There was a sense Russell Martin was managing expectations yesterday... he'd surely take any scoreline which gives Rangers hope in Athens, writes John McGarry

The task of clearing these hurdles in late July is tricky at the best of times. Doing so when you are carrying a little lead in your boots doesn’t help matters.

Strip away the emotion and the sense of occasion that awaits at Ibrox tonight and Russell Martin’s first competitive game as Rangers manager promises to be the most challenging of introductions.

The overhaul of his squad isn’t even close to completion. He has several players who aren’t yet fit enough to feature from the off.

A pre-season programme that’s encompassed just one game in front of supporters and a few bounce matches looks light to the point where this recalibrated side must be in danger of going in a little undercooked.

And that’s before you come to the opposition. Although Panathinaikos don’t start their league season until a couple of weeks after the Scots, they’ve just returned from a camp in Austria where they faced sides of the calibre of Schalke and Braga. Rui Vitoria’s men look ready for this.

In contrast, Martin’s head will have hit the pillow last night with a great deal to ponder.

Cyriel Dessers recently picked up and injury while Hamza Igamane is short of fitness due to a visa issue delaying his return. That’s 45 goals from last season watching from the bench at best.

Danilo, who’s made no appreciable impact since joining from Feyenoord two years ago, would appear to be Martin’s only option through the middle.

A minor injury will also put Thelo Aasgaard’s debut on the back burner. Djeidi Gassama, the seventh signing of the summer, also arrived too late from Sheffield Wednesday to be considered a starter.

Of those who are available, Joe Rothwell, Mohamed Diomande, and Nico Raskin should form a solid central midfield, but a lack of natural width is a concern.

Only appointed manager on June 5, Martin can hardly be held wholly responsible for his side’s lack of readiness for such an important match. He’d surely take any scoreline which gives Rangers hope in Athens.

There was certainly a degree of him managing expectations when he weighed up his side’s prospects yesterday.

While he’s seen enough behind the scenes to believe they are good enough to prevail over two legs, he’s aware it’s asking a lot for it all to click straight away.

‘I’ve been so pleased over the four weeks, but it’s not a long time,’ he said.

‘So, I think tomorrow’s going to be a real big test for us to see how far along we are and see how much work we have to do.

‘I think that’s the most interesting thing for us as a coaching staff, is that tomorrow we will learn a lot about the group, we will learn a lot about how we need to prioritise moving forward over the next few weeks.’

On a muggy old day, Martin began his media conference by successfully tackling the air conditioning unit in the media room at Auchenhowie. If only controlling the expectations of supporters was quite as simple.

Given little over a month to turn a squad which ended last season trophyless into one capable of winning three Champions League qualifiers on the spin, it’s a good thing that the 39-year-old enjoys a challenge.

Even a slender victory tonight would set a welcome positive tone at the outset of his tenure.

At the very least, his players have to demonstrate that the possession-based football he advocates looks like bearing fruit.

‘I think for the team, it will accelerate the learning,’ he offered. ‘That will improve from tomorrow, whatever happens, there’s no doubt about it.

‘But I think one of the things that has to come out is that the supporters have to leave feeling positively about their new-look team.

‘I think if we can be connected, the whole club, Ibrox, here, the supporters, if this club has that, with that energy, I think it’s going to take some stopping.’

They are not short on sources of motivation or inspiration. Last week, the visitors’ book at the club’s training camp was etched with the names of Sir Alex Ferguson, John Greig and Richard Gough. Then, at the weekend, Martin had lunch with a trio of club ambassadors.

At the outset of a new era, with so much change in the air, the manager feels there’s much to be gained from a fresh group of players hearing from some icons of the past.

‘We had two Rangers legends and a legend of the game this week who supports this club and they all had the same conversation with every single one (of the players) about what this club means to them and (the fact that) we have to represent that as much as we can,’ he said.

‘Then we had John Brown, Lee McCulloch, Ian Durrant at a game and it was great to see them.

‘The door is open to people who’ve had success here. They know what it takes, they know what the club is about, they support the club, they felt what it means to be here and be part of it.

‘It’s been really nice, the energy around the training ground, seeing some of the players are in awe of these people is brilliant.

‘It just reminds you that the players are just human as well, the same as us. They have people they look up to and they aspire to be like.

‘And this group will have a chance to create their own history and their own legacy.’

While it would be foolhardy to make sweeping judgments on any side on the basis of 90 minutes, much will be revealed tonight about the way Martin plans to go about his business.

He does not expect a free pass. He does hope that there’s a degree of understanding that this is very much a work in progress.

‘It’s not all going to be plain sailing,’ said the manager. ‘There will be some bumpy moments, but we have to make sure that everyone can understand and see what we are trying to achieve and that the team has enough moments that people can feel excited about.

‘There will be times for a bit of patience and calm, but the patience needs to come when we have the ball in the opposition half, not near our own goal.

‘We’re going to need the supporters. They were amazing in the pre-season friendly (against Brugge) in second half and they’ve been brilliant whenever we’ve bumped into anyone around the city. I hope they can feel the freshness and the energy in their team tomorrow night.’