By Alan Pattullo

Copyright scotsman

Despite a planned protest by Rangers fans before Saturday’s Premier Sports Cup quarter-final clash against Hibs which, he admits, has stung him professionally, Russell Martin insists he has been bolstered by further support from within Ibrox. Martin is not alone in being targeted by the club’s support. Rangers ultras’ group the Union Bears has organised a pre-match demonstration against chief executive Patrick Stewart as well as the under-fire manager. Rangers have won only once domestically this season – against Alloa Athletic in the previous round of the Premier Sports Cup. “It’s a really difficult balance, because it hurts professionally,” said Martin, when asked about the protest which comes on top of everything else, including, he revealed, the ill health of one of his daughters. He himself has been struggling with a chest infection. Martin revealed he could barely stand by the hour mark of last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Hearts but did not retreat to the dugout because he knew how it would have looked amid the toxic atmosphere. “I got out of bed on Thursday and Friday to take the sessions and went back to bed,” he explained. “I had a chest infection all week, my daughter’s been in hospital for three nights this week. That gives you perspective because it’s difficult seeing your kids poorly and all that stuff. “I read a few things my mum sent me saying how unwell or beaten up I looked after the game, it’s because I’d been in bed all week. I wanted to sit down at 60 minutes but I felt I couldn’t because I was getting shouted at by a lot of people and it would have looked a certain way, so you have to be aware of all of that.” He remains committed to steering Rangers through a period that stands as the Ibrox side’s worst start to a league season since 1978-79. “We’re working so hard to try and give the supporters what they want, which is a team that wins and wins a lot and does it in a certain way,” he said. “I’m as frustrated, more frustrated, than anyone because we’re the guys ultimately that are in charge of that, and with the results and some of the performance it’s been really frustrating, really difficult. Being in here and listening to someone tell me the team doesn’t look like it’s coached is difficult, because I think the one thing that we’ve always had with any of our teams is they have a certain way of doing things. Whether you believe in it or you like it or not they definitely look a certain way, which takes a lot of time on the training pitch, so we’ll get there with this team. “The fans’ protests and stuff I can’t control at all. I have to respect it, I have to understand their frustration and their annoyance. I feel every bit of it as well. “I do think it’s an amazing opportunity for us as a team to come through this period and to grow through it and to be so strong from it. Hopefully, at that point, everyone will come together. We just need to win football matches, so the protests and stuff like that, I can’t take it personally because I don’t know any of them, and they don’t know me. They don’t know how hard we’re working. The people inside the building, I feel incredibly well supported – the players, the staff, ownership. As long as that continues, then it’ll be fine.” United States-based chairman Andrew Cavenagh flew into Glasgow late on Thursday night for what have been framed as crisis talks. However, Martin claimed the visit was always scheduled. Cavenagh was last at Ibrox alongside vice chairman Paraag Marathe for the 0-0 draw with Celtic last month. “I knew he was coming in a couple of weeks ago, so he’s been great,” said Martin. “He’ll watch training today as he does when he comes in, but he and Paraag (Marathe) and all the guys have been amazing in their support for what we do.” Martin confirmed that Nico Raskin, whose exclusion from the last two games has been another bone of contention for supporters, will return to the squad against Hibs. The Belgian midfielder’s last appearance for Rangers was as a substitute in the 6-0 Champions League qualifying defeat to Club Brugge. “He’s trained really well this week,” Martin said. “It will be a really important period for Nico in his growth as a human being and a player, and it will be good for me in the long-term as well to learn from it.”