Rangers 1/2 to win a trophy; 25/1 to win treble in Russell Martin's first season

Rangers are 1/2 to win a major trophy in the 2025/26 season and 25/1 to win the domestic treble after Russell Martin’s appointment.

The move brings to an end months of speculation in which the likes of Steven Gerrard and Davide Ancelotti were both very strongly linked with the job, as well as Marco Rose, Derek McInnes, former interim boss Barry Ferguson and even Jose Mourinho at one point.

While Martin’s stint in the Premier League was a disaster, picking up just five points from 15 games, his style was perhaps unsuited to a newly promoted team in England’s top flight, but his body of work in the Championship with Swansea and Southampton should stand him in good stead in the Scottish Premiership.

In his first season in south Wales, Swansea led the league in possession and were second the season after, taking his style of play with him to St Mary’s when guiding Southampton to promotion via the play-offs in the 2023/24 campaign.

Rangers sporting director Kevin Thelwell said: “His teams play dominant football, they control the ball, dictate the tempo and impose themselves physically. They press aggressively and work relentlessly off the ball.

“These are all characteristics that we believe are required to be successful at home, away, and abroad.”

bet365’s Sports and Trading expert Steve Freeth said: “Russell Martin may have to win over the doubters with his style of play a sticking point for some, but we think they have a big chance of winning at least one piece of silverware in his first season.

“If Rangers draw level with Celtic and secure their eighth domestic treble, he’ll go down in history.”

Martin is the latest man tasked with overthrowing Celtic in their era of dominance. Following the Gers’ demotion to the fourth tier in 2012, Celtic have won 13 of the last 14 Scottish titles, with only Gerrard’s almighty Rangers side stopping 10 in a row in 2021 as they went the whole season unbeaten.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale and Philippe Clement have all been tasked with restoring Rangers to the pinnacle, but each fell short, winning just one Scottish Cup and one Scottish League Cup between them.

Rangers have made four other finals in that time, including the Europa League in which they lost on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt, and Martin will hope to bring more silverware to Ibrox.

Liam Williams

• Rangers F.C.
• Scottish Football
• Scottish Premiership
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