"He's an all-round beauteous idiosyncratic and he's precise talented. He volition beryllium a manager 1 time due to the fact that he's conscionable the close idiosyncratic to beryllium a manager."
Those benignant and prescient words came from Delia Smith erstwhile Russell Martin parted ways with Norwich City successful the summertime of 2018.
Now the 39-year-old is looking for his 4th station arsenic caput manager and is reported to beryllium the front-runner for the Rangers occupation arsenic the club's caller American owners statesman their reign.
One triumph successful 16 and sacked earlier Christmas. It surely doesn't look great, but there's much to Martin than a little Premier League spell with Southampton past season.
His possession-based benignant took Southampton up via the play-offs a twelvemonth agone - having been honed astatine MK Dons and Swansea City - and the erstwhile Scotland defender refused to compromise connected his principles.
"To get to the Premier League and past alteration would beryllium illogical," helium said aft a constrictive nonaccomplishment astatine Manchester City successful October. "I cannot basal connected the sidelines watching thing I don't consciousness connected with oregon love. I don't spot the constituent successful that."
Pep Guardiola was full of praise for the visitors' bravery connected the shot that day, going connected to suggest helium could larn from Martin's approach.
The methodology yet backfired with a squad lacking successful Premier League acquisition and Martin was jettisoned.
But would it enactment astatine Rangers, who are expected to predominate against astir home opposition?
Under Martin, MK Dons acceptable a British grounds with a extremity scored from a 56-pass determination successful March 2021.
In that aforesaid season, lone Manchester City and Barcelona had a higher mean possession percent successful Europe than the League One side.
It was the aforesaid astatine Swansea, tons of plaudits for the strategy but nary prizes, making strides portion winning little than 38% of his games astatine some clubs.
Former Ibrox guardant Steven Naismith, who played with Martin for Scotland and Norwich City, reckons Rangers would flourish with specified an approach.
"He's got a wide style, a wide individuality and that, for me, is massive," the erstwhile Ibrox guardant told BBC Sport Scotland.
"Rangers request idiosyncratic who tin recognize what they privation and tin instrumentality it. Russell has done that present astatine 3 clubs.
"Nine times retired of 10 successful Scotland, Rangers volition play against teams sitting in, and it's astir breaking them down. I deliberation the doctrine of Russell is each astir that.
"He wants his squad to person tons of possession, propulsion the absorption heavy and past wounded them."
Martin has erstwhile acquisition of Ibrox, having been connected indebtedness astatine Rangers for the 2nd fractional of an underwhelming 2017-18 campaign.
He made 17 appearances, scoring once, arsenic his playing vocation began to upwind down.
"If you don't recognize the league, if you don't recognize the club, that portion tin get overlooked and it tin origin you large problems," said Naismith.
"Russell has experienced it, though it was brief.
"He understands the request and helium was astir apt astatine the nine astatine a clip erstwhile the prime of what was connected connection wasn't great, truthful he's seen however pugnacious it tin be."
Martin was 32 erstwhile helium made the power to Ibrox and did not adhd to his 29 Scotland caps, the archetypal of which came arsenic a precocious substitute successful a 3-1 triumph implicit Wales successful 2011.
That planetary debut came nether Craig Levein, portion Martin was a regular prime for Gordon Strachan, playing successful the location and distant wins against Croatia successful 2013.
The Brighton-born cardinal defender enjoyed his highest years astatine Carrow Road, making much than 300 appearances for Norwich.
There, helium achieved back-to-back promotions from League One with Paul Lambert successful charge. He was skipper erstwhile they returned to the Premier League successful 2015.
Martin besides captained erstwhile clubs Wycombe Wanderers and Peterborough United and his enactment qualities besides impressed Naismith.
"Communication is 1 of his strongest points," added the ex-Hearts boss. "He understands the highs and lows and what it takes to get the champion retired of a player."
Former Swansea City striker Lee Trundle echoed those sentiments, telling BBC Sport Scotland that man-management america 1 of Martin's main strengths.
"Everyone astatine Swansea loved playing for him. He's honorable with his players, helium tells them what helium needs," helium said.
"He's precise clever. I don't deliberation helium has a program A oregon a program B, it's conscionable the mode helium sees football. He thinks that is however the crippled should beryllium played and helium sticks with it."
Anyone who saw Martin play tin attest to his steely competitiveness.
A gentle Sussex accent and awesome articulacy belie a turbulent upbringing, with his precocious father's unit and gambling starring to upheaval.
Martin has spoken candidly of a analyzable narration with his Scottish dad, who vacillated betwixt doting and controlling and pushed him and his brothers hard arsenic their archetypal shot coach.
"My full satellite revolved astir proving him incorrect and making him proud," helium told The Times successful November 2023.
He cleaned toilets earlier schoolhouse and worked nighttime shifts successful a supermarket anterior to his determination into the nonrecreational ranks astatine the comparatively precocious property of 18.
He besides had to conflict ulcerative colitis during his career, changing to a vegan fare to combat inflammation aft experiments with acupuncture and Chinese herbal remedies.
Martin has ne'er been acrophobic to spell his ain mode and soon we volition find retired if that's the close mode for Rangers.
Would Martin beryllium your prime arsenic Rangers manager?
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