By Anthony Evans

Copyright dailyrecord

Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises have vowed to stand by Russell Martin despite his dismal start to life at Rangers. But former Ibrox midfielder and boyhood Light Blues fan Andy Halliday reckons they might have to reconsider their stance if fans start to make their feelings even more clear-cut by deserting the team on a matchday. Martin was jeered throughout Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to Hearts that has left Gers sitting second bottom in the Premiership with four draws and one defeat from his first five league matches. Cavenagh and other board members are expected to attend Rangers ‘ Premier Sports Cup quarter final clash at home to Hibs next Saturday, and talk among social media users suggests that furious punters will use the opportunity to vent their anger at the hierarchy by boycotting the game. And Halliday – who now plays for Motherwell – believes 49ers chiefs will truly get a sense of the ill-feeling towards the club if attendance numbers suddenly plummet. Rangers kick off their Europa League campaign at home to Genk on September 25 and Halliday also fears packages on sale for their games in the competition will also be snubbed by supporters while Martin is still in the dugout. Speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, he said: “In my time watching Rangers, I have never seen this level of toxicity or (anything) even close that has won over the fans. “Andrew Cavenagh and the 49ers have made their stance (clear) to stick by Russell Martin and that’s fine. “But I think where they will get a real shock is when they see the attendance at the Hibs game and the (number) of Europa League packages (sold). “I thought this was coming. There is not going to be as many bums on seats. “They (49ers) are not at the games to see the toxicity and the atmosphere but when they watch it on telly and see an attendance of 25,000-30,000 against Hibs or in the Europa League, that might be what sort of catches their attention.” Follow Record Sport on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers page and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We’re also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here . Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport’s newest podcast, Game On , every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.