Rangers sit six points behind Celtic in the Premiership and trail 3-1 to Club Brugge in their Champions League qualifier after a poor start under Russell Martin
Martin has won just three of his first nine games, drawing four and losing two, with fans voicing frustration during recent matches
Rothwell insists victories over Brugge and Celtic could spark a turnaround, urging supporters to back the team in a crucial week
Joe Rothwell Admits Rangers Face 'Season-defining' Week In Champions League And Premiership
Joe Rothwell calls upcoming clashes with Club Brugge and Celtic "season-defining" as Rangers look to revive their stuttering start under Russell Martin
Summary
Joe Rothwell believes Rangers have a “season-defining” week ahead of them as they prepare for crucial games in the Champions League and Scottish Premiership.
Russell Martin has endured one of the worst starts of any permanent manager at the club, becoming the first Rangers boss to win just three of their first nine games in charge (four draws, two defeats).
Martin is also just the second Gers manager to fail to win his first three league games in charge, after John Greig failed to win any of his first six in 1978.
After drawing each of their opening three league games this season, Rangers already find themselves six points behind Celtic ahead of the first Old Firm derby of the season on Sunday.
Their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League are slim after losing the first leg against Club Brugge 3-1 at Ibrox last week.
Rothwell believes wins this week against Brugge and Celtic could help kick-start their season as pressure mounts on the club.
“Wednesday night is a massive game for us,” said Rothwell.
“If we can go there and turn that tie around, then it'll obviously give us massive confidence going into the weekend game.
“And then we play that game and who knows where it can take us, if we manage to pick up three points.
“It can be a defining week, two massive games in two different competitions and obviously we want to be playing Champions League football.
“That's obviously the aim, so if we can go out there and do that and take the momentum into Sunday and then that hopefully can be a season-defining moment for us.”
Rangers were booed off during their loss to Brugge before receiving the same treatment from the fans at half-time and full-time in their recent draw against St. Mirren.
Rothwell said he understands the frustration from the supporters, but hopes they will get behind the team ahead of a massive week.
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“The fans just want the results and we want to give it to them and at the minute it's just not quite going how we want it to go,” Rothwell added.
“Obviously they're entitled to be disappointed, as we expect.
“But we just need them to stick with us and rally together and hopefully then we're not far away from getting the results.”
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