Rangers Humiliated 9-1 on Aggregate as Pressure Mounts on Russell Martin

Rangers' Champions League campaign came to an embarrassing end with a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Club Brugge, culminating in a 9-1 aggregate scoreline that is one of the worst in the competition's history. The defeat has put immense pressure on manager Russell Martin, with many questioning his future at the club.

The match was all but over within the first 10 minutes, with Nicolo Tresoldi scoring the opening goal and Max Aarons being shown a straight red card. Club Brugge capitalized on the numerical advantage, with Hans Vanaken, Aleksandar Stankovic, and Joaquin Seys scoring to make it 5-0 at halftime. Christos Tzolis added a sixth goal just five minutes into the second half.

Russell Martin's side managed just one shot on target throughout the 90 minutes, a stark contrast to the manager's pre-match call for an attacking display and "real courage." The team's performance was widely panned, with Sky Sports' Kris Boyd stating, "It looks like a group that has absolutely chucked it."

In the post-match press conference, Martin apologized to the fans, acknowledging that his team had not shown enough "harmony or care for each other." He emphasized that the club would need to "build that, heal, and get stronger" but admitted that the current state of the team was not satisfactory. Martin also revealed that he had the full support of the Rangers board, with chairman Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell expressing their backing for the manager.

However, Boyd was skeptical about Martin's chances of survival, saying, "It's difficult to see how Russell Martin survives this." Callum Bishop, another Sky Sports pundit, noted that Martin's calls for courage and freedom had fallen flat, with Rangers appearing "trapped" and unable to mount a comeback.

The defeat sets up a challenging task for Rangers as they prepare to face Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season. Martin is aware of the need for a response, stating that his team must "accept the pain and the humiliation" and use it as motivation for the upcoming match.