Rangers contacted by managers over Russell Martin job and issue stance on sacking boss

Rangers have said that a number of managerial candidates have thrown their hats into the ring to replace the under-fire boss, Russell Martin. However, the Ibrox board insists that no preliminary talks have taken place with any potential successors.

A high-ranking club source reached out to the Daily Record after they revealed on Tuesday's Hotline Live that behind-the-scenes discussions have already begun, with several highly regarded managers in contention to take over if Martin is relieved of his duties.

The Rangers board's official stance is that they continue to support Martin despite a disastrous start to his tenure as head coach, which has seen his team eliminated from the Champions League qualifiers and tumble to 10th place in the domestic league table.

They concede, however, that they've been informed about the availability of several ready-to-go replacements who have expressed their willingness and readiness to step into the dugout if a decision is made to sack Martin.

The club maintains that any discussions with interested parties have been entirely 'one way', and that Rangers are not actively engaged in or seeking conversations with potential successors to Martin.

This comes despite calls for the immediate dismissal of the 39-year-old, who has failed to secure a victory in any of his first five Premiership matches - the worst start for any Ibrox manager in nearly half a century.

Despite a 2-0 home defeat against Hearts on Saturday, Rangers have confirmed that the head coach still has the backing of his superiors, including chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell. Despite calls from fans for both Martin and Stewart to step down, no action will be taken ahead of this weekend's Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against Hibernian.

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New owner Andrew Cavenagh is set to attend the tie, giving him a chance to gauge the mood amongst the Glasgow faithful if he makes the trip from Philadelphia. Supporters are planning further protests outside the stadium before kick-off, and another home defeat could spell disaster for Martin, who is only 13 games into his first season in charge.

So far, his tenure has seen just one domestic win, a 4-2 cup victory over third-tier Alloa. Prior to the defeat against Hearts, Martin had overseen four consecutive league draws against Motherwell, Dundee, St Mirren, and Celtic, leaving Rangers languishing third bottom in the table and nine points adrift at the top.

The club's new American owners are feeling the heat as disgruntled fans are showing their displeasure by not purchasing tickets, leaving thousands of seats vacant for this weekend's quarter-final.

Martin confessed that his players are struggling with performance anxiety and in an attempt to boost team morale, he arranged a day trip to Loch Lomond on Monday where they engaged in wild water swimming and hill walking.