WHEN Brendan Rodgers was named Celtic boss, the only thing he had won was a play-off final.
That’s precisely what Russell Martin arrives at Rangers with now.
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OK, Rodgers had previously bossed Liverpool and came close to winning the Premier League title.
But he didn’t, did he?
No, Rodgers came to Celtic and Scottish football with the task of rebuilding his managerial reputation — something he’s done in style.
Who’s to say Martin can’t now do exactly the same?
It’s not going to be easy. I’m not saying that for one single minute.
But keep me out of all of this negativity that surrounds his appointment.
The Rodgers we see now at Celtic is a winner.
After his first spell at the club, he returned to England with Leicester City and lifted trophies, and he’s back up here doing more of the same.
But he had to start lifting trophies somewhere.
I’ll tell you one thing that jumped out at me from Martin’s press conference when he was officially unveiled — he sounded arrogant.
But that’s no criticism. I loved it.
He carried himself in a certain way that portrayed someone who believed in himself 100 per-cent.
That’s not a weakness in management, it’s a vital strength.
Martin seems to know that he’s good at what he does.
He’s clearly got principles he’s willing to live and die by, and I have nothing but admiration for people like that.
That doesn’t guarantee results and success. Of course not.
But there are a lot of attributes he has that make me believe he could be a success at Rangers.
I also love the fact that Martin’s turned down other opportunities to come to Ibrox.
From what I’m led to believe, there were big clubs in England who wanted him as part of their set-up, and he could also have gone to Leicester for an easier ride.
But he decided that just wasn’t for him.
That’s a huge call to enter the Glasgow goldfish bowl knowing the potential pitfalls.
But he backs himself and that says a lot about him in my book.
I know a lot of Rangers fans aren’t happy with his appointment.
But they have probably had a false sense of expectation on the back of the 49ers takeover.
Many of them were anticipating a big European name to get the job.
At one stage, even Jose Mourinho was being touted.
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But that was just pie in the sky.
Rangers have just appointed a manager who was working in the Premier League this time last year.
That’s a fact. This was a guy working in the so-called biggest and best league in the world.
Nobody had anything negative to say about Martin then.
He’d just been promoted from the Championship with Southampton and his stock and reputation was very high.
But because he didn’t get off to a great start in the Premier League, the critics were quick to jump all over him.
His Southampton team was out its depth at that level. There is absolutely no getting away from it.
They were on the verge of being the worst team in EPL history.
Was Martin a part of that? Yes, he was for 16 games.
And I don’t doubt that he’s got a lot to prove now he’s Rangers boss.
He’s been honest enough to admit that himself.
I can sit here and talk about how I think he could be a success at Ibrox, but ultimately the proof will be in the pudding.
But if anyone wants to look at his past then there are as many success stories as there have been failures.
He’s also got a reputation of being a very good coach, and that’s clearly evident by the way his teams have played.
It’s far too easy to ridicule this appointment just because of the way things ended for him down at Southampton.
Some people just want to pick people apart, no matter what.
Being negative is just a Scottish trait, unfortunately and that will probably never change.
But you could be that way with anyone if it suited you.
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Carlo Ancelotti won the Premier League at Chelsea but struggled badly at Everton. Did that make him a failure?
There were talks with his son, Davide, but that was a non-starter for me. The Rangers fans who wanted him were only attracted by his family name.
And it will be the same fans who go off their nut if Martin becomes a success at Rangers and is lured back down to England.
There were also links with Sean Dyche. But you could argue that he did all right at Goodison up to a point, before hitting a brick wall.
Remember too that Martin has managed over 250 games which is a lot for someone of his age. That’s a lot of learning for a 39-year-old.
He’s going to be judged on one thing and that’s results.
He’s no different from any other Rangers manager on that score.
His team has to at least compete for the title.
That’s not going to be easy, given how comfortable it’s been for Celtic in the last few years.
But Rangers have a manager who seems to have his eyes wide open.
He’s clearly been desperate to get this job, and I for one think it could turn out to be a smart appointment by Gers.
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