GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JUNE 05: Russell Martin is unveiled as the new Head Coach of Rangers Football Club at Ibrox Stadium alongside Rangers Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell, on June 05, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Up against Barnsley it should have felt like a normal League One fixture for Manny Fernandez- yesterday at St George’s Park he showed the form that left Peterborough with the worst defensive record in League One.
Apparently the brilliance of the 49GERS analytics team plus the eye for a player of Russell Martin were able to identify a hidden gem lurking in the Peterborough ranks.
Fernandex made 31 out of 46 appearances for Peterborough last season, their fans were delighted to get an undisclosed fee for the defender, when it emerged that undisclosed translated to £3.5m they couldn’t hold back their joy and amazement.
Barry Fry has been pulling fast ones throughout his career but it is doubtful if he has pulled off anything on this scale before.
Of course the loyal bears and their media messengers lapped it all up, their club needed physicality so they bought a giant. Three years ago they needed pace and signed Rabbi Matondo.
Apparently Martin and Director of Football Kev Thelwell are working to a plan- one built on massive transfer fees and wages for run of the mill players from backwaters such as Luton, Bournemouth and Peterborough.
I did say when I’d seen them sign him that he’s stinking, seen him against Wigan last season and he wouldn’t look out of place in Sunday league
— james (@JamesBate05) July 13, 2025
Leading Barnsley 1-0 Fernandez attempted a lazy cross-field pass 10 yards just over the halfway line.
Barnsley were quickly on it, the first pass cut open Martin’s defensive line, sweeper-keeper Liam Kelly raced hopelessly from his goal as Max Watters knocked the ball into space, held off the retreating Fernandez to place the ball into the net.
Some top class analysis from Martin should sort out the issue, hopefully big Manny will be in the Starting XI to face Panathinaikos in the Champions League on July 22.
I saw the way Fernandez runs earlier in the week and thought he was just tired from extra sessions, but the big lad doesn’t look like he can shift gears quickly. Wonder if he’ll be developed in the games where we don’t play a higher line?
— brandon (@Brandon_A97) July 12, 2025
He wouldn’t look out of place alongside Dane Murrray and Trusty, tbf.
It’s rumoured that Yamada didn’t want to sign….. Then he watched this clip !!!!!!!
HH
Manny Fernandez … no, that’s surely a spoonerism ?
Fanny Mernandez! I like it. Has a certain je ne sais quoi.
Given our own lack of activity to bolster a squad that looked dead on its feet and out of ideas in the Cup Final I’m not going to be slagging them off until we’ve seen them in enough league games to judge. They only have to beat the diddy teams to get themselves into a title race and I don’t much fancy the prospect of losing a league title to Russell Martin and his ragbag outfit because like Creed against Drago we didn’t take them seriously.
I’m long enough in the tooth to remember laughing at Souness’ all-new huns getting off to a stuttering start in 1986, losing to a bang average Hibs team then at home to Dundee United…. they got their shit together soon enough though and our bungling “custodians” played right into their hands by giving the manger about £5/10/6d to spend.
After beating us in the League and later in the League Cup final with a starting XI that was largely Jock Wallace’s team they never looked back. We aren’t so far ahead that we can be complacent – by selling O’Riley, Kyogo and Kühn in the last year we’ve lost half our goals and because there is no guarantee Jota will be the same player after that injury, we haven’t adequately replaced any of them.
Editor: It is possible to work with more than one idea at a time.
£3.5M?
sevco was already committed/obligated to pay for the loan player(s) they had to buy at the end of the season,
but I certainly didn’t expect that they’d be able to actually buy any other players – and especially not for £3.5M?
Is this amount verifiable from any reliable source, or is it a number plucked out of the air at ibrox?