No regrets from Rangers reign but abuse was difficult for family - Martin

Russell Martin endured a turbulent 123-day spell as Rangers head coach Russell Martin holds no regrets from his turbulent spell as Rangers head coach and says abuse he received was difficult on those close to him. Martin, 40, was sacked after Rangers' first seven Scottish Premiership games this season, with the side eighth in the table. He won five, drew six and lost six of his games overall. Only one of Martin's wins came in the league, with his fifth Premiership draw at Falkirk proving to be his last game in charge. His Rangers team also had a chastening exit from the Champions League with a 9-3 aggregate defeat by Club Brugge, having beaten Panathinaikos and Viktoria Plzen in the previous qualifying rounds. "I don't regret anything," Martin told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "There's loads of frustration for me as a coach and a manager and a leader but ultimately, it's always your fault as a manager. "It's my fault I didn't do well enough and you learn from it and I'll be better for it, for sure." Martin had come under increasing pressure before his October exit and described his 123-day reign as "character building". "I love Glasgow as a city," said the former Rangers and Scotland defender. "I loved living there. "It was really difficult for the people around me - family, friends. When my kids came up, they couldn't come to the game because of the level of abuse I was receiving at that point." Russell Martin on Monday Night Club 16/03/26 Martin was the first head coach appointment of Rangers' new owners last summer and oversaw a significant summer squad overhaul. Since his departure, Rangers under Danny Rohl have climbed to third in the Premiership. The Ibrox side are a point below Celtic and three off leaders Hearts with eight games to go. Martin suggested "less change so quickly" may have been a better approach and alluded to a lack of "cohesion" during his early period in charge. "There was so much change," said the former MK Dons, Swansea City and Southampton boss. "I walked in to the club at a time of new owners that had literally been in there two weeks when I came in. New director of football, chief exec, head of performance, new head coach, 14 new players. "I tried to stress a lot that it probably would take some time so that's my fault because I was in a place where historically and traditionally you don't really have time. "I'd have loved the time to have built something and I felt that was what the club needed. The owners decided differently and they made their decision." Former Peterborough defender Emmanuel Fernandez and on-loan Tottenham winger Mikey Moore were signed by Martin and have become regulars under Rohl, contributing 11 goals between them. "It's no surprise to me that he's gone on and done brilliantly," Martin said of "outrageous talent" Moore, 18. "Take people like Mani Fernandez. Going from Peterborough in League One to Rangers and playing in front of that crowd all of a sudden and it's a completely different experience. "He's been brilliant." 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