FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - December 15, 2024 Southampton manager Russell Martin reacts. Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
(Reuters) -Rangers have appointed former Southampton manager Russell Martin as head coach on a three-year deal, the Scottish Premiership side said on Thursday.
Martin, who played 29 times for Scotland and made 17 appearances for Rangers during a loan spell in the 2017-18 season, returns to management for the first time since he was sacked by Premier League club Southampton in December.
The 39-year-old took charge of Southampton in 2023 and guided them to promotion via the playoffs in his first season at the club, earning plaudits for his side's attractive style of football.
They were brutally exposed in the top flight, however, losing 13 of their opening 16 games and going on to suffer the earliest relegation from the Premier League with seven games left in the season.
"From my time here, I had a taste of how special this club is, the expectation, the passion and the history," Martin, who has also coached Swansea City and MK Dons, said in a statement.
"Now, as I return, I'm determined to bring success back, for the supporters, the players, and everyone inside this club.
"There's a lot to be done, but the goal is clear: win matches, win trophies, and give Rangers fans a team that they can be proud of. We want to play with bravery, to take the ball, to be aggressive, and to stand up in the big moments."
Rangers, who were taken over by an American consortium of investors led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises in May, finished their domestic campaign second behind rivals Celtic for the fourth consecutive year, last winning the league in 2020-21.
Rangers will enter Champions League qualifying in the second round.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
