Russell Martin and his/our squad

[Pentyrchjack]

You can't tell me that this Southampton side is down to Russell Martin's management.

He just has inherited a quality squad and with pace in abundance. There's little tippy tappy sideways and backwards which used to bore me rigid when he was here. No need when he's now got a different standard of players.

Now I have been a critic of Martin for pursuing that ponderous style ( with a few exceptions) and stifling any direct play.

But I've always recognised there are two sides to any coin. Lack of interest and investment by the owners (for longer than Martin of course) is killing us.

Year on year we are dropping in squad quality. We are classic mid table mediocrity, but on a downward slide.

So let's be clear where the fundamental problems lay - the owners. Yes, they may not have trusted Martin based on some of his earlier signings ( tend to agree) but this season's transfer dealings ( out/in) , incl. Duff, have been hopeless.

I really want Luke Williams to do well, and the second half performance was better - but in reality the game was over at half time ( could have been 5 without Rushworth)

Tbh, even if Pep was parachuted in, there's a limit to what he could get out of our current crop. Which is at the standard it is because of our owners.

Russell is the Messiah, without doubt.

 

[Nocountryforoldjack]

The mental gymnastics you will employ to besmirch anything the guy does really takes the breath away.

He could have recorded Sgt Pepper, and you'd claim the real genius behind it was George Martin.

He definitely shagged your wife and no one will ever tell me otherwise.

And Russell shagged you and you cannot get over your loss of him. You really are very embarrassing.

 

[cadleigh]

The mental gymnastics you will employ to besmirch anything the guy does really takes the breath away.

He could have recorded Sgt Pepper, and you'd claim the real genius behind it was George Martin.

He definitely shagged your wife and no one will ever tell me otherwise.

There you go again, as The Gipper would say. You can't take issue with anything I've said, so you question why I've said it and hope no one notices. Always playing the man, never the ball.

I never like to see my team being outplayed, but I can see that a neutral observer would have found Southampton's play in the first half entertaining, and I definitely felt that way about our play in the second half. I don't think either resembled what Martin was serving up at the Liberty for the past two seasons but good on him for moving on.

 

[swansvalleyjack]

I never like to see my team being outplayed, but I can see that a neutral observer would have found Southampton's play in the first half entertaining, and I definitely felt that way about our play in the second half. I don't think either resembled what Martin was serving up at the Liberty for the past two seasons

Good summary !

 

[stevethejack]

With those players, I could get Southampton promoted. Martin is a fraud, bullshit merchant.

Saints fans sang 'he left cos you're shit'. No, Martin left cos he was shit.

 

[PSumbler]

A Russell Martin side in the Premier League will crash and burn very quickly.

Assuming they go up (which they should do) I would completely envisage him out of a job come the end of the year

 

[stevethejack]

That's exactly what I said to mates during the game. Also their fans calling for his head.

 

[Swanjaxs]

Love Ryan Manning, he was a good servant to us, but he'll be ripped another asshole in the Premier League...

 

[Jacket]

Nothing he's done at Southampton changes the fact that we were in the midst of a far worse run of form this time last season than we are now, nothing he does there will undo the fact that a string of poor signings were made at his behest (Flynn Downs and Darling very much the exceptions rather than the rule in the signings instigated by him - perhaps he'd have more to spend if he hasn't spunked so much on Fisher and Wood), nothing he does there hides his abysmal man management hete and no one can be any illusions that he'll be anything but an unmitigated disaster if he takes them to the Premier League. He's taken tiki taka and turned it into passing just for passing's sake just to massage the figures and hide his ineptitude and every striker will be licking their lips at the prospect of unpicking his defence and don't let what he's doing with a highly superior squad at Championship level blind you to that reality.