Brendan Rodgers and Russell Martin have both rung the changes ahead of an Old Firm derby with a lot on the line for both managers.
Martin makes a whopping seven changes to the side that was handed a 6-0 thrashing by Club Brugge, with James Tavernier, Mohamed Diomande, Connor Barron, Thelo Aasgaard and Djeidi Gassama included in the starting XI. There is also a first league start for on-loan Tottenham star Mikey Moore as well as a debut for new signing Bojan Miovski.
Rodgers has made two changes from his side’s European exit to Kazakhstan minnows FC Kairat, with Arne Engels and new signing Michel-Ange Balikwisha coming into the starting XI for James Forrest and Hyun-jun Yang.
It is not often the start of the SPFL season sees both managers on the Old Firm divide in difficult situations, but both Rodgers and Martin have had their issues in the opening weeks, albeit for different reasons.
While Brendan Rodgers may have felt that his side’s owners have lacked any ambition this season, which in turn caused their embarrassing exit from the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, it was still a defeat that was unexpected and one that caused much dismay from Celtic fans. Whereas Rangers’ new owners will be thinking just what they have to do to fix the almighty mess that they have stepped into.
It was set to be a new start for Rangers, a new era under US consortium 49ers Enterprise with a new manager at the helm in Russell Martin, a man who may not have been every Rangers fan’s first choice but someone who matched the times at the club, a young up-and-coming Scottish manager who could lead the side into a new period of, hopefully, dominance.
However, if Rangers’ start to life under Martin could be described in one word, it would not be ‘dominance’. Three games in the SPFL, three 1-1 draws to Motherwell, Dundee FC, and St.Mirren – Rangers fans will feel that is not good enough.
Then there’s Europe; a 3-0 first-leg victory over Viktoria Plzen looked to be the game where everything had clicked. Three more qualification games and three defeats later, Rangers’ season has been left in tatters barely one month in.
It has been a nightmare week for Scottish football in general, with Celtic embarrassed in Kazakhstan, Rangers humiliated in Belgium, Aberdeen beaten in Bucharest and Hibernian heartbroken in Warsaw.
However, no manager will be feeling the pressure more than Martin, and should his side lose to Celtic this weekend, it could spell the end of his tenure.
Written by Riley Taylor
INMR FOOTBALL 
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