Rob Davies
The above words came from Swans boss Russell Martin ahead of the visit of in form Middlesbrough tomorrow afternoon as he desperately tries to arrest an alarming twenty game run of form.
Michael Carrick has had an immediate impact at the Riverside Stadium with a near 70% win rate after taking over from Chris Wilder and has the league’s in form striker in the shape of Chuba Akpom.
It will undoubtedly be a tough task and perhaps made even harder when the manager openly states that nobody expects a result against the team from the North East tomorrow afternoon.
An improved second half performance at Luton offers a little comfort but despite being “underdogs” another feeble defeat at home tomorrow won’t just be accepted by the fanbase.
“What goes on between your ears is the majority of the game at this level, because technically there is not much between players,” said Martin
“The players who succeed are the players who have the most resilience, the players who make a mistake and can forget about it and play on without it affecting them, the players who fail and are willing to come back and be the same again.
“We were really energised by the second half at Luton, and the way we have reflected on it and spoken about it as a team, as individuals and as units.
“We took a lot from that, it was a step in the right direction in terms of the intensity, energy and bravery we showed.
“So, we need to stay brave, stay positive, and continue to believe in the work we put in. If we do that we will be fine.
“Sometimes you need a spark or a result that no-one expects.
“I don’t think many expect us to get a result this weekend, so this is a great test for us and a great game to do it in.”
The way Martin sets us up particularly the defence I’ll be amazed if we get aresult .Most managers would be having a quiet word with Cabango and Wood to occasionally play a long ball when boxed in a corner – but not Russell .If we do play our usual passing game Fisher to Cabango to Wood and back to Fisher we coulbe on the end of a hiding.He might also tell his wing backs to occasionally look behind them and remember the ‘back’ bit of the name .It’s a long time since i’ve felt so negative before a game .When you take on the best team in the league -and over the last dozen games they have been- you’ve got to challenge for everything,be really well organised and play to a system .oh and have a great keeper.We’re coming up a bit short
The way the manager speaks is a huge worry for me and I realy do fear for the future. I have hit the stage where I realy cannot be bothered to break it down of what concerns me with him. He just cannot see where he as a manager is going wrong.
The most worrying thing is the fact that despite 80% of our fans actually figuring out what’s wrong with our shape and defensive failures – RUSSEL has not! I hear words like ‘brave’ and ‘courageous’ while the fans watch us turn over the ball over and over! The most frustrating thing for me is that the fix is relatively easy to make: play quicker and look for channels to get out of the defensive third, look for possession much more quickly in the middle third, and play as one connected team from our 18 to theirs.
I have generally supported Martin, but he has managed to erode any confidence I had with his failure to make the oh, so obvious changes!
If I hear him say brave and courageous 1 more tome i will go mad.He will be adding that we are at the bottom for budget and our squad is young.Stuck record
Simply replacing last year’s comments that we had no pre- season.
The truth is his system is unworkable. The under 21 while having some good players and a bit of pace are having to play the Martin way .As a result they are shipping between 2 and3 goals per game nearly all on the break .Does that ring any bells .
By the time Martin gets the elbow the club will be in a mighty mess.
The owners will sell Obafemi ,Whitaker and Piroe for a collective 8 to 10 million and give nothing back to the manager to spend on new players – frightening .Try replacing Piroe’s 15 to 20 goals for a start.