Russell Martin - Confirmed as First Team Manager

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

2 hours ago, brookfox said:

I got out my seat a lot this season to be fair.
 

After 80mins to beat the traffic!

 

You'd be more likely the beat the traffic if you stayed until the end

[VLC86]

First thing he’s said on the training ground in Spain is “who wants to smell Lucy” . Can’t believe it

[Guy]

On 21/07/2026 at 09:12, Swarles Barkley said:

Anyone else worried that with so many posts about fitness, hard work and running that its going to inevitably end with us being burned out by January  

In a fantasists eyes we'll be about 30 points clear at the top by then anyway. ha!

[Free Falling Foxes]

20 hours ago, VLC86 said:

First thing he’s said on the training ground in Spain is “who wants to smell Lucy” . Can’t believe it

Reminds me of a mate at work many moons ago, who had popped round his girlfriends one lunchtime.

On his return I asked if she was OK. He stuck his fingers under my nose and said you tell me.

[VLC86]

11 minutes ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

Reminds me of a mate at work many moons ago, who had popped round his girlfriends one lunchtime.

On his return I asked if she was OK. He stuck his fingers under my nose and said you tell me.

I’ve just burst out laughing at my desk.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

26 minutes ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

Reminds me of a mate at work many moons ago, who had popped round his girlfriends one lunchtime.

On his return I asked if she was OK. He stuck his fingers under my nose and said you tell me.

 

Did you work with Stiffler from American Pie or some shit

[Free Falling Foxes]

16 minutes ago, Miquel The Work Geordie said:

 

Did you work with Stiffler from American Pie or some shit

We were apprentices at the time, so around 1977.

Predates American Pie so guess its an example of art imitating life. 

[Saints Fan In Peace]

On 21/07/2026 at 00:45, Slab Edd said:

I'm not professional but even compared to his Southampton side we seem much much more eager to move the ball quickly, we start slow but the moment an open pass becomes available it's straight to that player,we then start playing one touch football, using whichever striker is playing at the time to drop deep, you can see this for one of will alves goals this pre season.

 

Another thing I've noticed is CBS willing to carry the ball forward if there is no forward pass available to them, eventually someone will have to close them down and free up another player.

 

I don't know where Russell learnt this new football from but I've never seen a manager learn from his previous errors like this 

It looks great when it works, there's no doubt about that. The challenge at this level will come when the opposition don't come out and press so you can't pass round them, and instead just put 10 men behind the ball in their own third, let you have the ball and say 'go on then, break us down'. You may see a lot of that from the much smaller clubs you're going to play against who will be delighted to come away with a point against the biggest club in the division. 

 

It's a big part of what happened at Rangers. Too many draws where he couldn't break down teams who parked the bus like Motherwell, Dundee, Falkirk and St Mirren, albeit with a fanbase up there who literally demanded to win every single game, given their size and history. When it got too much into the realms of what they saw as side-to-side, backwards, horseshoe football against inferior opposition they just wouldn't tolerate it. 

 

But you won't be the first team who has to find ways to break down a packed defence, although the approach might test your patience on occasion and you may occasionally hear the words 'just get it forward'. If he's genuinely tweaked his system to crack that aspect of it, then you'll do very well. 

 

Edited 25 July by Saints Fan In Peace

[Torten]

Never doubted him

[BenTheFox]

I really hope this is the perfect marriage for two parties that need to get back on track. 

[coolhandfox]

18 minutes ago, BenTheFox said:

I really hope this is the perfect marriage for two parties that need to get back on track. 

Could be both parties are desperate to turning it around.

 

I hope so just because I sick of having a different manager every 6 months, be nice to have someone for 2-3 years.

[cityfanlee23]

He's growing on me quickly, hasn't put a foot wrong so far, I can almost feel him massaging my shoulders trying to win me over and it's working. 

[OadbyBlue]

What I didn’t expect was to find him a very likeable person. 

[RumbleFox]

I just hate him and want to die. 

[Bert]

35 minutes ago, OadbyBlue said:

What I didn’t expect was to find him a very likeable person. 

This is because certain people that support us decided he was an arsehole before he came here and rammed it down everyone’s throats. 

[GLC]

By all accounts he’s a very likeable guy, and the squad have very much bought in to his philosophy 

[Ric Flair]

11 hours ago, Bert said:

This is because certain people that support us decided he was an arsehole before he came here and rammed it down everyone’s throats. 

I'm definitely one of them and it's based one two things. One, the level of arrogance and delusion in post match comments in particular the 2 games under Enzo where we systematically destroyed them and he acted pathetically. Two, in the past when challenged on his methods when his teams commit continual pattern mistakes, he's a massive nose flarer and from the outside looking in comes across a tad obnoxious.

 

But like everything, as soon as you have an affiliation with someone you may have got them wrong or they may evolve and not take themselves too seriously. He's certainly come across well so far but the pressure is off right now and when the serious stuff starts let's hope he still comes across sensibly.

 

I'll certainly hold my hands up. Reminds me of cats. Always thought they were shit until I got one and then saw they eat Domino's and curries if you leave them unattended and went right up in my estimations.

[indierich06]

Still not sure to be honest. He seems to be saying all the right things, but I remember thinking the same about Steve Cooper 😂 I think the Rangers hatred of him was over the top, and he was basically on to a loser there from the start. Look how they hounded out Danny Rohl as well - if you're not winning every game, in style, and winning all comps, it seems like you can basically **** off in the eyes of Rangers fans.

 

Southampton fans seemed to like him? I think a lot of the unfavourable comparisons are due to the fact that we had Enzo, who was playing a similar type of football, playing it better, and battering his teams, and the fact that he probably should have done better with that Southampton side?

 

He seems like a nice enough bloke at the end of the day, and I want it to work out because if it works out for him, then it works out for us. 

[daddylonglegs]

11 hours ago, Bert said:

This is because certain people that support us decided he was an arsehole before he came here and rammed it down everyone’s throats. 

the vast majority of the footballing community have decided he's an arsehole because he's behaved like an arsehole. It's not that deep. 

[teblin]

He's got a tough job here. If he get us up there challenging with the lack of signings etc... He'll have done a gret job. Despite how good the young lads are its not going to be easy.

[whoareyaaa]

The only gripe for me is when he talks he doesn't seem very assured like other managers with what he's saying in regards to the team, tactics etc.

 

Hopefully I'm wrong, as he seem's like a nice bloke.

[Bert]

9 minutes ago, daddylonglegs said:

the vast majority of the footballing community have decided he's an arsehole because he's behaved like an arsehole. It's not that deep. 

Has he? Maybe your definition of arsehole is different to mine. 

[Bert]

38 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

I'm definitely one of them and it's based one two things. One, the level of arrogance and delusion in post match comments in particular the 2 games under Enzo where we systematically destroyed them and he acted pathetically. Two, in the past when challenged on his methods when his teams commit continual pattern mistakes, he's a massive nose flarer and from the outside looking in comes across a tad obnoxious.

 

But like everything, as soon as you have an affiliation with someone you may have got them wrong or they may evolve and not take themselves too seriously. He's certainly come across well so far but the pressure is off right now and when the serious stuff starts let's hope he still comes across sensibly.

 

I'll certainly hold my hands up. Reminds me of cats. Always thought they were shit until I got one and then saw they eat Domino's and curries if you leave them unattended and went right up in my estimations.

No, you’re right. Cats are twats. 

[OadbyBlue]

13 hours ago, Bert said:

This is because certain people that support us decided he was an arsehole before he came here and rammed it down everyone’s throats. 

I don’t think it’s just Leicester fans that thought this though, I think the general consensus in British football is that he is dogmatic, arrogant, and cringeworthy in the same way that Rodgers was viewed during the early 2010’s.

[moore_94]

1 hour ago, whoareyaaa said:

The only gripe for me is when he talks he doesn't seem very assured like other managers with what he's saying in regards to the team, tactics etc.

 

Hopefully I'm wrong, as he seem's like a nice bloke.

Might actually be a good thing with him and possibly follows on from when he was so set on his tactics previously

 

Has possibly realised he can’t do that anymore