Martin won’t resign despite Rangers defeat to Hearts
GLASGOW: Rangers manager Russell Martin said he will not accede to fans’ demands to resign after a 2-0 home defeat to Hearts saw the Glasgow giants get off to their worst league start since 1978. A double from Lawrence Shankland delivered a first win at Ibrox since 2014 for top-of-the-table Hearts, who open up a nine-point lead on Rangers. Celtic can also go nine clear of their local rivals should the Scottish champions win at Kilmarnock on Sunday. Martin was hounded with chants for his exit during the 90 minutes after failing to win any of his first five Scottish Premiership matches. “The fans are entitled to their opinion so I can’t come out here and criticize that,” said Martin after replying “no” to whether he will resign. “I don’t think many of them (the supporters) wanted me here in the first place.” The appointment of the former Southampton boss appears to be a misguided first move from Rangers’ new American owners. Despite overhauling the squad with 13 new signings, Rangers’ hopes of adding to their sole league title in the past 14 years are already fading fast. “We have a lot of new guys in there. We have a lot of players trying to feel their way in an environment that’s really difficult to feel their way into,” added Martin. “There’s anxiety at the moment.