Russell Martin

[Grant Holts Moustache 108]

Really interesting piece here, can't help but feel we missed a trick in not going for him when Smith got the boot. Seems to have taken on a lot of Farke in terms of the style he wants his teams to play and combined it with the aggressive edge of a Paul Lambert team (when he was still good).

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/feb/09/southampton-record-unbeaten-run-russell-martin

[Rolf Harris 33]

Sideway step. Need the right players, to play his way. Can't afford a whole team replacement. 

[percy varco 247]

Lots on here wanted him. Lots on here didn’t. 
He is doing a fine job at Soton. Even dresses like Farke

[Google Bot 3,847]

I think with where we were with things it'd been nothing but heartbreak seeing him come in and struggle with the parts provided,  If he goes on to bigger and better things as an established prem league manager then good on him.

But I'm quite happy that we didn't bring him in and sour his name here, but he could be a really great manager for us in future.

[Nexus_Canary 1,183]

He would have been the perfect appointment, missed a total trick. 
He would have paid the cab fare and everything.

 

[Grant Holts Moustache 108]

1 hour ago, Google Bot said:

I think with where we were with things it'd been nothing but heartbreak seeing him come in and struggle with the parts provided,  If he goes on to bigger and better things as an established prem league manager then good on him.

But I'm quite happy that we didn't bring him in and sour his name here, but he could be a really great manager for us in future.

I think that ship sailed when he joined Southampton unfortunately. The only way he would end up with us now is if it goes wrong for him in someway.

[Myra Hawtree 138]

2 hours ago, Grant Holts Moustache said:

Really interesting piece here, can't help but feel we missed a trick in not going for him when Smith got the boot. Seems to have taken on a lot of Farke in terms of the style he wants his teams to play and combined it with the aggressive edge of a Paul Lambert team (when he was still good).

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/feb/09/southampton-record-unbeaten-run-russell-martin

Didn’t realise Matt Gill and Colin Calderwood were with him at Southampton.

[cambridgeshire canary 7,697]

Well from what certain posters on here who claim to be in the know have said he's "burned too many bridges" and would never be allowed back here to work. Interestingly they of course have never said what thats about mind..

[Google Bot 3,847]

56 minutes ago, Grant Holts Moustache said:

I think that ship sailed when he joined Southampton unfortunately. The only way he would end up with us now is if it goes wrong for him in someway.

I'd say there's a higher chance of things going wrong as playing that brand of football in the prem league is incredibly tough.  Just look at the likes of Burnley, they were blowing teams away at this level. 

His managerial career has barely got started, so I really don't doubt he'll manage here one day there's years and years ahead of him.

[Satriales 941]

2 hours ago, percy varco said:

Lots on here wanted him. Lots on here didn’t. 
He is doing a fine job at Soton. Even dresses like Farke

And the cool hair cut!

[Capt. Pants 4,882]

I wonder what the thoughts will be when we wind the clock forward 12 mths?

Farke never looked close to keeping our squad in the Premier League. Will/would Martin fare any better with his lot?

Trouble is the EPL can make you look a bit useless as last season's darling of the moment Vincent Kompany is finding out.

 

[Mason 47 1,855]

The Southampton squad should be top 3 in this league with any decent manager. I look at his appointments beforehand, and it seems he struggles to make a really impactful system without top operators.

As most have said, if they get promoted they will no longer be top operators and instead will likely be amongst the weakest 5-or-so squads in the league. That would be the real gauge of where he is at as a manager.

[Worthy Nigelton 1,277]

59 minutes ago, Mason 47 said:

The Southampton squad should be top 3 in this league with any decent manager. I look at his appointments beforehand, and it seems he struggles to make a really impactful system without top operators.

As most have said, if they get promoted they will no longer be top operators and instead will likely be amongst the weakest 5-or-so squads in the league. That would be the real gauge of where he is at as a manager.

Harsh. He's taken over teams that have had issues all over the shop and managed to perform well in those circumstances and is now doing the same again with a team that has high expectations. I'd say he's been a solid 8 or 9 out of 10 so far in each job he's had.

[Barham Blitz 839]

6 hours ago, percy varco said:

Lots on here wanted him. Lots on here didn’t. 

I think that's the problem for Martin here - he wouldn't be starting on a level playing field.  The combination of a Farke-esque tactical approach without the squad here to achieve it, the amount of time it would (and has) taken him to get that approach embedded into a squad and the legacy of the end of his playing days, plus the association (fair or otherwise) of him as some form of Delia's pet would just alienate too sizeable a section of the fanbase too easily and too quickly in comparison with someone without his somewhat polarising history.

Which is a shame as I do think - to paraphrase Big Sam - he would stand more of a chance with us if he was called Russ Martinez and had never pulled on a yellow shirt.  I agree with @Worthy Nigelton that he has done a pretty good job wherever he has been.  I also think he has been pretty sensible in not coming here for all of the above reasons 

That said, that Southampton squad would get annihilated playing that football with that squad in the premiership.  They are nowhere near as good at it as either Burnley or indeed we were at it.  And unless their financial situation has enormously improved in the last couple of years since I last read an in depth report on the subject, there won't be any money for him to improve the squad if they do go up.

[Norfolk Mustard 106]

6 hours ago, Myra Hawtree said:

Didn’t realise Matt Gill and Colin Calderwood were with him at Southampton.

Andrew Surman has recently joined as u-18's Assistant Coach too (I'm connected with Russ on LinkedIn - saw it announced on there).

[Yobocop 1,424]

I do like Martin as a person and as a player but jury out on him as a manager, the team he has at soton he’s currently either under achieving or is on par 

good luck to him but wouldn’t have worked at Norwich 

[JonnyJonnyRowe 898]

8 hours ago, Google Bot said:

but he could be a really great manager for us in future.

He's a manager on the up, it would be difficult to envisage a situation where he would take a job here until he was damaged goods and on his way down, the opportunity was well and truly missed.

[Commonsense 798]

35 minutes ago, Yobocop said:

I do like Martin as a person and as a player but jury out on him as a manager, the team he has at soton he’s currently either under achieving or is on par 

good luck to him but wouldn’t have worked at Norwich 

I think it could have worked. He plays a very good style. The problem as ever is the sh*t element of our fanbase, many of whom are represented on this board!

[repman 738]

I think a lot of the people on this forum who didn't want him would probably have a different opinion had he stayed at MK Dons instead of jumping ship to Swansea. I'm pretty confident he'd have taken them up and although the Swansea job looked appealing at the time their owners continue to sell their best players and do little to reinvest. 

I agree with other posters that I think the chance of him coming here has passed us by, I'm not convinced he's going to the very top just yet but even if it starts to falter that would give any appointment here even less chance of succeeding.

[Mason 47 1,855]

5 hours ago, Worthy Nigelton said:

Harsh. He's taken over teams that have had issues all over the shop and managed to perform well in those circumstances and is now doing the same again with a team that has high expectations. I'd say he's been a solid 8 or 9 out of 10 so far in each job he's had.

Game of opinions I guess. To me, MK Dons and Swansea were reasonably-placed teams that he took to reasonably-placed heights with a bit of added playing style. He's gone to a squad that should be top 3 and that's how they're playing- I wouldn't put them at the level of a Burnley or a Farke Norwich.

I'm not saying he isn't a good manager. I'm just saying I think he's where he is, currently, based on style points and good press. 6/10 in his managerial career so far, if we're doing numerical assessment.

Be interesting if they stick with him when we go up at their expense 😉 

Edited February 10 by Mason 47

[norfolkngood 1,172]

The only Reason i didn't want Russell Martin here as Delia gets to close to Managers and imagine if Martin came back !

i think the one we missed and was Gary O'neil , 

[Nuff Said 5,868]

2 minutes ago, norfolkngood said:

The only Reason i didn't want Russell Martin here as Delia gets to close to Managers and imagine if Martin came back !

i think the one we missed and was Gary O'neil , 

Good call, I’m weirdly rooting for Wolves this season just so Bournemouth look stupid for getting rid of him.

[Well b back 3,590]

When it was thought there was a possibility, the usual suspects slated him as not a very good manager. 
Suspect Martin avoided a bullet here as when transitioning the Southampton team to what they are now went on a bad run, but he was stuck by.

We will never know if it would of worked, but we certainly won’t be finding out anytime soon.

[The Bristol Nest 568]

I'd love Russ or O Neil here. They have moved on to bigger things.

[Serinus canaria 29]

16 minutes ago, The Bristol Nest said:

I'd love Russ or O Neil here. They have moved on to bigger things.

I agree the ship has probably sailed, although I think if Russ went up and got the boot after a poor start in the PL, he would be looking at top half Championship team for his next job. If we dispensed with Wagner after another dreadful run then I'd imagine Martin would be on the shortlist. Unlikely though admittedly.

 

 

[Yobocop 1,424]

On 09/02/2024 at 23:19, Commonsense said:

I think it could have worked. He plays a very good style. The problem as ever is the sh*t element of our fanbase, many of whom are represented on this board!

Why’s that any different to Wagner 

[Besthorpe-48 110]

On 09/02/2024 at 16:44, Google Bot said:

I'd say there's a higher chance of things going wrong as playing that brand of football in the prem league is incredibly tough.  Just look at the likes of Burnley, they were blowing teams away at this level. 

His managerial career has barely got started, so I really don't doubt he'll manage here one day there's years and years ahead of him.

 

[Commonsense 798]

1 hour ago, Yobocop said:

Why’s that any different to Wagner 

I think because Wagner was spared the pressure initially-anyone was a relief from Dean Smith. Some fans would have been on Russ’s back immediately anything went wrong-the same thing happened when he played for us. His start at Southampton was a little shaky-if that had happened here the usual suspects would have been on his back straight away!

[duke63 708]

His style of football will lead to 5-0, 6-0 defeats in the EPL.

[Ray 111]

25 minutes ago, duke63 said:

His style of football will lead to 5-0, 6-0 defeats in the EPL.

A test will be the next round of the FA Cup