By Lewis Anderson

Copyright glasgowworld

Furious Rangers fans have turned on under-fire boss Russell Martin with many insisting that Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Hearts should prove to be the final nail in the coffin for the Englishman. But the club’s new American owners have so far resisted calls for Martin to be sacked, despite another weekend of vociferous Ibrox protests. The Light Blues torrid start to the new Premiership season extended to five games without a win and this latest loss to the Jambos has proved to be the last straw for thousands of supporters, who chanted loudly for the ex-Southampton gaffer to resign from his head coach role. In what has been Rangers worst start in 47 years, with the Govan outfit languishing down in TENTH spot in the table, it appears only a matter of time before chairman Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers chief Paraag Marathe reverse their decision to stand by the 39-year-old for the time being. Martin is now expected to remain in post for next weekend’s Premier Sports Cup quarter-final tie at home to Hibs, but Sunday’s confirmation that he still retains the support of the Gers’ hierarchy has caused further outrage. Cavenagh is due to fly into Glasgow to attend the clash, but this was a pre-planned trip rather than a fresh development. It’s clear there’s no way back for Martin now. Supporters have given up on him and the style of football he is trying to implement unsuccessfully. If you were to ask the vast majority of fans what he is trying to do with the squad he’s built, many would say they have absolutely no idea. Simply put, Rangers have been rotten to watch this season. Week after week, the current team have looked extremely lethargic trying to pass out from the back and only managing to click into gear once they’ve conceded and fallen behind in matches. Even the captain, James Tavernier, who has had to contend with his fair share of disappointments, confessed the situation unfolding this season is the worst he’s ever seen across his 10-year spell at the club. A dire state of affairs. But what does history tell us about the chances of Martin being axed? GlasgowWorld carried out some research on Rangers new owners, 49ers Enterprises and Leeds United to ascertain whether Martin will be sent his P45 anytime soon. In the case of health tycoon Andrew Cavenagh – a highly accomplished entrepreneur whose influence spans across healthcare, insurance and sport – his journey from co-founding multi-billion dollar insurance companies in the US to taking the reigns as Rangers chairman is one that highlights his clear ability to innovate and lead from the front. It is his first involvement in professional football and signalled the start of a new era for the club after leading the American consortium in their successful takeover bid earlier this year in which the group acquired a 51 per cent controlling stake in Rangers – instantly making him one of the most influential figures in Scottish football. The collaboration with 49ers Enterprises added another dimension to the project. Renowned for their success rate in American sports, the San Francisco 49ers bring valuable expertise in commercial growth and fan engagement. Cavenagh’s link up with Marathe is a strategic move, mixing his blend on financial know-how with Marathe’s sporting experience. Together, they have formed a leadership team who should be more than capable of making tough decisions in their quest to transform Rangers Football Club into a household name in world football. When the 49ers investment arm exercised its option to buy Leeds United in 2023, it took full control of a historic but fast-sinking ship having previously bought shares to become a minority investor back in May 2018. The Yorkshire giants had been relegated from the English Premier League and the new ownership group had a three-year window to return the Whites to the top-flight. It took them two seasons, with chairman Marathe at the centre of this quickfire transformation. He pledged to spend “every penny” within Premier League financial sustainability rules, to improve the playing squad. The 49ers brought Red Bull on board as minority owners and shirt sponsor, which is understood to have unlocked hundreds of millions in funds to be used for stadium upgrades and player transfers. At Elland Road, Marathe leads a five-strong team who assist him in making high-level decisions, with Gretar Steinsson overseeing Leeds’ overall sporting direction as technical director. During his time in charge of Leeds, Marathe has made the call to sack three high-profile managers including Marcelo Bielsa (Feb 2022), Jesse Marsch (Feb 2023) and Javi Garcia (May 2023). Of the trio, Bielsa was the longest serving manager. Marsch lasted just 12 months in the role and Garcia even shorter at less than four months. That would suggest Martin could be given until at least October to prove he can turn the tide unless senior officials issue a vote of no confidence in him before then. It was recently claimed that sporting director Kevin Thelwell threatened to hand in his resignation if Martin was to be shown the door. Thelwell has come under scrutiny after a heavy spending spree this summer in which Rangers recruited 13 new players. Some of those deals have already been questioned and it remains to be seen if his record outlay to bring Everton striker Youssef Chermiti to Ibrox proves a success story or another flop. There are concerns that Chermiti will struggle to life up to his £8 million price tag, having failed to score at a single goal for the Premier League club. If Thelwell, who pushed hard to bring Chermiti in and was a driving force behind Martin’s appointment, is satisfied with the current performance levels, then alarm bells should be ringing. Your next read: Rangers daft darts star makes feeling clear on Martin future before hitting unwanted oche record in Amsterdam