Liam Kelly ‘raging’ as Rangers struggle to find form this season

Liam Kelly admits to sitting on the Rangers bench “raging” in frustration as the Light Blues struggle to get it together under Russell Martin.

The 2-0 defeat by Hearts at a toxic Ibrox last weekend saw the Gers boss incur the wrath of increasingly angry supporters and there is a protest against him and chief executive Patrick Stewart organised for outside the ground ahead of the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against Hibernian on Saturday.

The Light Blues have won only three games out of 12 under Martin and sit nine points behind Celtic and Hearts in the William Hill Premiership after just five fixtures, in what has been the worst league start for the club in 47 years.

Kelly, the 29-year-old understudy to Jack Butland, has played only once under Martin, the 4-2 Premier Sport Cup win over Alloa at Ibrox in August but he believes the former Southampton boss is doing all he can to get it right.

The boyhood Gers fans said: “It’s difficult to explain. We’re not even at the detailed part yet for the manager.

“We’re not even applying the principles of what he is saying yet. It comes down to us. We have a lot of good players, international players, who are more than capable of playing top-level football.

“It’s not as if the manager is saying ‘I’m only playing this way and sticking with it’. He is constantly tweaking and making wee adjustments tactically to try and give us the best chance of winning the game.

“I get fans are not happy, absolutely they are not happy. I’m not happy. I’m raging watching us as a team not winning the game.

“The only thing that gives me slight comfort is so is the manager. It’s not as if he is happy watching this either.

“It’s nowhere near the level he expects. If that was not the case and the manager was not as desperate to get it right, then that would be more concerning. As long as he’s desperate to get it right then we’ll be with him.”