Well, at least Celtic fans now know who is the new Rangers boss after Russell Martin was announced by the Ibrox club this morning.
The Hoops support were dealing with Celtic’s latest Adidas launch when just a matter of minutes prior, Rangers released that Martin was to be the man appointed to try and stop Brendan Rodgers next season.
However, this won’t be the first time Martin has faced the Celtic manager at Rangers as many will remember his time at the club in season 2017/18.
Rodgers’ team was rampant that season as the Celtic Invincibles defended their treble and Martin was dealt some serious pain at the heart of the Rangers defence on two occasions that season.
And today, he was asked about that at his official Ibrox unveiling.
Martin told Rangers FC, “I only face it positively, I think, how much people care about their club and how intense the support is, how passionate they are.
Ibrox boss Russell Martin addresses 2018 Celtic pain at Rangers press conference
One of the first questions Martin was asked at his official unveiling as the Rangers manager was about the time he spent at the club as a player.
Brendan Rodgers was the Celtic boss then and Rangers suffered a 4-0 defeat in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden and a 5-0 hammering at Celtic Park.
A journalist asked him about the fallout of both defeats and whether his experience at that time put doubt in his mind about taking the Rangers job.
Martin told Rangers FC, “Obviously, you’re aware of that, but I’m not going to think about that. I’ll only think about the positives, about if we get this place going, and a team that they enjoy watching with attacking football with intensity.
“I’ve only thought about the positives of that and how strong and how powerful that can be, and I really hope we can achieve that.”
The Celtic reality for new Rangers boss Russell Martin
Whilst all the headlines and news have surrounded Rangers and their takeover, there is a stark Celtic reality Russell Martin must face.
Celtic have a proven winner in Brendan Rodgers and some huge finances that Rangers will struggle to best in the near future.
As the 49ers’ plan for the summer transfer window remain somewhat clouded, Rodgers has a clear vision on where he needs to improve Celtic.
Martin will need time to assess his squad, identify weaknesses and targets and then put plans in place to get a team together to challenge Celtic.
That will take weeks and now, before a ball is even kicked, Celtic are already ahead of the curve as Rodgers prepares for the season ahead.
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