wee boys.
"They need men, and your men don't need to be 6'5". They just need heart, head, organisation and desire. They're short of that in this department.
"You've got to have experience. You can't play, when I say younger lads, I mean inexperienced lads with no experience in European football at a stage like this. I'm thinking to myself, 'Had you gone through, God help us.' If you're going to places like Anfield and the Bernabeu and San Siro, that would have been too much to take."
With no wins from their three opening Scottish Premiership games and no Champions League football, it has been a disappointing start to the season for Rangers to say the least. But it could get "catastrophic" on Sunday when they take on Celtic at Ibrox, believes McCoist.
"You lose on Sunday, you're out of the Champions League, you're nine points behind your biggest rivals. It would be a catastrophic start to the season," said McCoist.
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MARTIN NOT WORRIED ABOUT FUTURE
Despite a poor result on Wednesday and a tough start to the season, Russell Martin insists he has no doubts about his future at the club.
When asked if he is worried about his tenure coming to a premature end, Martin said: "No. Patrick [Stewart] and Kevin [Thelwell], I've had a chat with them already. They're amazingly supportive.
"They understand this might take time; they knew that before we came in. They understand the club's position, and now the focus is on Sunday.
"The only thing we can do tonight is accept the pain, accept the humiliation, accept the hurt that we all should feel. And then use it as fuel. There's no other choice."
Rangers' poor defence was apparent early into the tie and Club Brugge took advantage of that to open the scoring within five minutes through Nicolo Tresoldi.
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Apologetic Martin admits Rangers have to 'accept the humiliation'
Video credit: TNT Sports
The red card to Aarons compounded a slow start, but Rangers managed to keep the scoreline at 1-0 until the half hour mark, when Hans Vanaken's goal opened the floodgates.
"We start terribly," Martin added. "The first time they enter our half they score, again which is the same as the other night, which is just madness really. Then we have a man sent off and it makes a really difficult task even more difficult.
"Then we completely lose our heads before half-time. A tough night got even tougher, really self-inflicted. Nothing to say but apologies to the fans who travelled and the fans who watched it back home.
"The job of a head coach and manager is to make sure it doesn't happen again and respond properly. It shouldn't happen. It's such basics and now we have to show a big response on Sunday."
Celtic themselves suffered a disappointing result in the Champions League as they lost on penalties to FC Kairat, but The Hoops are top of the table in Scotland with three wins from three.
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