Rangers sack under-pressure Martin

Russell Martin's ill-fated spell as Rangers boss has come to a close.

Sunday's 1-1 draw with Falkirk proved the final straw for Rangers' leadership, who confirmed Martin's dismissal a matter of hours after the match.

The former Southampton boss was only appointed this summer, but along with new director of football Kevin Thelwell, he has come under fire following a poor run of form.

After crashing out of Champions League qualifying, going down 9-1 on aggregate to Club Brugge, Rangers have lost both of their Europa League fixtures and are eighth in the Scottish Premiership.

Martin has managed just one league victory, which came against Livingston last week, with Rangers 11 points back from leaders Hearts and nine adrift of rivals Celtic.

Rangers surrendered their lead against Falkirk, and after the match, Martin had to be escorted out of the stadium as some fans stayed behind to air their frustrations.

In a short statement, Rangers said: "While all transition periods require some time, results have not met the club's expectations.

"Assistant head coach, Matt Gill, and first-team coach, Mike Williamson, will also be departing.

"Russell and his staff have worked exceptionally hard throughout their time at the club. We thank them for their efforts and wish them well for the future."

Only Celtic (71.6%) have averaged more possession in Scotland's top flight this term than Rangers (62.9%), but Martin's approach has lacked a clinical edge.

Aberdeen (four) and St Mirren (five) are the only teams to score fewer league goals than Rangers (six), while their 9.1 expected goals (xG) ranks seventh in the division.

Rangers' 6.5% shot conversion rate is the second-worst, ahead of only Aberdeen (4.4%), while at the other end, they have kept only one clean sheet, despite facing just 25 shots on target (the third-best total in the top flight).