“It’s about trying to be the best version of the football club that we can be”

Russell Martin celebrated two years in management yesterday.   He will celebrate his 100th game in management on Saturday.  His side are playing football that’s been sadly missed in Swansea for several years and we can all enjoy the ride.   There could be very special times ahead.

Russell Martin is a man with a vision and a man with a plan.  When he arrived at the club pretty much on the eve of the new season he did so on the backdrop of a summer of uncertainty around the club but with a very clear vision and plan as to what he wanted to achieve.

He was clear it would not happen overnight and whilst there seemed to be some early knives out when we stuttered through the early weeks of the season it was clear enough at the end of August that things would change and that there was substance to the work being done.  Patience was all that would be needed (Planet Swans – Fans Patience will be the key to Swans success – 30th August 2021)

When someone new arrives at a football club and is denied the usual five weeks pre-season that is afforded to management then you know it will take a few weeks.  There will be bad days but there will be plenty of good days if everyone buys the vision and the football (and results) of the past few weeks have been the just reward not just for the vision that Martin bought with him to South Wales but also the work of his three months (yes that is all it is) tenure at the club.

Confidence is high on the pitch, confidence is high in stands and expectations are growing by the day that we are at the very start of what could be a very special journey indeed.  The Swansea Way is very much back and been sorely missed.

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“I hope there are signs of progress, we have been in 12 weeks I think now and in any normal scenario six or seven weeks of that would have been pre-season,” Martin said after the midweek win at Coventry.

“We have got so much to work on, so much progress to make, but in terms of how far these players have come physically and mentally in 12 weeks – and culturally – is incredible.

“I get a bit emotional about it because it is not easy to drop your ego and to work really hard for something and understand why.

“They are showing real discipline and structure, real intensity and it’s not easy.

“They are an incredible group to work with and hopefully we will keep improving and we will try and keep building it up with every single one of them.

“That’s because it’s not just about surviving, it’s about trying to be the best version of the football club that we can be.”

It is sometimes easy to forget that Martin is only 35.   He has been a manager for two years and one day and Saturday will be just his 100th game as a manager.   80 with MK Dons and 20 with Swansea City.   This is not just the start of our journey this is the start of his and right now each of us will be hoping that there are many steps on that journey together.

We should not lose sight of the fact that whilst we have reached the play offs for the last two seasons we did so with many players who are not here any more.  Gone are Woodman, Ayew, Lowe, Hourihane, Guehi and Roberts from last season alone.  More than half a side to be replaced as well as a complete overhaul of a playing style.    These things don’t happen overnight, it is somewhat of a minor miracle that it has happened so quickly.   Or is that just testament to the clear vision and plan of the manager again?  You can decide that one.

Whilst the call was for patience at the end of August the call now is for us to strap in and enjoy the ride.   There will be more performances like the ones we have seen in the past few weeks and there maybe the odd bump in the road but we have seen special times before and the sense of anticipation that was there then is back again.

We can look forward to games.  It is not about scoring and holding on or sitting back and hoping for a late win or even a dodgy late penalty.   Twice this week we have been two up inside the first fifteen minutes of a game.  To put that into complete context in the last 11 league games of last season we only scored 2 goals in total in the first half!  This isn’t just a change in style it is a complete overhaul of where we were to where Martin wants us to be.  So when the boss says there is more to come it is quite easy to believe that this is true.

“The players will decide what this season turns into for us. It’s about trying to instil an identity back to the club.

“We want to give the supporters a team they can be proud of and I feel they have grown connected to what the players are doing on the pitch and you can see it in our incredible following.

“It’s about trying to create something we all really believe in and I feel we are doing that.”

And long may that continue.