Russell Martin

[Suhari]

8 minutes ago, Kaiser Soze said:

Would take Jones back over this clown. 

Steady on fella. Calm that hair trigger.

Rubbish Rusty is shit, but not as bad as Mad Nate (yet).

[saintant]

The best football we've seen has always been when we have an ultra fit team and press hard high up the pitch. To me that is the way we should be aiming to go. RM and his possession football is a complete waste of time and has zero chance of working.

[woodsaint1]

28 minutes ago, trousers said:

I can't help thinking that if, hypothetically, a Pompey fan infiltrated our club and set about masterminding our downfall, how that would look any different to what's happening under Sport Republic? Genuine observation/question... (Call me Mr Paranoid...)

Dragan Solak is Milan Mandaric's lovechild 😱

[Monk]

Similar to NJ, he has this arrogance about him that suggests his playing philosophy is already 'mastered' in his eyes and the players are the ones who need to learn it. There is no evidence of any progress or evolving of his philosophy, given he has 'better players' than he did at Swansea and MK Dons. His philosophy is already 'flawed' with the passing patterns, player starting positions for said patterns (and set pieces) and his pressing set up all incredibly naive. 

Two key patterns you can see teams are using to exploit us is; playing through our unstructured set up in DF/Midfield through our press (teams that play with a '10' will be licking their lips). The second pattern is almost an extension of those teams playing with a 10 or have numerical advantage of CM's, playing reverse passes when attacking the width of our penalty area. We don't operate with a typical DM/4 who sweeps and protects the back four, so when the winger has the ball we defend the 6 yard line a priority for any balls across the goal but completely ignore the checked or delayed runs on the edge of our box. 

 

I'm not a fan and I'm already on the notion that I don't want him here at all. 

Plus I can't stand that he's constantly dressed like a mannequin from Zara or ARNE. 

Edited 19 September, 2023 by Monk

[The Kraken]

[Dusic]

7 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

When he got the job it was clear he had achieved nothing as a manager.

Nothing.

We are now seeing why.

Absolutely catastrophic appointment.

He was successful at getting his teams to play a possession style which is what the club wanted.

They obviously knew when they hired him that it would take time to coach into the squad but I guess have gambled on the fact that we have better players than Swansea did, which is true, so they could do it with better results.

Time (if he gets enough of it) will tell, but I don't think they will be in a hurry to have yet more change, especially as Wilcox said the worst thing about what he found when he joined was that there was no clear style or strategy.

Ultimately comes down to whether its just not quite working now but will in the future or whether it just never will. Personally I think changing at this stage would be foolish when seemingly the club are taking a slightly longer term view otherwise they wouldn't have hired him.

[Chris cooper]

Neil warnock for me eats this league with our squad .. go get him !

[Pilchards]

It’s not Russell Martins fault. The club hired him the same way it hired Selles and Jones.

We would not of been in this mess today if we showed a little more ambition by getting in a decent manager that knows how to improve players.

Honestly, Jones, Selles and Martin are pathetic cheap gambles and it’s continuing  to bite us on the bum.

What useless cheap twat is lined up next or just maybe they might just get it right?

[S-Clarke]

2 minutes ago, Pilchards said:

It’s not Russell Martins fault. The club hired him the same way it hired Selles and Jones.

We would not of been in this mess today if we showed a little more ambition by getting in a decent manager that knows how to improve players.

Honestly, Jones, Selles and Martin are pathetic cheap gambles and it’s continuing  to bite us on the bum.

What useless cheap twat is lined up next or just maybe they might just get it right?

They're not cheap choices, we've had to pay out to Luton and Swansea decent sums of money for both Jones and Martin. We had to pay out Selles contract at Kobenhaven as well when he came in as a coach. That's not forgetting the tidy pay off's we've given Ralph and Jones in the midst of all this.

They're not cheap appointments, and as we've seen SR aren't scared of spending money and investing, they are just absolutely totally and utterly hopeless at doing so.

Edited 19 September, 2023 by S-Clarke

[saintant]

4 minutes ago, Monk said:

Similar to NJ, he has this arrogance about him that suggests his playing philosophy is already 'mastered' in his eyes and the players are the ones who need to learn it. There is no evidence of any progress or evolving of his philosophy, given he has 'better players' than he did at Swansea and MK Dons. His philosophy is already 'flawed' with the passing patterns, player starting positions for said patterns (and set pieces) and his pressing set up all incredibly naive. 

Two key patterns you can see teams are using to exploit us is; playing through our unstructured set up in DF/Midfield through our press (teams that play with a '10' will be licking their lips). The second pattern is almost an extension of those teams playing with a 10 or have numerical advantage of CM's, playing reverse passes when attacking the width of our penalty area. We don't operate with a typical DM/4 who sweeps and protects the back four, so when the winger has the ball we defend the 6 yard line a priority for any balls across the goal but completely ignore the checked or delayed runs on the edge of our box. 

 

I'm not a fan and I'm already on the notion that I don't want him here at all. 

Plus I can't stand that he's constantly dressed like a mannequin from Zara or ARNE. 

Some excellent points here.

[Saint-Michael]

Doing the same thing every time expecting a different result is a sign of madness.

Edited 19 September, 2023 by Saint-Michael

[Lord Duckhunter]

I don’t get this Swansea pony from him . Anyone would think it’s the equivalent of what Johann Cruyff did at Barca, the way he bangs on about it. Jones made a cock of himself by constantly going on about what he’d achieved at Luton, whilst irrelevant to his Premier league role, it was an achievement to get them into the play offs. This bloke goes on about his time at Swansea & his playing philosophy there, but all he did was take a middle table side to……mid table. Lego headed twat. 

[James]

Just now, Lord Duckhunter said:

I don’t get this Swansea pony from him . Anyone would think it’s the equivalent of what Johann Cruyff did at Barca, the way he bangs on about it. Jones made a cock of himself by constantly going on about what he’d achieved at Luton, whilst irrelevant to his Premier league role, it was an achievement to get them into the play offs. This bloke goes on about his time at Swansea & his playing philosophy there, but all he did was take a middle table side to……mid table. Lego headed twat. 

Agree with this. Jones, at the very least, overachieved with Luton. I suspect Swansea's fans, at best, thought 9th was about par.

[Pamplemousse]

Given the attacking players we have we should be doing a lot better. Martin should be under pressure to fix it and if he isn't then Wilcox can go too, after all this is his appointment 

[Saint-Michael]

18 minutes ago, Harry_SFC said:

Always thought Warnock was an underrated manager.

He is a good tacticain.

[hypochondriac]

Martin sounded defeated in the interview which is a worrying sign. Still says he isn't going to make any changes. Still having indirect jabs at the fans. Maybe if he'd had to sit through the last few years which costs so much money he'd understand why fans are absolutely fed up at having to watch dross. 

[hypochondriac]

Also can we bin off Smallbone and only ever play him in an emergency? He's shite. 

[egg]

Just now, hypochondriac said:

Also can we bin off Smallbone and only ever play him in an emergency? He's shite. 

I think that's harsh. He's not a DM and is being hung out to dry being played there, especially with Aribo and AA as his partners. Poor kid ain't got a prayer. 

[S-Clarke]

1 minute ago, hypochondriac said:

Also can we bin off Smallbone and only ever play him in an emergency? He's shite. 

He'd be decent playing more advanced, but we're trying to play him deeper and he's hopeless in that role.

His best spell at Stoke came when they were winning, as they had the basis of Pearson and Laurent behind him. As soon as one of those guys got injured and he had to slot into CM they went to shit.

[Fabrice29]

New manager with the same players. That’ll sort it, definitely. 

[trousers]

1 minute ago, Fabrice29 said:

New manager with the same players. That’ll sort it, definitely. 

Will sticking with a manager with a mediocre track record "sort it, definitely"...?

[LGTL]

Pound shop Pep can fuck off. Absolutely useless. 

[ErwinK1961]

Maybe the hope being beaten out of the fans, might lower expectations and take a bit of pressure off. Surely no-one believes we’ve got a chance of going up this year now. 

Got to have a settled team - Baz, THB, Bednarek, KWP, Charles (in fcking midfield), Downes, Alcaraz, Sulemana, Edozie, Stewart (when fit) need to play every week.

Larios can’t be as bad as Manning surely? 

[Wiggles31]

This manager will not be here by Christmas. So I hope SR don’t stand around with their dicks in their hands and watch our promotion chances fade away. 

[Fabrice29]

1 minute ago, trousers said:

Will sticking with a manager with a mediocre track record "sort it, definitely"...?

There is no definitely. But let’s keep changing managers anyway. 

[Wade Garrett]

Sack the fucking idiot.

[AlexLaw76]

.Woeful manager, who is being exposed for the utter fraud he is

[Nemi]

49 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

That's exactly it. People are just in love with Pep or Klopp and think they can create a mini-pep setup for themselves, but in reality Pep and Klopp are successful because they have fucking billions of pounds to spend. That's the crux of it! 

Like you say, play the best players in their natural positions. If you have enough good players in their natural positions then you will win games of football, and then you can pass the ball. Build a structure and then have a little tweak if you want, but we just seem like a Man City-lite vanity project and it's rather depressing.

Pep is successful because he’s far more pragmatic than any of these idiots we’ve hired. Yes, it’s possession based but he’s far more likely to mix it up when needed and he’s built one of the most physically strong teams in the league. Meanwhile, we get bullied trying to pursue something even Pep doesn’t.

Martin and Selles are sort of managers who would bench Haaland because he doesn’t fit their style.

[AlexLaw76]

Has to be moved on. His team set up is hilariously bad

[hypochondriac]

8 minutes ago, trousers said:

Will sticking with a manager with a mediocre track record "sort it, definitely"...?

Junking this system and playing our best players in their proper positions with a more pragmatic approach would make us more successful I'm almost sure of it. 

[Gloucester Saint]

2 minutes ago, Fabrice29 said:

New manager with the same players. That’ll sort it, definitely. 

It won’t be a magic wand to change the sickening and unwarranted smugness/complacency rife in the executive corridors but putting players into better positions at first team level for their strengths/weaknesses and maximising organisation around what you have - basics of being in business and a managerial position. The club should at least be competing for the play-offs under a solid basic manager if they do that.

At the moment, it’s very obvious to anyone involved in the game be it a coach, player or supporter to beat a Russell Martin outfit. And the tub thumping about how he turned Swansea (from Steve Cooper apparently!) and MK Dons around to the heady heights of 9th is prime Nathan Jones and Luton.

So yeah, a bit of organisation on the training ground and a stronger character to tell Rasmus et al to fuck off because they’ve achieved something at first team football level would improve things pretty clearly.

[Wiggles31]

There is no excuse for the squad we have not to be in the top 3 this season. Anything failing that is down to the manager. Clearly it’s not working or going to reach the standard this squad is capable of. Therefore SR need to cut their losses and make a quick and decisive change. 

[Lord Duckhunter]

2 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

And the tub thumping about how he turned Swansea (from Steve Cooper apparently!) and MK Dons around to the heady heights of 9th is prime Nathan Jones and Luton.

 

Nathan Jones achieved more at Luton than Martin did at Swansea or MK Dons. 

[Fabrice29]

You’re not a serious football club if you sack a manger after 3 defeats. Nor are you a serious fan base if you demand that, pretty much 3 managers in a row.  Get a grip. 

[trousers]

21 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Also can we bin off Smallbone and only ever play him in an emergency? He's shite. 

 

20 minutes ago, egg said:

I think that's harsh. He's not a DM and is being hung out to dry being played there, especially with Aribo and AA as his partners. Poor kid ain't got a prayer. 

 

19 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

He'd be decent playing more advanced, but we're trying to play him deeper and he's hopeless in that role.

His best spell at Stoke came when they were winning, as they had the basis of Pearson and Laurent behind him. As soon as one of those guys got injured and he had to slot into CM they went to shit.

Yep, seems to be JWP déjà vu all over again... i.e. playing attack minded midfielders in a defence midfield role... No surprises that JWP is flourishing in a more advanced role at West Ham. Why are we historically so shite at playing players in their best positions? 

[AlexLaw76]

2 minutes ago, Fabrice29 said:

You’re not a serious football club if you sack a manger after 3 defeats. Nor are you a serious fan base if you demand that, pretty much 3 managers in a row.  Get a grip. 

what is the number of games that suggests you are serious?

Edited 19 September, 2023 by AlexLaw76

[Fabrice29]

6 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

It won’t be a magic wand to change the sickening and unwarranted smugness/complacency rife in the executive corridors but putting players into better positions at first team level for their strengths/weaknesses and maximising organisation around what you have - basics of being in business and a managerial position. The club should at least be competing for the play-offs under a solid basic manager if they do that.

At the moment, it’s very obvious to anyone involved in the game be it a coach, player or supporter to beat a Russell Martin outfit. And the tub thumping about how he turned Swansea (from Steve Cooper apparently!) and MK Dons around to the heady heights of 9th is prime Nathan Jones and Luton.

So yeah, a bit of organisation on the training ground and a stronger character to tell Rasmus et al to fuck off because they’ve achieved something at first team football level would improve things pretty clearly.

Love how wonderfully simple it all is. 3 managers in a row now it’s been simply obvious to everyone that the right set up is all it needs and improvements will be forthcoming. Until the next one is relying on Armstrong and Adams to score goals and a few games later they need to go as well. 

[trousers]

19 minutes ago, Fabrice29 said:

There is no definitely. But let’s keep changing managers anyway. 

We wouldn't have to "keep changing managers" if we employed a non-mediocre manager in the first place....

Edited 19 September, 2023 by trousers

[sfc4prem]

1 minute ago, trousers said:

We wouldn't have to "keep changing managers" if we employed a non- mediocre manager in the first place....

Nah, don't worry - Fabrice is right. It's clearly not a concern at all that our manager started a game with Joe Aribo and Will Smallbone as our central midfield wall.

[JRM]

34 minutes ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

I don’t get this Swansea pony from him . Anyone would think it’s the equivalent of what Johann Cruyff did at Barca, the way he bangs on about it. Jones made a cock of himself by constantly going on about what he’d achieved at Luton, whilst irrelevant to his Premier league role, it was an achievement to get them into the play offs. This bloke goes on about his time at Swansea & his playing philosophy there, but all he did was take a middle table side to……mid table. Lego headed twat. 

Just waiting for him to claim he compromised and this isn't his team 

[Lord Duckhunter]

If he losses the players, this could get really messy. Imagine trying to play RussBall when your hearts not really in it. Fuck me, Ralph’s 9’s could be in jeopardy. 

[Miltonaggro]

Jones got 14 games, Selles 17, bet Russ beats both regardless of what happens on the park. 

[Raging Bull]

19 minutes ago, Fabrice29 said:

You’re not a serious football club if you sack a manger after 3 defeats. Nor are you a serious fan base if you demand that, pretty much 3 managers in a row.  Get a grip. 

They can’t afford to stay in this league and there are zero signs of improvement. We’re getting worse… 

We also (imo) have a top 2 squad so yeah, he should be under massive pressure! 

[hypochondriac]

23 minutes ago, Fabrice29 said:

You’re not a serious football club if you sack a manger after 3 defeats. Nor are you a serious fan base if you demand that, pretty much 3 managers in a row.  Get a grip. 

You can express serious misgivings. It's not the results necessarily, it's the manner of the defeats. They said themselves that the stayed aim is automatic promotion this year. Teams that go up automatically do not lose three games in a row and they certainly don't ship as many goals as we have and look so shambolic. It's not primarily the players, it's certainly not the fans, it's this confusing system that is causing all this and that is on the manager. They either need to have an overhaul of things tactically (even though Martin has said he isn't going to do that.) or in my opinion they are going to have to give serious consideration to what they do if this carries on over the next five to ten games. Martin needs to change. 

[Fabrice29]

5 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

You can express serious misgivings. It's not the results necessarily, it's the manner of the defeats. They said themselves that the stayed aim is automatic promotion this year. Teams that go up automatically do not lose three games in a row and they certainly don't ship as many goals as we have and look so shambolic. It's not primarily the players, it's certainly not the fans, it's this confusing system that is causing all this and that is on the manager. They either need to have an overhaul of things tactically (even though Martin has said he isn't going to do that.) or in my opinion they are going to have to give serious consideration to what they do if this carries on over the next five to ten games. Martin needs to change. 

Just a genuinely mental opinion on every level this. We’ve been wildly inconsistent, and that’s being generous, for years now, one of the common denominators is captain, another is vice captain and another is the lead striker still but yeah this new guys who has been here for 7 games is causing all of this. 

[bpsaint]

29 minutes ago, Fabrice29 said:

Love how wonderfully simple it all is. 3 managers in a row now it’s been simply obvious to everyone that the right set up is all it needs and improvements will be forthcoming. Until the next one is relying on Armstrong and Adams to score goals and a few games later they need to go as well. 

Norwich sacked their manager after one game in 2009 and went on to win the league.

Already everyone can see that Russball isn’t going to work, we don’t have the players for it, and RM himself has said he’s not going to change his playing style, so what’s the point. Things aren’t going to magically click overnight and we rip up the league, so do something about it now rather than waiting 15-20 games.

[Jack]

Managers who bullshit the fans generally don’t last long. He claimed we were decent after the Leicester game and that there was no issue with the system tonight. 
 

Absolute joker. Get rid 

[Harry_SFC]

The new lads are all Martin signings as well, so he can't hide behind that either.

Personally I would give him until the international break. Although I may revise that if we lose to bottom of the league on Saturday...

[Lee On Solent Saint]

1 minute ago, Fabrice29 said:

Just a genuinely mental opinion on every level this. We’ve been wildly inconsistent, and that’s being generous, for years now, one of the common denominators is captain, another is vice captain and another is the lead striker still but yeah this new guys who has been here for 7 games is causing all of this. 

Not sure how you can defend Martin after having to sit through that shit. Equally as bad anything I watched under Jones and Selles. We just got outplayed and out fought by a team that were playing League 1 football last season. 

[hypochondriac]

Just now, Fabrice29 said:

Just a genuinely mental opinion on every level this. We’ve been wildly inconsistent, and that’s being generous, for years now, one of the common denominators is captain, another is vice captain and another is the lead striker still but yeah this new guys who has been here for 7 games is causing all of this. 

We have a top six squad, it would be very difficult for anyone to seriously say otherwise. We have decided for some inexplicable reason that we want to be the coolest club in the championship so rather than prioritising results and pragmatic football that works and can change from game to game, we've spent months farting about with a footballing philosophy based on wingbacks doing god knows what and a passing based system that relies on skill levels found in top level premier league players. We don't have the players to be successful with this system that's true, but it's not the fault of the players that we are performing so poorly, it's this ridiculous system. That's not a mental assessment, it's absolute fact unless you think that any manager in this league would be seeing us shipping the most goals of any team that's ever played in this division for their first 7 games and getting humped in consecutive home games.