By Lewis Anderson

Copyright glasgowworld

Alan Hutton admits he can see some worrying similarities in how Russell Martin is running the show at Ibrox to how Paul Le Guen went about things during his ill-fated reign. Hutton has experienced his old club Rangers in crisis as a player, having been part of the squad that the Frenchman memorably tried to overhaul in 2006 before he was axed after 186 days and just 31 games in charge – the shortest of any permanent Gers boss – to make way for returning club legend Walter Smith. And while the former Light Blues defender believes Martin is a totally different character to Le Guen, he concedes the signs aren’t good amid an overwhelming majority of fans calling for the Englishman to be shown the door less than four months into his tenure. Defeat to Hearts in the Scottish Premiership last weekend came as another huge step back for the 39-year-old, ensuring it could be make or break for Martin when his side host fellow Edinburgh club Hibs in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals this weekend. Speaking to Ladbrokes at the launch of Ladisfaction, Hutton fears there could be no way back for Martin. He said: “In the summer of 2006, Paul Le Guen came in, and that was a difficult time for us, for sure. He came in as a foreign manager and tried to change the whole culture of the club overnight. “There were a lot of Scottish players in the squad at the time and they just didn’t really ever see eye-to-eye with him. There was a squad overhaul as well in that summer, and I don’t think that some of the guys who came in were the right fit for the club. “Le Guen was very much stuck in his ways; it was his way or the highway. You know, he tried to get rid of some of the senior players, and massive characters like Barry Ferguson… players who were proper leaders, loved by everyone. “It just didn’t work out for him and we always felt like we could see it coming, that he’d be out of the door fairly quickly. It was a disaster from early on and then the rest of the season was just about fighting back and climbing our way back into things, while ultimately accepting that is wasn’t – and would never be – good enough, unfortunately. “With Russell Martin it’s a bit different. He’s a different character to Le Guen, but he has tried to change a lot in a short space of time, like Le Guen did. The overhaul in the squad has been dramatic, he’s brought in some very young players which can put you at a bit of a disadvantage at times. “You know, the hierarchy has changed everything is moving really quickly at the club right now, in such a short period of time – I don’t think any of it has helped the manager. There’s a balance to changing things and picking up wins, which Russell hasn’t found yet. “There are similarities, I suppose, between Le Guen’s time in charge and what we’re looking at with Russell now, but the biggest would be that both have tried to change things very quickly.” Your next read: Ex Rangers star ‘feels really sorry’ for Russell Martin after what he heard at ‘volatile’ Ibrox