Glasgow Rangers are up against Hibernian at Ibrox in the quarter-finals of the League Cup this afternoon, and it could be a big game for Russell Martin.
Journalist Keith Jackson recently explained that the board are putting work in behind the scenes to put contingencies in place should they decide to part ways with the manager in the coming weeks.
Speaking on the Daily Record’s Hotline Live, the reporter claimed: “I understand that phone calls are being made, back-channelling is going on, and Rangers are currently speaking to and sounding out potential alternatives should they decide they can no longer back Russell Martin.
“It sounds to me very much like they are looking to put something in place in case they are forced into taking action this weekend when Rangers play Hibs in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.”
These quotes suggest a defeat against Hibernian this weekend could be the last straw for the board, as it would leave the Gers winless in five in the Scottish Premiership, out of the Champions League, and out of the League Cup before the end of September.
This means that Martin may have to mastermind a victory at Ibrox to save his job. To do this, one of the decisions he should make is to ruthlessly ditch Mikey Moore from the starting line-up.
Why Mikey Moore should be dropped by Rangers
The 18-year-old starlet arrived as an exciting signing on a season-long loan move from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur during the summer transfer window.
Moore was described as a player with “superstar potential” by analyst Ben Mattinson, but the Gers are still waiting to see the best of the young winger at Ibrox.
The England youth international had scored one goal for Tottenham Hotspur at senior level, in the Europa League against Elfsborg, before his temporary move to Glasgow in the summer.
Moore is waiting for his first goal for Rangers, though, after five appearances in all competitions. The youngster has yet to impress with his performances on the flank for the Scottish giants, which is why he should be dropped from the side for this game.
Martin has handed the Spurs loanee starts in each of the last two matches in the Scottish Premiership, against Celtic and Hearts, but the forward did not do enough in those games to suggest that he should keep his place for this game.
xG
0.04
Bottom 10%
Goals
0.00
Bottom 3%
xA
0.24
Bottom 24%
Assists
0.00
Bottom 3%
Chances created
1
Bottom 3%
Dribble success rate
33.3%
Bottom 24%
As you can see in the table above, Moore has not performed well at the top end of the pitch in his three appearances, including one substitute outing, in the Premiership this season.
The English wide man has not offered enough in front of goal as a scorer or a creator for the Scottish giants, which is why he is unlikely to produce what Martin needs to save his job against Hibernian.
With this in mind, the head coach must ruthlessly ditch him from the starting line-up to make space for another attacker to come into the team to win the game for Rangers this afternoon.
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Martin needs to unleash a player who can make a real difference in the final third to secure the club’s place in the semi-finals and save his job, which is why he should bring Findlay Curtis into the team.
Why Findlay Curtis could save Russell Martin's job
The 18-year-old star, who is the same age as Moore, was an unused substitute in the 2-0 defeat to Hearts last time out in the Premiership at Ibrox. He has not started a game for Rangers since the 1-1 draw with Panathinaikos in July.
It is time to finally unleash the Scottish forward from the start once again because he has the potential to be the game-changing attacker who could win the match for Rangers and help the manager to avoid a loss that could see him lose his job.
Curtis first emerged as a first-team option for the Scottish giants towards the end of the 2024/25 campaign, assisting one goal in five appearances, per Transfermarkt.
The teenage talent started the opening match of this season against Panathinaikos and made a name for himself with a sublime goal in the Champions League qualifier, as shown in the clip above.
However, the two legs against Panathinaikos are the only two games that Curtis has started in all competitions this season, despite scoring goals against Alloa Athletic in the League Cup and against St Mirren in the Premiership as a substitute.
Panathinaikos (H)
75
1
Panathinaikos (A)
59
0
Viktoria Plzen (H)
5
0
Dundee (H)
13
0
Alloa Athletic (H)
6
1
St Mirren (A)
14
1
Club Brugge (A)
45
0
Celtic (H)
8
0
As you can see in the table above, Curtis has made a decent impact at the top end of the pitch from a wide position despite having limited minutes on the pitch.
Scotland U21 manager Scot Gemmill noted that “he’s influencing the games when he’s had the opportunity” at Rangers so far this season, which is backed up by the statistics behind his performances.
The 18-year-old star also influenced games on a regular basis for the B team before his first-team emergence, with a return of four goals and three assists in just eight appearances, per Transfermarkt.
This shows that Curtis is capable of delivering consistently impressive performances in the final third, with goals and assists, and it is now up to Martin to provide the youngster with another opportunity to showcase his quality in the first-team against Hibernian today.
Curtis has the quality, as evidenced by his form for the B team and the senior side, to offer way more than Mikey Moore on the left flank, which suggests that he has a better chance of saving Martin’s job by producing enough in front of goal to win the game and alleviate some of the pressure on the head coach.
