Russell Martin was quite right to take his Rangers players away from the hustle and bustle of football for a day.
It emerged yesterday that the head coach, his staff and first team players went for a cold water dip in Loch Lomond near to Balmaha, before going on a leisurely stroll up Conic Hill.
Experienced manager Ian Holloway insists the team bonding move is 'common sense' shown by Martin, as he attempts to arrest the slump after a dismal start to his tenure at Ibrox.
He told the Scottish Sun: "Why not shake things up and try something different?
“What Russell did the other day is far from mad. I like it and it's common sense really.
“When things aren’t going the way you want, it’s natural to take the players somewhere else to get away from it all.
“Going swimming and hill walking will have taken their mind off things and it will have been a bit of fun.
“I’m all for that. When Martin Allen was a manager, he’d have thrown his players in that loch - and then jumped in after them!
“I fully get what Russell is doing and I applaud him for it. I have tried all sorts of things over the years at different clubs.
“At QPR, I took the players to a ballet class and asked them to give us leg exercises.
“Unfortunately, we could hardly walk for the rest of the week - but we did recover for the game on the Saturday.
“My players were under stress but it was a proper dance company and they enjoyed it.
“Big Danny Shittu had a ballerina sitting on his shoulder at one point!
“But that ballet class lifted the mood and it was the same when I took the Blackpool players to a slip ‘n’ slide. I joined in with them that day and we also trained on the beach one day when the pitch was frozen.
“We took a full-size goal down with us and I managed to mark out the lines for the boys.
“It’s all about what you feel the group needs and what they require to become a real team.
“I like managers doing things differently. In the modern game, everything has to be so serious all the time.
“That can drive people into all sorts of trouble and we need to think of the mental wellbeing of the players."
The 62-year-old added: "Russell has to be his own man, like he always has been.
“Teams go up and down in form. At times, you don’t have things your own way. Look at Manchester United right now and Rangers are the same.
“But Russell has had success with the likes of Southampton, where his methods worked.
“People will say, ‘They got relegated from the Premiers League’ but he got them up there, didn’t he?
“I feel for Russell just now but this is management and you need to deal with it."
