Russell Martin

[FarehamSaintJames]

Jesus Christ.

Just seen the headlines.

Nothing screams little ambition quite like appointing a newly made, mid table, Championship manager when trying to make a return to the Premier League having recently boasted of how the clubs financial position is and could seemingly get anyone.

😂

Very mixed on this potential appointment.

All for giving people a chance but it just screams of Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles.

I can’t see this being a pull for some of our bigger players (JWP, KWP) to stay if there was even a slightest chance. 👀

[Suhari]

32 minutes ago, Smirking_Saint said:

Well you just know he’ll beat us 3-0 and go absolutely mental infront of us

With the greatest respect.....

[Appy]

6 minutes ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

Jesus Christ.

Just seen the headlines.

Nothing screams little ambition quite like appointing a newly made, mid table, Championship manager when trying to make a return to the Premier League having recently boasted of how the clubs financial position is and could seemingly get anyone.

😂

Very mixed on this potential appointment.

All for giving people a chance but it just screams of Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles.

I can’t see this being a pull for some of our bigger players (JWP, KWP) to stay if there was even a slightest chance. 👀

There wasn’t a slightest chance 

[Saintscummer]

1 hour ago, Fitzhugh Fella said:

Think you said that when we appointed Mad Nat?

Yeah, but everyone is different. Give the guy a chance 

[Dusic]

9 minutes ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

Jesus Christ.

Just seen the headlines.

Nothing screams little ambition quite like appointing a newly made, mid table, Championship manager when trying to make a return to the Premier League having recently boasted of how the clubs financial position is and could seemingly get anyone.

😂

Very mixed on this potential appointment.

All for giving people a chance but it just screams of Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles.

I can’t see this being a pull for some of our bigger players (JWP, KWP) to stay if there was even a slightest chance. 👀

What do you actually want? 

As a PL side people bang on about experience, signing players and appointing managers who know the league etc.

Well now we are a Championship team and are appointing a guy who has 2 years experience of the league, 4 years of the EFL, extensive and recent experience of playing in the PL, Championship and at Intl level and who at two different clubs has implemented a clear style of play. Probably one of relatively few managers who is 4 years into a career and yet to be sacked.

If we went for Gerrard, Vieira etc they have never played or managed at this level - is that really 'ambition'?

What would have made you happy?

(Also, what JWP or KWP think is totally irrelevant, we need to think as a Championship club, not PL).

Edited 19 May, 2023 by Dusic

[The Cat]

52 minutes ago, Turkish said:

Bookmarked 

I can't believe this appointment. It's just Wankerson being clever because he thinks he's more intelligent than everyone else. Can't see anything other than us plummeting through the leagues. Our next local derby won't be at Fratton, we'll be playing against fucking Eastleigh.

[Badger]

1 minute ago, Dusic said:

What do you actually want? 

As a PL side people bang on about experience, signing players and appointing managers who know the league etc.

Well now we are a Championship team and are appointing a guy who has 2 years experience of the league and who at two different clubs has implemented a clear style of play. Probably one of relatively few managers who is 4 years into a career and yet to be sacked.

If we went for Gerrard, Vieira etc they have never played or managed at this level - is that really 'ambition'?

What would have made you happy?

(Also, what JWP or KWP think is totally irrelevant, we need to think as a Championship club, not PL).

You’d hope we’d think as a Championship club with ambition to get out of it and back into the EPL, rather than a Championship club who see themselves for mid-table Championship for the foreseeable future .. 

Never mind, he plays a lot of sideways passing pretty football out from the back.

And league positions don’t matter anyway (Simple Semmens Says). 

[Sunglasses Ron]

I guess we wait and see how this one pans out. He at least doesn’t look like a psychopath, so already better than Mad Nate.

Hopefully he’ll be our 2023/24 version of good old Nige.

[FarehamSaintJames]

6 minutes ago, Dusic said:

What do you actually want? 

As a PL side people bang on about experience, signing players and appointing managers who know the league etc.

Well now we are a Championship team and are appointing a guy who has 2 years experience of the league, 4 years of the EFL, extensive and recent experience of playing in the PL, Championship and at Intl level and who at two different clubs has implemented a clear style of play. Probably one of relatively few managers who is 4 years into a career and yet to be sacked.

If we went for Gerrard, Vieira etc they have never played or managed at this level - is that really 'ambition'?

What would have made you happy?

(Also, what JWP or KWP think is totally irrelevant, we need to think as a Championship club, not PL).

To be honest just someone that will unite the fanbase and the players.

People banging on about possession stats, means absolutely fuck all of your team doesn’t score a goal more than the opposition; or in our case a goal at all.

Jury’s out obviously, but it’s another huge risk, and the last two didn’t have a good outcome.

I’d love to be pleasantly surprised, let’s see I suppose. 😅

Edited 19 May, 2023 by FarehamSaintJames

[woodsaint1]

3 minutes ago, Dusic said:

What do you actually want? 

As a PL side people bang on about experience, signing players and appointing managers who know the league etc.

Well now we are a Championship team and are appointing a guy who has 2 years experience of the league and who at two different clubs has implemented a clear style of play. Probably one of relatively few managers who is 4 years into a career and yet to be sacked.

If we went for Gerrard, Vieira etc they have never played or managed at this level - is that really 'ambition'?

What would have made you happy?

(Also, what JWP or KWP think is totally irrelevant, we need to think as a Championship club, not PL).

Like Kompany last season 👍🏻

[Saint Gifford]

I am going to talk a load of boll?@ks now I know. (Friday evening with a bottle of the West Countries finest apples).

But the Manager has to be right but must fit into what ever business plan is currently in place through the club. (I am guessing none of us know what that is ultimately).

Rob Edwards, case in point with what he did at FGR, fantastic fit. Then did the dirty on them to go to Watford now Luton.

Ben Garner, Bristol Rovers crap, Swindon Great, Charlton no more than a few months. Now Colchester. 
 

I could go on and on and on. (Locally I agree).

Just look up our former great player Tommy Wrids and what he has achieved.

Potter at Chelsea, Conte at Spurs amongst others. Countless managers Man U ect ect ect.
 

Like a lot of us on here, I couldn’t give a crap who we end up with as long as it is Prem football that fits with the club’s identity.

But surely up and coming experimental managers, L1, Championship Manager, gone past it Prem managers we need to pass on.

Potts was perfect under the Cortesse regime. Adkins did a great job before Potts came on board. 

Bottom line is, the club has to have everything in place from the tea lady to the owner, exactly like the current play offs have demonstrated.

We could have Pep or Klopp and still be no where near winning anything without the identity. 
 

As a long standing ( I was going to say suffering but I won’t) fan. 

I hope next season is nothing other than promotion, what ever the position we finish. 

Just hope over the Summer the decision makers take a step back and work out the right plan. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Yorkshire Saint]

5 minutes ago, Saint Gifford said:

I am going to talk a load of boll?@ks now I know. (Friday evening with a bottle of the West Countries finest apples).

But the Manager has to be right but must fit into what ever business plan is currently in place through the club. (I am guessing none of us know what that is ultimately).

Rob Edwards, case in point with what he did at FGR, fantastic fit. Then did the dirty on them to go to Watford now Luton.

Ben Garner, Bristol Rovers crap, Swindon Great, Charlton no more than a few months. Now Colchester. 
 

I could go on and on and on. (Locally I agree).

Just look up our former great player Tommy Wrids and what he has achieved.

Potter at Chelsea, Conte at Spurs amongst others. Countless managers Man U ect ect ect.
 

Like a lot of us on here, I couldn’t give a crap who we end up with as long as it is Prem football that fits with the club’s identity.

But surely up and coming experimental managers, L1, Championship Manager, gone past it Prem managers we need to pass on.

Potts was perfect under the Cortesse regime. Adkins did a great job before Potts came on board. 

Bottom line is, the club has to have everything in place from the tea lady to the owner, exactly like the current play offs have demonstrated.

We could have Pep or Klopp and still be no where near winning anything without the identity. 
 

As a long standing ( I was going to say suffering but I won’t) fan. 

I hope next season is nothing other than promotion, what ever the position we finish. 

Just hope over the Summer the decision makers take a step back and work out the right plan. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Nigel. Keep looking at the man in the glass 😉.. its etc BTW x (ps enjoyed your message)

Edited 19 May, 2023 by Yorkshire Saint

[Turkish]

7 minutes ago, The Cat said:

I can't believe this appointment. It's just Wankerson being clever because he thinks he's more intelligent than everyone else. Can't see anything other than us plummeting through the leagues. Our next local derby won't be at Fratton, we'll be playing against fucking Eastleigh.

Also book marked

[S-Clarke]

It's interesting reading everyone's views, and also the Swansea's views (when do we get his family members on here?)

Personally my overwhelming feeling is of scepticism, I'm conflicted though - would I have felt this way had we not signed Jones before Christmas? Not sure, but I think it's fair that the failed experiment from then is somewhat clouding my judgement and maybe some others.

One of my biggest worries is that this appointment appears metric driven, rather than purely down to what we need in the door right now. ''He's made x amount of passes''  ''He has x amount of possession compared to Barca or whoever'' - that's all well and good, but completely and utterly irrelevant if he struggles to deal with personalities, culture changes and an enormous turnover of players. He may not, of course, but it just feels like an almighty risk once again at a time when we didn't need to take one given the resources and the attractive project on offer here.

We took a risk in the summer with Bazunu in a position we couldn't afford to do so, that went as expected. We took a risk replacing Ralph with Nathan Jones, based purely on metrics, that also went as expected. I think it's fair to see why people are incredibly nervous about this, I want it to work out and I want to see us winning again, but I just don't trust the people making these decisions as they always seem to be needlessly risky.

The only plus is that we seem to be moving quickly, which will provide the biggest opportunity to asses the level of change required.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

22 minutes ago, Saintscummer said:

Yeah, but everyone is different. Give the guy a chance 

Giving people chances is a lovely philosophy as we slowly sink down the leagues. 

[Nordic Saint]

12 minutes ago, woodsaint1 said:

Like Kompany last season 👍🏻

Good Manager vs Bad Manager

The passing around at the back left Swansea with the 4th worst defensive record in the Championship this season. The other 3 teams were relegated.

 

[InvictaSaint]

From somebody who knows him and has got his coaching badges with him…

[woodsaint1]

The appointment may be metrics driven, but a possession based style of play got Burnley out of this league with ease. Its seems the club have looked at that template and I would also say that Wilcox, with what hes overseen at City's academy, has had an influence in this decision. 

A high pressing style of play will run out of steam across the 46 game season, as Bielsa found out in his first season at Leeds. We need something different and I can definitely get behind Russell

[goodymatt]

I do have that feeling in my stomach that this is another unnecessary risk as @S-Clarke has alluded to above. My hope was we would get in a manager that had a record of doing well in the PL but maybe lost their way a bit like Potter (admittedly never likely to drop down) or Rodgers (despite him being unlikable). Silva was a master stroke for Fulham.

However, unlike with Jones, we don’t have a car crash example at an ex PL club (Stoke) to really add weight to the concern. Swansea have a very decent record lately with Potter and Cooper, clearly have a good eye for up and comers.

I do like the idea that we will have a style/identity again and one that should work well with the long slog that is the championship. This is a guy who was underfunded and still nearly made the playoffs. Let’s hope the budget we will have can get the quality to make his ideas more fruitful. I do like how early we seem to be doing this, should help with the transfer window and alignment.

I’m less immediately against this than I was with Jones in November, where we had a lot of the PL to go to save ourselves. I think there is more chance of success with this appointment but with all the change going on I would have personally preferred to go for that PL experienced manager, if possible. Really hope this works!

[Morse]

Ridiculous appointment if it happens. Sport Republic doing what Sport Republic do, fùck up the big decisions. Obviously I hope I'm wrong, but I won't be. 

[Yorkshire Saint]

After the last 7(?) Years of dire entertainment including Puel .. at least we are trying something different. Im looking forward tonthe championship... lets be honest, apart from the cup runs and the trips to Milan etc which were few and far between.. the Premier league is complete bollocks and the top 6 or so continue to twist the rules to get richer and richer. Jones was suicidal..lets see what happens but honestly, the years since Koeman have been turgid at best. The days in the football league were legendry....Hartlepool Tuesday night, I was there. 

Edited 19 May, 2023 by Yorkshire Saint

[Pamplemousse]

The Championship is shit. I reckon I could manage the squad with the amount of money we have and scrape top 6.

At least we will get back to some sort of playing style. Whether it works or not remains to be scene but it has to be better than the dross we get served up to us at the moment.

[Turkish]

Whatever you think of Selles and I don’t rate him at all, Appointing a new manager whilst we already have one doesn’t seem a great way to treat staff however shit the are 

[Whitey Grandad]

2 hours ago, Fitzhugh Fella said:

I want to be positive - I really do - but this playing out from the back malarkey might suit Barca and M City, but for clubs with mediocre footballers it’s suicidal. 
If this is Martin’s chosen style then it will end in tears and things are going to get a lot worse. Swansea fans comments have been illuminating. They don’t seem that bothered about losing him and that tells me loads. He seems like a nice bright bloke but not sure he’s the man to resurrect us. 

Playing out from the back is nothing more than time wasting with the added threat of getting caught in possession in a dangerous position.

[Whitey Grandad]

51 minutes ago, Badger said:

You’d hope we’d think as a Championship club with ambition to get out of it and back into the EPL, rather than a Championship club who see themselves for mid-table Championship for the foreseeable future .. 

Never mind, he plays a lot of sideways passing pretty football out from the back.

And league positions don’t matter anyway (Simple Semmens Says). 

I’d pay a lot not to watch that.

[Whitey Grandad]

52 minutes ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

To be honest just someone that will unite the fanbase and the players.

People banging on about possession stats, means absolutely fuck all of your team doesn’t score a goal more than the opposition; or in our case a goal at all.

Jury’s out obviously, but it’s another huge risk, and the last two didn’t have a good outcome.

I’d love to be pleasantly surprised, let’s see I suppose. 😅

You don’t understand. If you score a goal you give away possession so whatever you do, don’t score a goal.

[Whitey Grandad]

37 minutes ago, Fitzhugh Fella said:

Giving people chances is a lovely philosophy as we slowly sink down the leagues. 

It’s otherwise known as gambling.

[Badger]

3 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

It’s otherwise known as gambling.

Or fucking stupidity 

[woodsaint1]

29 minutes ago, Turkish said:

Whatever you think of Selles and I don’t rate him at all, Appointing a new manager whilst we already have one doesn’t seem a great way to treat staff however shit the are 

Its entirely possible that the conversation has already been had with Selles than we aren't renewing him at the end of the season. Nobody has been appointed either and that the formalities of that may not happen until the season ends.

Selles can hardly have any complaints that the club is in discussions with other managers. He was put in charge until the end of the season and results/performances have been diabolical.

Hopefully we do this on the playing side too for a change. Identify targets early and bring them in before moving on those surplus to requirements or those being sold for sizeable fees

[Smirking_Saint]

I just heard Selles’ comments… and I’ll be honest, it clearly hasn’t worked here but other than the waffle he doesn’t seem a bad bloke

Stringing him on and not explaining the situation is bad form

[LGTL]

The fanbase and club is dying to be united, and they go and appoint another monumental risk. It just beggars belief to be honest.

[woodsaint1]

7 minutes ago, Smirking_Saint said:

I just heard Selles’ comments… and I’ll be honest, it clearly hasn’t worked here but other than the waffle he doesn’t seem a bad bloke

Stringing him on and not explaining the situation is bad form

 

Hes clearly on the look out for his next job which would suggest we have already explained the situation clearly

[Smirking_Saint]

43 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

Playing out from the back is nothing more than time wasting with the added threat of getting caught in possession in a dangerous position.

I mean, this is quite a simplistic and basic view, playing out from the back has a lot of advantages especially if we want to be a possession based team, the games moved on from lumping it forward

That said though it’ll be interesting to see who we buy and what we do if that is the plan because whenever we actually have to pass it about we look absolutely woeful

[FarehamSaintJames]

He’ll be fully aware of his outcome already.

It’s not rocket science, the team haven’t performed any better since he came in. Results haven’t improved. If he is oblivious to that then he must be as thick as shit.

But I think he is a smart bloke. But it’s not worked out. It’s just the generic answer to give. He’s hardly going to come out and go “I’m off”.

He knows his outcome. I imagine it’ll be announced officially on the Monday after the season finishes.

[Colinjb]

Fine, but if we are in, we go all in.

Don't just get him to use the squad we have, give him the resources to make it his. Move on the dross use those that are capable.

No agendas from above, no need to do certain things, let the manager manage. His teams pass well, maybe need better defenders. Focus there.

We pray that Rasmus and Co are not just trying to be clever for the sake of it. (Of course they are.)

Edited 19 May, 2023 by Colinjb

[Smirking_Saint]

1 minute ago, woodsaint1 said:

 

Hes clearly on the look out for his next job which would suggest we have already explained the situation clearly

Ive just read that as he is covering his bases tbh, he literally said in his interview today that the club have told him they’ll review after Liverpool and he hasn’t been told anything about a new manager, he was pretty specific 

[Wade Garrett]

6 minutes ago, woodsaint1 said:

 

Hes clearly on the look out for his next job which would suggest we have already explained the situation clearly

He’s got a huge decision in the Summer.  MacDonalds or KFC.

[FarehamSaintJames]

3 minutes ago, Colinjb said:

Fine, but if we are in, we go all in.

Don't just get him to use the squad we have, give him the resources to make it his. Move on the dross use those that are capable.

No agendas from above, no need to do certain things, let the manager manage. His teams pass well, maybe need better defenders. Focus there.

We pray that Rasmus and Co are not just trying to be clever for the sake of it. (Of course they are.)

Nail on the head. 

But I don’t trust Rasmus or the board to leave the footballing side to footballing people. That’s where I think part of the problem lies.

Too many people have left, I wonder why.

[woodsaint1]

3 minutes ago, Smirking_Saint said:

Ive just read that as he is covering his bases tbh, he literally said in his interview today that the club have told him they’ll review after Liverpool and he hasn’t been told anything about a new manager, he was pretty specific 

Possibly, but hes made a point of confirming that theres interest in him. If he was in the dark over our interest in Martin and still thought he had a chance of the job here, he wouldnt be saying this. He could have shut that question down from the outset. To me its clear that both parties are exploring their options, but likely out of courtesy nothing will be confirmed until the season ends

[Delmary]

 

[woodsaint1]

4 minutes ago, Delmary said:

 

"Passing it around in a slow manner when we're 2-1 down"

Sounds like his tactics will fit in well here 🫣

[CB Fry]

5 minutes ago, Delmary said:

 

I got as far as ".... yes the football was slow and pedestrian at times".

[Mixedkebab]

Russ Russ Russ Martin Southampton’s greatest love machine 

he came down south and deserted the swans 

russ Russ Russ Martin sideways passing is his dream

We’ll tap it round til the fans are all gone

 

Good luck Russell! 🍀 

[Badger]

Wishful thinking but is the ‘publicity’ leaking around this a smokescreen whilst we are secretly negotiating with someone else ? 

If this  happens then it’s another uninspiring selection by SR. It may prove to be a stroke of genius but SR haven’t done anything to suggest ‘genius’ is within their grasp.

Could, and should have been more ambitious. Perhaps we were and they’ve rejected us. 

Was thinking yesterday that at least Tony Mowbray always seemed  a ‘proper football bloke’.

Only positive I can think of appointing this bloke is at least he will spare us an awful scouse accent that would have come with Gerrard, Rooney, or Schumacher.  

Edited 19 May, 2023 by Badger

[WestMidSaint]

18 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

He’s got a huge decision in the Summer.  MacDonalds or KFC.

I wouldn’t sign him to either.  Nice guy, presentable and probably intelligent. Terrible manager in the premier league and not sure he could manage a busy drive through queue on a Friday evening 

[Ex Lion Tamer]

1 hour ago, Whitey Grandad said:

Playing out from the back is nothing more than time wasting with the added threat of getting caught in possession in a dangerous position.

Yes it can look stupid when it doesn't work but it's also the most effective way to pull the opposition out of position and create attacking space. That's literally why the top teams do it. And in this league, we are one of the top teams

[Badger]

4 minutes ago, woodsaint1 said:

"Passing it around in a slow manner when we're 2-1 down"

Sounds like his tactics will fit in well here 🫣

The video isn’t an overwhelming endorsement of him.

Sounds like he had a ‘Ralph run’ and purple patch of nine games at the end of the season.

Just timed nicely to reel in a sucker like Rasmus to try projecting that over the course of a season !

 

[egg]

This looks like a shocker to be honest. As a player he was a solid pro but never achieved anything as such, and has done nothing as manager. His teams score goals, but concede loads too playing what Strachan rightly described as propaganda football - possession for the sake of it. I'd have preferred someone who has experience of getting clubs out of the championship or close to it - seems like another stats based risk. 

[Turkish]

Ohhhhhhhhhh wankersen went to wales to buy a load of leek

instead he got a manager who is a vegan freak 

It’ll be tofu in the stands and vegan sausage rolls 

but all we really want is to score some fucking goals 

[Ex Lion Tamer]

Has this been posted?