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Over the past week, some of the personal abuse directed towards Russell Martin has been utterly ridiculous.
Martin was mocked on social media by some Rangers fans for wearing a pair of glasses during an interview with Sky Sports last week.
Listen, whether you think the guy is a lousy manager or not, ridiculing him for wearing glasses is a low blow.
That’s where a line is crossed. It becomes personal and it’s out of order.
If that wasn't bad enough, Martin was then lambasted by the club’s own fans before a ball had even been kicked at Livingston last Sunday.
I was there and I witnessed it first-hand, with some punters waiting to have a pop at him as he and the players got off the team bus.
The strain of managing Rangers through their current shows on Martin in Livingston victory
The boss had no sooner taken a step out of the team bus before he was booed by his own fans
Supporter unrest has intensified as the club's horrific star to the season has continued apace
Standing only yards away, these cretins were screaming at him, telling him to “f*** off”. It was embarrassing.
When all was said and done, rather than celebrating a last-minute winner that saw Martin finally claim his first league victory as manager, fans doubled down on their calls for him to be sacked.
It was utterly bizarre. After ridiculing Martin and his Gregory Pecks, the supporters continued to make a right old spectacle of the beleaguered boss.
But here’s the thing. For all that Martin continues to be viewed as Public Enemy No 1 within the Rangers support, at what point does the attention turn elsewhere?
Chief executive Patrick Stewart has come under fire, largely because of the fact that, under his watch, the club have been critical of the conduct of supporters.
Instance the Graeme Souness shotgun tifo last season. Whatever your views on Stewart, the fact Rangers are now willing to speak out and condemn the moronic element of their support is to be welcomed.
Every public utterance of Martin has come under the microscope, but has it now gone too far?
But where does Kevin Thelwell fit into all of this? Why does Martin continue to take dog’s abuse whilst Thelwell is largely given a free pass by supporters?
Rangers signed 14 new players in the summer. Can anyone say with any certainty that any of them are actually any good?
Djeidi Gassama looks decent, Bojan Miovski will score goals, Derek Cornelius will be solid enough at the back. Beyond that, however, there’s really not a whole lot to go on.
The jury is still very much out on the likes of Oliver Antman and Thelo Aasgaard. Likewise Max Aarons and Joe Rothwell, two players who came with big reputations but have thus far failed to convince.
As for the likes of Nasser Djiga, Mikey Moore and Jayden Meghoma? Three loan signings from down south who simply aren’t up to it.
As sporting director, Thelwell was instrumental in the summer recruitment. He was a key part of the process which saw Rangers spend £8million on Youssef Chermiti, a striker with three goals in 47 senior appearances.
Sporting director Thelwell watches from the stand at Livingston as Rangers ground out a win
Rangers also spent around £3m on Emmanuel Fernandez and handed him a four-year deal. Right now, he looks to be the club’s fourth-choice centre-back and has played only two games so far this season.
But perhaps the most damning thing of all is the fact that Nico Raskin and James Tavernier are still Rangers’ two best and most influential players.
None of the 14 players who were signed in the summer have managed to displace either of those two in terms of sheer importance to the team.
So for all Rangers fans continue to vilify Martin, and understandably so given the dross he’s served up as manager, Thelwell should come under the microscope as well.
