There are some among the Rangers support, a sizeable number in fact, who would have been happy if Russell Martin had been shown the door after the humiliating defeat his side suffered against Club Brugge away in the Champions League play-off last month.
The Glasgow side’s display in the Jan Breydel Stadium was as inept, gutless and embarrassing as any of their followers could remember witnessing and provided incontrovertible evidence for them that manager Martin was out of his depth in his position.
The former Scotland internationalist somehow managed, despite a 2-0 home defeat to Hearts consigning the Govan outfit to second bottom spot in the William Hill Premiership, to remain in situ after the 6-0 drubbing.
But would another meeting with a Belgian side tonight prove his undoing? Or would it show that the 2-0 win over Hibernian in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Ibrox on Saturday evening was the start of a revival? The former may well be the case.
Read more:
- German once dubbed 'craziest man in football' in contention for key Aberdeen position
- The bizarre reason Oh Hyeon-gyu became €28m man and why ex-Celt's big move collapsed
- Youth campaigners claim victory over SFA and SPFL 'cartel' - but vow to fight on
Genk have not had their troubles to seek in the 2025/26 campaign either. They are currently languishing in third bottom spot in the Pro League after winning just two of their eight matches. Their head coach Thorsten Fisk is starting to feel the heat a little himself.
This Europa League league phase opener, though, was always going to be a good barometer of where Rangers are at.
Co-owner Andrew Cavenagh, who was once again in attendance and who had a few full and frank exchanges of view with the fans around the directors’ box before kick-off, and his associates were clearly of the view that Martin needed time after the Brugge debacle.
It was an understandable stance. The former Mk Dons, Swansea City and Southampton manager had only been in charge for 10 games and he had just lost three of them. He had, too, brought in a raft of new signings during the summer. Surely he and his team mates had to settle in their new surroundings before they could show the best versions of themselves?
This was by no means as demanding a test as the one against Brugge, who showed what a class act they were when they thrashed Monaco 4-1 in their first runout in the Champions League proper earlier this month, had been. Still, the visitors were a level above the opponents they usually face domestically.
Bryan Heynen and his team mates proved as much with their assured play in the opening half. They could very easily have been two or even three ahead at half-time. Oh Hyeon-gyu, the former Celtic striker, squandered two scoring opportunities he should have buried, Patrik Hrosovsky clipped the post and Jack Butland kept out a penalty.
The Englishman’s spot kick save drew a huge roar from the crowd and sparked an impromptu chorus of “Super Jack Butland in goals”. But there was precious little for the home supporters to cheer about otherwise. Not for the first time this term, the fare was dire.
Martin made one change to the starting line-up which had taken to the field against Hibs at the weekend - Yousseff Chermiti came in for Bojan Miovski up front due to the fatigue the latter was feeling after a hectic spell.
Chermiti, a £10m acquisition from Everton shortly before the window shut, is the second most expensive Rangers player of all-time after Tore Andre Flo and much is expected of him. He will need to receive some service going forward to show what he is capable of justify his transfer fee. He cannot be faulted for this reverse given how little of the ball he saw.
Once again, the Rangers game plan looked convoluted and ineffective. The frustration around the stadium was tangible as players wearing light blue shirts passed sideways and back again and again and again. Whatever it is that the man in the dugout wants his charges to do it is not working. His attack was toothless and his defence porous. The atmosphere, so often electric on big European nights, was flat as a result.
Read more:
- Steve Clarke told how Bundesliga hat-trick striker can help Scots book World Cup spot
- Rangers player ratings as Mohamed Diomande red card sinner vs Genk
- Stuart Kettlewell insists Killie are not 'too far away' from clicking into gear
Many of those players who are new to Ibrox look ill-equipped technically, physically and psychologically to perform to the standard required. Jayden Meghoma and Thelo Aasgaard were once again utterly anonymous. They should be contributing more, far more, by now.
Butland was good. He kept the scoreline level with three great saves in the second half. But one man could not prevent the inevitable. Oh finally, at about the fifth time of asking, got an attempt on target and broke the deadlock. When he added another the chants of “Martin, Martin, get to f***” started up. His second was disallowed, but the sentiment very much remained.
Going down to 10 men – Mohammed Diomande was rightly red carded for a reckless and needless foul four minutes before half-time – was far from ideal. But that can be no excuse for this insipid showing. Nor should the hosts complain about the penalty they were not awarded after a VAR check. They were fortunate the loss wasn’t far heavier.
Genk were eminently beatable. Will this latest wretched loss to Belgian rivals hasten the departure of manager Russell Martin? None of the Rangers fans, who booed and jeered when the final whistle brought an end to another alarming 90 minutes, will be protesting too loudly if it does.
