RANGERS fans had a thorn pulled from their side on Sunday when Russell Martin was sacked after 123 days as manager following a 1-1 draw at Falkirk after which police escorted him into a waiting car as supporters tried to stop the team bus from leaving the stadium.

The former Southampton boss leaves the club in disarray after five wins in 17 games and with the William Hill Premiership title gone for yet another season, barring a remarkable recovery.

Over the summer a US-based investment consortium led by healthcare tycoon Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, acquired a controlling 51 per cent stake in the Govan club. 49ers Enterprises is the investment arm of US football team San Francisco 49ers and also runs Leeds United.

However, most Rangers fans did not take to Martin, who was remembered for having an unsuccessful spell as a defender for the club.

Leading Southampton towards relegation before being sacked by Saints was not the credentials required to overcome dominant Celtic, who have won 13 titles in 14 years.

There was a net spend of £20 million as Martin unconvincingly refurbished the squad — eyebrows were raised when 21-year-old unproven striker Youssef Chermiti was bought from Everton for a reported £8.5m — and it soon began to spiral.

It was not long before newly appointed sporting director Kevin Thelwell, who joined from Everton, had to give public backing of his man.

“I’ve been very lucky over the course of my career to work with some very good managers and some very good head coaches and I have to say to you, he’s one of the best,” Thelwell told Rangers TV.

On-field evidence told a different story and Gers fans watched as their side lurched from embarrassment to disaster.

There was the 9-1 aggregate defeat by Club Brugge in the Champions League play-off and losses in the opening two Europa League fixtures against Genk and Club Brugge.

Domestically, one win from seven sees them sitting in eighth place, 11 points behind leaders Hearts and nine behind Old Firm rivals Celtic.

Vitriolic chants from fans against Martin became a soundtrack at every game — even, bizarrely, immediately after Rangers scored in recent matches against Livingston and Falkirk.

A series of Rangers players were brought out to speak to the media to answer for poor performance after poor performance.

Midfielder Joe Rothwell, 30, has struggled since signing from Bournemouth.

Speaking just after the Falkirk game and before Martin’s departure, the 30-year-old admitted he was experiencing the worst side of playing for Rangers.

He said: “Obviously, people warn you about it before you come up here.

“They say how good it can be, but the flip side of things is how bad it can be.

“As I said, at the minute I’m seeing the bad side of things, but we have to stick together as a group and ultimately go on the pitch and put in a performance out there that the fans can be proud of.”

Title-winning former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard, ex-Everton boss Sean Dyche, who has links with Thelwell, and former Gers players Derek McInnes and Kevin Muscat are among the frontrunners for the job as they were when Belgian boss Philippe Clement was sacked in February.

They “have to get it right next time” is a recurring theme for Rangers but whoever is appointed surely cannot eclipse the catastrophic tenure of Martin, who was doomed from the start.