Jack Butland: Rangers players must repay Russell Martin for disastrous start

Jack Butland believed Rangers players had to repay Russell Martin for taking most of the flak for their disastrous start to the season.

The Ibrox fans were in uproar following Wednesday’s 6-0 defeat by Club Brugge in Belgium which resulted in a humiliating 9-1 aggregate defeat in the Champions League play-offs.

Boss Martin has recorded three wins in his first 10 matches in the role and Rangers could fall nine points behind Celtic in the William Hill Premiership when their Old Firm rivals visit Ibrox on Sunday.

The Gers goalkeeper insisted that the players were “absolutely” behind Martin and believed they had to improve their performances.

He said: “It’s something that people are always going to try and drive between people, but there’s one thing that I’ve learned is that in football, (if) you down tools and you give up, nothing can work.

“You stick together, you fight, you give yourself a chance, which is certainly something that we’re doing as a group.

“The manager’s going to take heat. It’s also us on the pitch that need to do better at carrying out the jobs that we’ve been asked to do.

“The manager, as always, is going to take the most pressure. He’s taken a lot of it on himself, as you do as a manager, but as players, there’s got to be more accountability.

“The manager can’t control things when you go over the line, you’ve got to go and do the job and do it properly, which we didn’t do enough at times the other night and in games where we haven’t given ourselves the platform or the opportunity to carry out what we’re trying to achieve.

“But as we all know, the manager takes the most responsibility and he’s doing that for us and we need to repay that – we need to be better as a group.”

When asked later in the media conference how convinced he was that Martin was the right man to lead Rangers forward, Butland said: “I’m not going to have words sort of put in my mouth, I think I have answered that question.

“Together is the only way things can be successful. So if you’re going to try and separate that and separate the manager and the players, then that in turn is just not allowing things to develop and to get better.

“As players, as I’ve said, we’re together and behind the manager.

“Because the quickest way for things to go wrong is if you go the other way. Nothing works that way. Regardless of who’s in charge.

“As players, we’re paid to play for this club, we’re paid to come in, to work hard and do what the hierarchy, the manager, and the club is asking of us.

“The only way that we can be successful is if we’re together, if things beyond that change, that’s above my station and nothing to do with me.

“So, that’s the simple message for this group, is to work hard, is to do what’s being asked of you – to do the minimum at least of what’s expected of you – and if everyone does that, then it gives us the opportunity to be successful.”