Rangers Beaten in Graz as Misery Compounds for Under Pressure Martin
Sturm Graz 2-1 Rangers Horvat (7′) Kiteishvili (35′) Gassama (49′) A first-half double from Sturm Graz ensured back-to-back Europa League defeats for Rangers, as their dismal season opening continues. The home side made a dream start in the 7th minute. After picking off a James Tavernier throw-in, they worked the ball to Tomi Horvat, whose shot went through Jack Butland in goal. The goalkeeper perhaps should have done better, but it was a disastrous start for Russell Martin’s side. Belmin Beganovic forced Butland into an important near-post save, as Sturm Graz looked to double their advantage soon after. Youssef Chermiti’s back post header crashed off the crossbar, as the visitors searched for the leveller after 17 minutes. Sturm Graz continued to control proceedings and added a second in the 35th minute. Rangers were caught off guard by a deep free kick, evading their entire defensive line. Otar Kiteishvili had acres of space to poke the ball past Butland. It was a clever finish by the Georgian, but a lack of concentration from the visitors played a huge part. Russell Martin turned to his bench at halftime, with Bojan Miovski and Max Aarons replacing Jayden Meghoma and Oliver Antman. The visitors started the second half on top. Djeidi Gassama latched onto Nico Raskin’s clipped pass, after cutting inside, and thumped a low shot past Oliver Christensen, offering some encouragement to the travelling fans behind the goal. Rangers submitted an improved second-half performance, but were let off several times by the Austrian attack. John Souttar almost secured a point in injury time, but Christensen reacts brilliantly to parry over his strike from close range. The defeat leaves Rangers with 0 points from their opening two Europa League matches. They return to domestic action at the Falkirk Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Questions remain for under-pressure Russell Martin, after another disappointing defeat. Sturm Graz: Christensen, Ooermann, Aiwu, Lavalee, Karic, Stankovic, Horvat, Chukwuani, Kiteishvili, Malone, Beganovic Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Souttar, Cornelius, Meghoma, Raskin, Barron, Aasgaard, Antman, Chermiti, Gassama
Horta and Martinez Strike as Celtic Slump to Braga Defeat
Celtic 0-2 Sporting Braga Horta (20′) Martinez (85′) A goal in each half secured a 2-0 victory for Sporting Braga over Celtic in the Europa League, drawing loud boos from the frustrated home support. Brendan Rodgers’ side produced a positive start, new signings Kelechi and Sebastian Tounekti linked after 13 minutes, but the latter’s strike was straight at Braga goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek. The chance encouraged the home faithful, but hopes evaporated as Braga dominated the remainder of the first half. Ricardo Horta gave the visitors the lead after 20 minutes. After collecting the ball in acres of space, he unleashed a dipping 30-yard strike which wrongfooted Kasper Schmeichel in goal. The Portuguese side had struggled in the early stages, but looked far more assured after Horta’s goal. They dominated the central areas, running Celtic’s midfield ragged. Florian Grillitsch had opportunities to double the lead close to halftime, but a powerful strike after 44 minutes was tipped over by Schmiechel. The Austrian midfielder had two close-range efforts blocked moments later. The halftime whistle brought boos from the home faithful. Despite a strong start, Rodgers’ side would have to improve to wrestle the game back in their favour from the confident visitors. Iheanacho thought he had brought Celtic level five minutes into the second period. The striker beat two Braga defenders to the ball and drove a low shot past Hornicek at the left-hand side of the box. The goal looked certain to stand, but a lengthy VAR check concluded that the Nigerian forward had handled the ball in the build-up. The decision stunned the home support, as the ball seemed to only connect with Iheanacho’s head. The incident ignited a quiet Celtic Park, and Callum McGregor’s close-range shot was expertly blocked as Rodgers’ side pressed for the equaliser. Kieran Tierney blocked a Horta strike and had his back-post header saved as both sides continued to attack. Hornicek was again on hand to save Tounekti’s bending effort aimed at the bottom right-hand corner. Braga doubled their lead in the 85th minute to seal the game. A flowing move eventually found its way to Gabi Martinez. The substitute’s effort rebounded to Dane Murray, who’s attempted clearance cannoned off Martinez, and past Schmeichel. Celtic were unable to force their way back into the game, leaving them with one point from their opening two Europa League matches. They have a chance to respond against Motherwell on Sunday afternoon. Celtic: Schmeichel, Donovan, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney, McGregor, Bernardo, Nygren, Maeda, Iheanacho, Tounekti Braga: Hornicek, Da Rocha, Lagerbielke, Arrey-Mbi, Lelo, Grillitsch, Carvalho, Gorby, Victor, Horta, El Ouazzani
Should Rangers have appointed Frank Lampard as manager?
Russell Martin was appointed as Rangers manager back in May and it’s safe to say it’s been a complete disaster, with many of the Ibrox faithful calling for him to be sacked. But with the 39-year-old under serious pressure, did the Light Blues miss a trick by not appointing footballing legend Frank Lampard when they had the chance? Two years ago, Michael Beale was sacked as Rangers manager after only 11 months in charge and it left many wondering who would be the ideal replacement. The Light Blues were linked with a host of names, but it came down to two men in the final stages of the interviewing process and that was Philippe Clement and one of the greatest midfielders to ever lace up a pair of boots in Frank Lampard. At the time, Rangers legend Graeme Souness was vocal in his support for Lampard to get the job and he believed he had what it takes to deal with the demands and expectations of being at such a big club. He told TalkSport: “There were two outstanding candidates – Frank and Philippe. The final say wasn’t with me. “For me, Frank had the edge because of this; Frank, I think, has still got a great deal to offer. “Taking the Chelsea job when he did was always going to be very, very difficult. The Everton job is a basket case. “The thing that encouraged me about Frank is he wanted to do it. He doesn’t need the money. He wants to be a successful manager. And he fancied the Rangers job which is a hard place to work, the west of Scotland.” The Englishman started his managerial career seven years ago and it’s been quite a rollercoaster to say the least. Derby County was his first big challenge in the dugout and he done a fine job reaching the play-off final and narrowly missed out on promotion losing 2-1 to an impressive Aston Villa outfit. The work Lampard done at the Rams impressed a certain Mr. Roman Abramovich, and he was then appointed as Chelsea boss in July 2019. Lampard was walking into a club that was hit with a transfer embargo, sold their best player in Eden Hazard, and had no other option but to utilise the Blues’ youth academy. It was always going to be a tough ask for the Romford-born manager but he defied the odds and finished in the top four and reached an FA Cup final. Lampard was instrumental in the development of Mason Mount, Reece James, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Fikayo Tomori – players that have all been capped for England. The following season, Lampard was sacked by Chelsea and the London club went onto win the Champions League. Lampard should get some credit for that success as seven players who started the final were either signed or developed by the Chelsea legend. After a couple difficult spells with Everton, returning to Chelsea again in 2023, and missing out on the Gers job – many were wondering if Lampard was cut out for football management and where he would go from here? On November 2024, Lampard finally made his return to the dugout and it was with struggling Coventry City. It was a big risk for Lampard to take as the club were sitting 17th in the table and effectively in a relegation dog fight. However, Lampard worked miracles and the Sky Blues finished 5th in the league reaching the play-offs – it was an unbelievable turnaround. Lampard’s men have had an incredible start to this season as they’re currently second in the Championship unbeaten with his stock sky high. Even in 2023, Lampard still would have been a perfect for the Ibrox club as they’ve been crying out for a manager with a strong and fierce winning mentality. Steven Gerrard, the same as Lampard are two men that command respect when they walk into any room for what they’ve achieved in the game. The pressures and demands of managing Glasgow Rangers wouldn’t have phased Lampard one bit in the slightest. Lampard has played at the highest level of the game winning three English Premier Leagues and the Champions League. If anyone could have brought the standards back to the fallen Govan club – it would have been him. Rangers are in a mess right now under Martin and with Lampard thriving down south with ambitions to get his men promotion to the Premiership for the first time since 2001. It does make you wonder how differently things could have been for him and Rangers if he was appointed as manager in 2023 instead of Clement.
UEFA Champions League Review: Matchday Two
The UEFA Champions League returned to our screens this week after an absence the week prior. Six Premier League clubs were in action, with some faring a lot better than others. Kairat Almaty, who dumped Celtic out in the qualifiers, hosted European giants Real Madrid in one of the early kick-offs on Tuesday. It would be two defeats from two for the Kazakhstan side, falling to a 5-0 defeat as Kylian Mbappe netted a hat-trick. Atalanta and Club Brugge played out the other early kick off, with the Series A side leaving it late to complete a 2-1 turnaround victory. Three of the English sides competed on Tuesday night. Jose Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge in his new role as Benfica manager. His side lost 1-0 to the Blues on the night, but the ‘Special One’ received a hero’s welcome. Less can be said about the reception Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez received from his former fans housed in the away corner. Tottenham Hotspur travelled to the Arctic Circle to take on Bodo/Glimt, who they knocked out of last season’s Europa League semi-final. A Jens Hauge double spooked a rocked Spurs side, but goals from skipper Micky Van De Ven and an own goal enforced by Richarlison meant that the North Londoners were able to escape with a point. Liverpool were the third English club in action, faced with the task of overcoming the cauldron which is RAMS Park, home of Galatasaray. The atmosphere ultimately proved too much for the Premier League champions, with an early Victor Osimhen penalty being the difference between the sides. Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid thrashed Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1. Inter Milan defeated Czech side Slavia Prague 3-0 in the same week demolition plans of Inter and AC’s shared stadium San Siro were confirmed. Marseille romped to a 4-0 home win over Ajax, and Bayern Munich defeated a Pafos side featuring David Luiz 5-1 in Cyprus. Three more English clubs took part in the nine Wednesday fixtures. Newcastle United occupied one of the early kick off slots, with a convincing 4-0 away win over USG of Belgium, another side with investment from Hearts shareholder Tony Bloom. Nick Woltemade scored his third since arriving in the summer, before two Anthony Gordon penalties and a Harvey Barnes effort completed the rout. Qarabag beat FC København 2-0 to maintain their 100% record in the other early kick off. Arsenal were the only other English side to play at home this week, as Gabriel Martinelli gave the Gunners the lead before Bukayo Saka clinched a 2-0 win at the death at home to Olympiacos. Manchester City travelled to the Principality of Monaco to take on the Ligue 1 side of the same name, drawing 2-2 after an injury time Eric Dier penalty split the points. Erling Haaland scored two first half goals either side of a Jordan Teze thunderbolt, before Monaco won a penalty late on for a high boot offence. International football returns next week in the form of World Cup qualifiers, so the UEFA Champions League does not come back until October 21st.
Russell Martin on what he finds ‘sad’ about the hostile backlash he receives
Russell Martin addresses the intense backlash he’s received from the Rangers faithful and has been told that some of it has gone too far. The under-fire Ibrox boss was subjected to furious chants for his sacking – seconds after Max Aarons scored in stoppage to get the Light Blues’ first league win of the season. Martin’s men have travelled to Austria to face Sturm Graz in their second Europa League game, as they look to try and make it two wins on the bounce. In his pre match press conference before the clash, the 39-year-old spoke about what he finds ‘sad’ regarding the brutal criticism he’s endured: “I walked straight down the tunnel on Sunday because I wanted the players to enjoy it. “They deserved to enjoy it because they played really well in the first half especially. “There is a narrative that it was late and Livingston were unlucky. But we deserved to win the game. “So I wanted the players to enjoy it – then people can choose to turn their attention to me. “I just wish at that point they could enjoy their team winning rather than that energy coming towards me. “The only thing I find sad is when I see kids standing next to their dads and sticking their fingers up at me or swearing at me. “I don’t feel particularly sad about that for me. I feel it’s more about that cycle going on. “Look, I’m here and we’ve made mistakes. “There’s been some tough moments, but we’re giving everything we’ve got to improve the club. As is Kevin (Thelwell), Patrick (Stewart) and the owners. “When you have so much change – and it’s not an excuse – but I think it’s pretty evident it might take some time. “So the criticism aimed at me is fine. I’ve actually had a lot of fans come up to me in the city telling me to ignore it. “They feel it’s gone quite some way over the normal criticism. “I’ve really appreciated that. I think they just want to see their team win. So we have to win games of football. “Inside the building, the players and staff have been amazing. They’re so together. “You saw that in the celebrations on Sunday with the doctor, the physios, the subs, the players who hadn’t even played. “Nedim Bajrami jumped into the crowd and he only played 10 minutes. So I enjoyed that.”
