‘Hurt’ Russell Martin resolute in Rangers mission amid fan protest & chairman visit

“I have to respect it, I have to understand their frustration and their annoyance but I feel every bit of it as well. It’s an amazing opportunity for us as a team to come through this period and grow through it and to be so strong from it. Hopefully, at that point then everyone will come together, we just need to win football matches.

“It’s a really difficult balance because it hurts professionally because we’re working so hard to try and give the supporters what they want – a team that wins and wins a lot and does it in a certain way. I’m more frustrated than anyone.

“Listening to someone tell me the team doesn’t look like its coached is difficult.”

It is possible that Rangers could be bottom of the Scottish Premiership by the time they play their next league match.

Martin is the first Rangers boss since John Greig in 1978 to not win any of his first five league games in charge, but he says he cannot take the protest “personally.”

“I don’t know any of them and they don’t know me and they don’t know how hard we’re working,” he explained.

“It’s much harder for the people around me like my family and stuff to deal with than it is for us because it’s a professional thing you have to accept. People worry about you.”

The head coach revealed he had been struggling with a chest infection around the time of the loss to Hearts and that a close family member had this week been admitted to hospital for three days.

Of Cavenagh’s visit, Martin said: “I knew he was coming a couple of weeks ago. He’s been great. He’ll watch training today as he does when he comes in.”

And Stewart and director of football Kevin Thelwell were defended by Martin following Rangers’ summer overhaul of signings and departures.

“You’ve got people that really care about making this club sustainable and successful again and to do it in a way that the club continues to have some success,” said Martin.