Rangers can get Miovski firing by sacking Martin for "amazing" manager
da betano casino： Glasgow Rangers enjoyed a busy end to the summer transfer window with the signings of Derek Cornelius on loan from Marseille and Youssef Chermiti on a permanent deal from Everton.
da esport bet： The Scottish Premiership giants made plenty of moves, in and out, in an attempt to build a squad that can compete with their Glasgow rivals to win trophies this season.
There were high-profile exits, as Cyriel Dessers, Jefte, and Hamza Igamane moved away from Ibrox, whilst there were some exciting signings brought in to improve the squad, including Bojan Miovski, Djeidi Gassama, and Thelo Aasgaard.
So far, though, the Ibrox giants have not seen any rewards for their work over the summer, as Russell Martin has yet to oversee a victory in the Premiership and his side were knocked out of the Champions League.
The Light Blues head into the first international break of the season off the back of a 0-0 draw with Celtic in the Premiership, their fourth draw in as many games in the division.
It is fair to say that Martin’s start to life at Ibrox has not gone smoothly and that a section of the fanbase is already unhappy with the direction of travel under him.
Why Rangers should part ways with Russell Martin
After the 6-0 loss to Club Brugge, Martin claimed that he was “embarrassed,” and supporters seemingly felt the same way, as a banner left at Ibrox read, “Get him out now before the seats are empty.”
This suggests that some fans feel that the crowd numbers at Ibrox will diminish if the former Scotland international remains in post with the style of play and the nature of the results so far.
This is not to say that Martin cannot turn things around and ultimately become a success at Ibrox, because there has been a big turnover in the squad, and Chermiti and Cornelius have yet to play for the manager.
However, it is seemingly going to take a lot to get the fans back onside and there has not been much to take away from the competitive matches played so far that suggest that things are on the way up.
Premiership xG table after four games
Club
xG
xGA
xPTS
Celtic
5.7
1.2
8
Hearts
6.4
4.1
7
Hibernian
5.7
1.9
7
Rangers
4.5
3.7
6
Motherwell
5.9
5.5
6
Stats via FotMob
As you can see in the table above, the slow start to the season for Rangers in the Premiership has not been because of unfortunate results, as they have not been particularly impressive with their general performances.
They have the lowest xG tally in the top five in the division after four games, which will not come as a surprise to anyone who has watched the team play, as they have lacked creativity and effective build-up play.
Miovski did not have a single ‘big chance’ created for him in the draw with Celtic, per Sofascore, and Rangers could get him firing by sacking Martin to bring a former manager back to Ibrox.
Before they appointed the ex-Southampton boss, Rangers had reportedly made contact with Steven Gerrard over a possible return to the club.
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Given the woeful start to the campaign, reigniting that interest to bring him back to Glasgow could be a shrewd move and one that could get the best out of their new striker.
Why Gerrard would be perfect for Miovski
Above all else, the former England international is a proven Premiership manager who knows how to earn success in Scotland, having won the 2020/21 league title with Rangers.
Gerrard, whose reputation was described as “amazing” by former England defender Glen Johnson, has won a title in his career as a manager and some supporters, who have already celebrated success with him in charge at Ibrox, may find it easier to back and get behind his style and way of playing.
The way the English head coach got the best out of Alfredo Morelos during his time in Glasgow shows that he has a system, typically a 4-3-3 shape, and a way of playing that can help a striker to thrive.
Alfredo Morelos at Rangers
All competitions
With Gerrard
Without Gerrard
Appearances
158
111
Goals
83
41
Games per goal
1.90
2.70
Assists
36
21
Games per assist
4.38
5.28
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, the Colombian marksman was far better off with Gerrard in charge at Rangers, scoring and assisting goals with greater regularity.
These statistics, and the fact that he won a league title with Morelos, show that the currently unattached manager’s style of play helps a striker to succeed and provides them with plenty of chances to score.
This is why bringing Gerrard back to the club could get Miovski firing and scoring enough goals to put Rangers in contention for trophies this season, given his record at Premiership level shown in the graphic above.
The Macedonia international has proven that he can score goals in the Scottish top-flight, as evidenced by his 32-goal haul for Aberdeen, but it is now down to Rangers to get the best out of them.
Albeit it was against Celtic, the lack of service to the left-footed forward was a concern on his debut, and one of the reasons why appointing Gerrard again could be a masterstroke by the Gers.
Bringing in a proven manager who knows how to win the Premiership and how to get the best out of a centre-forward in Scotland could be exactly what Rangers need to turn their season around and take advantage of some unsettlement at Celtic, after they had to move to the free agent market to sign Kelechi Iheanacho after failing to land a striker on deadline day.
Whilst there is nothing concrete to suggest that Rangers are going to sack Martin any time soon, replacing him with Gerrard is a move that could unite supporters and get the best out of the summer transfer business that was done by Kevin Thelwell.