Club owner backs Russell Martin for Premier League job despite what he did at Rangers - 'It's a mad one'

Russell Martin has been backed to make a spectacular return to management with Premier League side West Ham.

Martin was hounded out by Rangers fans, who were furious with his performance in both domestic and European competitions at Ibrox.

Rangers’ elimination from the Champions League to Club Brugge in August was disastrous, and it marked the moment that the majority of fans started to turn on Martin.

After Rangers drew 1-1 with Falkirk on 5 October, Martin had to be escorted out of the stadium by police, and he was sacked shortly afterwards, meaning his 123-day reign became the shortest of any of the previous 19 permanent managers in the club’s history.

Despite that, Peterborough owner Darragh McAnthony has just touted him for the West Ham job in what would be a surprising move.

Darragh MacAnthony tips Russell Martin to be a good fit for West Ham

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo is on the verge of losing his job after winning just two of his 16 games in charge and leaving the London outfit seven points adrift of safety in the Premier League.

Martin earned Championship promotion with Southampton in 2023-24, but it all started to go wrong for him at the start of the following season.

His Premier League record in charge of the Saints didn’t strike confidence into Rangers fans, as he won just one of his 17 matches before being dismissed in December 2024.

However, MacAnthony believes that he would be a perfect fit to replace Nuno, with one eye already on relegation and next season.

He said: “I’m going to throw this out there, it’s a mad one, but if you do go down, go out and get Russell Martin.

“He’s won promotion from the Championship with Southampton, and fans at the London Stadium will love his style of football.”

Martin’s inability to plug defensive problems was one of the key reasons why he was sacked by Rangers.

Despite making several defensive reinforcements in the transfer window, the balance of the team was completely off.

The Bears kept three clean sheets from 17 matches under Martin, and as West Ham have already conceded 43 goals from 21 top-flight games this season, it doesn’t seem to be a great fit.

Martin has been out of management since he was dismissed by Andrew Cavenagh, and although he may have refined his footballing philosophy during his hiatus, hardly any evidence suggests he is equipped to manage in the Premier League again.

Danny Rohl has proven himself to be a much more capable head coach in Govan, and the differences between the pair are crystal clear.

• Read more: Oscar Cortes trains alone as final details of Rangers transfer agreement sorted

Danny Rohl has worked miracles with Martin’s signings

As alluded to before, Rangers were a mess at the back, but Rohl has steadied the ship.

Emmanuel Fernandez has become a key player and is scoring goals for fun, while the likes of Jayden Meghoma and James Tavernier have stepped up their performances.

In attack, Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti have both shown signs of being successful, while Mikey Moore has seen a complete resurgence of form.

Rohl still needs signings of his own, but to have Rangers in a title race after they won just one Scottish Premiership match from seven under Martin is truly remarkable.

Martin has gone down as Rangers’ worst manager of all time, and West Ham supporters should be aware of his links to the job if Nuno is sacked.

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