Inside the Glasgow goldfish bowl it can look like Russell Martin is doomed. Every Rangers fan is screaming blue murder. They’re calling for him to be sacked, in terms that offer no ambiguity.

There is a venom and a toxicity. How can he hope to survive this and this and this?

The reality is that even though there are no discernible improvements in Rangers under Martin – not even scraps – he will get more opportunity to rebuild the team.

Chairman Andrew Cavenagh and vice-chairman Paraag Marathe don’t strike you as having itchy trigger fingers. Not yet at any rate.

They cannot be deaf to the howls of protest – if they attend the Old Firm game on Sunday they’ll be told all about it – but there’s little evidence to suggest they will be influenced by supporters who are ready to spontaneously combust.

So you have a board who will wait, a support who see no point in waiting, and a manager who is attempting to sound like he’s got this under control when all evidence screams otherwise. A heady brew.

This is Martin’s team and Martin’s mess. Not only is it not working, it’s getting worse. No amount of fast-talking can disguise that, no attempt at a three-card trick is going to fool a single fan at this point.

Nasser Djiga was among the culpable for the first Brugge goal – a Martin signing. Max Aarons got himself sent off inside eight minutes – another Martin signing.

Every one of his new recruits were dismantled. At the break, he took off three of them – 5-0 to Brugge at that stage – and replaced them with three players he inherited.

Read more: ‘Martin’s mess exposed – but when will it end?’