Manager’s Response to Team Selection Leak
Russell Martin, the manager of Rangers, has addressed concerns about a leak that revealed his team selection before a crucial Champions League qualifying match against Viktoria Plzen. Despite the incident, Martin remains unfazed and insists he is not overly stressed by the situation.
The leak occurred just hours before the game, which saw Rangers secure a 3-0 victory. This win gave them a strong lead heading into the second leg of the tie. Martin made several key changes to his starting lineup, including dropping captain James Tavernier and star midfielder Nicolas Raskin, along with striker Danilo and attacker Kieran Dowell.
New signing Oliver Antman was included in the starting XI alongside Jefte, Lyall Cameron, and Cyriel Dessers. The decision to make these changes came after a disappointing 1-1 draw at Motherwell the previous weekend.
Martin explained that he was informed of the leak upon arriving at the stadium, as he does not use social media. He acknowledged that such leaks have become more common in modern football.
“I don’t think anyone would do it from inside this building to intentionally hurt us,” Martin said. “I always name the team really early as a coach or manager. It means people don’t waste time or energy wondering if they’re in the team and we can work on certain things.”
He also pointed out that the leak might be due to players informing their agents, friends, and family, which then leads to the media picking up the information. However, he expressed trust that no one is intentionally trying to harm the team.
“I’m not sure it changes the opposition’s plan eight hours before a game as they’ll have done pretty much all of their work by then,” Martin added. “There’s enough stuff in this job to be concerned about and to focus on all the time. So I’m not going to overly stress about the team being leaked.”
Injuries and Squad Management
Martin will once again be without Mikey Moore, Thelo Aasgaard, and Hamza Igamane for the upcoming match against Dundee in the Premiership. Moore, a 17-year-old loanee from Tottenham, is still waiting on international clearance. Aasgaard and Igamane are recovering from injuries and are not yet ready to return to full training.
Moore is expected to be available for the trip to the Czech Republic on Tuesday, but Martin admitted that the process is frustrating. “We’re still not quite there with Mikey,” he said. “Because he’s deemed a minor by FIFA (he turns 18 on Monday), there’s a lot of protocol to go through and we aren’t there yet.”
Aasgaard and Igamane have both shown progress in their recovery. “They’ve both made good steps in the last few days,” Martin noted. “They’re working hard with the rehab guys, but not ready to be involved with the squad.”
Igamane missed two weeks due to a visa issue, which put him behind the group. Martin has been working to speed up his return, but a recent injury during training has delayed his progress. “He played his first minutes and picked up an injury because the intensity was different,” Martin said. “So now we have to get him really ready to perform and not risk being injured again.”
Despite the challenges, Martin remains focused on the future. “In terms of the speculation, we’ve not had any bids for Hamza and he’s a really good lad. He’s got on with it and is working hard with his English and everything else. He just needs to get fully fit.”
