THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE

Good on Russ for pulling no punches.. just look at reaction

- BARRY FERGUSON

ASK yourself a question. How do you like to be treated?

Do you enjoy trying to second guess what people expect from you? Or, like me, do you prefer being told straight to your face?

It has always been my belief that honesty is the best policy. That's how I was brought up and it stood me well throughout my career in football.

And it’s why I was so pleased to hear Russell Martin telling it how it is after watching Rangers drop two points in their opening game of the season at Motherwell.

Some people winced when they heard his pull-no-punches assessment of the way his players had performed. There was even a suggestion that he had “gone too early” and that, by speaking from the heart, he might have created a divide between himself and the dressing room.

I couldn't disagree more.

In my experience it's always best to level with people so that everyone knows exactly where they stand. And I'm not just talking about getting the message across to the players - I'm more concerned with the people who matter most of all. The fans.

The ones who travel to give you their support in vast numbers. The same supporters who went away from Fir Park on Saturday night feeling let down.

They knew what they had just watched because they've seen it too many times before. The last thing they wanted to hear after watching the first two points of the season slip away was a manager attempting to sugar coat it or trying to fool them into thinking black is actually white.

So let’s just say I enjoyed listening to what Russell said afterwards in his post-match interviews a whole lot more than I enjoyed watching the way the team played, especially in that second half. It was refreshing. It was brutally honest. And it was absolutely spot-on.