Russell Martin - Confirmed as First Team Manager

[SK3Blue]

Sounds like a ‘modern workplace manager’ found in many businesses up and down the country, glorifies things and generally talks a load of old bollocks. 

[ceebeefox]

1 hour ago, LCFCJohn said:

This is quite a significant point.

 

We point to 5 years ago being the most obvious point for the decline (although many of us have said how we think it goes back further).

 

2020-21 - we finished 5th in the PL and won the FA cup. Ipswich finished 9th in L1.

 

2021-22 - we were in Europe, semi final of the Conference League, won the community shield and finished 8th in the PL. Ipswich finished 11th in L1.

 

4 years ago, this match would have been us as the established PL side against a side struggling to get out of L1. 
 

Fast forward, they are in the PL (obviously not established) and we are struggling in L1 with our manager seemingly being happy with a 3-1 defeat to them!

 

Yes the performance by the young lads was good and if they kept their places (ironically probably won’t) and replicated that performance, it would probably bode well in the league games.

 

But it’s just another one to add to the examples that illustrate our decline, along with the others like

 

’Stockport were in the National League North when we won the PL’

 

’Wrexham were in the National League when we won the FA cup in 2021’

 

’Where the f*** is Bromley’!

 

 

This also highlights how quickly you can get back?………If the new owners get it right.

[FoxTimmy2]

Russell Martin’s managerial playbook:

 

1) Tippy-tappy between the centre-backs and goalkeeper, dominate possession and gift the opposition goals in the process.

2) Serve up a word salad of empty buzzwords in the post-match presser.

3) Rinse repeat

[LCFCJohn]

5 minutes ago, ceebeefox said:

This also highlights how quickly you can get back?………If the new owners get it right.

Yes of course. I’m referencing the decline than many of our fans seem to still be oblivious to.

 

But yes, positions can fluctuate and teams can punch above their weight or fall down the leagues, but broadly there are generally still ceilings and floors. The same reason we have never been below the 3rd tier and only in it twice (and no I’m not tempting fate or saying worse won’t happen) is the same reason that Mansfield Town, Stevenage, Wycombe etc have never reached the top tier.

 

Basically, due to our size, fan base, stadium, facilities etc, we find ourselves in this position not due to struggling to compete, lack of resources or back luck. It’s the result of such large scale mismanagement, barely ever seen in football or business world as a whole. So for anyone with a bit of patience and who has a clue, should be able to get us back to our historical level.

[Chelmofox]

13 minutes ago, FoxTimmy2 said:

Russell Martin’s managerial playbook:

 

1) Tippy-tappy between the centre-backs and goalkeeper, dominate possession and gift the opposition goals in the process.

2) Serve up a word salad of empty buzzwords in the post-match presser.

3) Rinse repeat

Stroke hair?

[SafewayFox]

42 minutes ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

They are still here because whoever is interested hasn’t yet met the valuation the club has placed on them. That isn’t Martin’s fault, and it isn’t his fault that the squad he needs isn’t in place. That is the point I am trying to make. 
 

have a go at him about playing style, substitutions etc but people having a moan about him trying to be professional and positive about players who are still here and also about the failure to move players on and bring players in are venting their frustration at the wrong person in my opinion.

Adding Cullen (a potential large chunk of our budget) and McCarthy is completely on Russell TBF.

 

Not addressing the squad imbalance is a collective effort but I will never stop saying that Cullen was a completely unnecessary signing.

 

We already have non-physical 10’s in Chaplin, Reid and a lesser extent Alves.

 

We need physicality more than ever, yet other than Kanga, this has not been addressed in the slightest.

[damolcfc]

30 minutes ago, FoxTimmy2 said:

Russell Martin’s managerial playbook:

 

1) Tippy-tappy between the centre-backs and goalkeeper, dominate possession and gift the opposition goals in the process.

2) Serve up a word salad of empty buzzwords in the post-match presser.

3) Rinse repeat

You forgot run run run

[CrazyKopCorner]

1 hour ago, trooky said:

If we believe his after match dilge, we've had plenty of interest in Faes, Mavididi, Okoli and Souttar. If that's the case why are they still here? 

 

It's very disappointing this has dragged to the last days of the window

 

We still need the spine of the team strengthening, a striker, centre midfielder and 2 CBs IMO. 

Spot on 

[CloudFox]

There are plenty of criticisms to level at Martin, but currently his press conferences shouldn't be one of them. We are trying to shift a lot of deadwood, most of whom do not want to be here. So he has to keep the squad happy without throwing anyone under the bus, while also drumming up interest to get them sold and not being sure what his final squad will look like. 

 

It's why the transfer window being open during the season is often just a bit shit. Really hope we can get the business done we need to, but mainly just want it to slam shut already so everyone can just crack on.

[Bablemikey]

Maybe Russell will turn it all around and make us a successful club once again. I genuinely hope he does.

But given the downward trajectory we’ve been on, the club seemingly being on a financial knife edge, and the state of the squad we had coming into this season, it feels like a gamble of gargantuan proportions by the owner and board.

They’ve effectively committed themselves to a footballing philosophy that requires huge changes to the squad at precisely the time when they seemingly have very little money to make those changes. And then, to entrust this massively ambitious project to Russell. This is a man whose reputation is built around his blinkered and unwavering commitment to his footballing principles and his apparent reluctance to embrace pragmatism, even when results have continually been going badly, as we've seen at his previous clubs.

This feels like an enormous amount of risk to take when the club cannot afford any further failure. Maybe Top just likes a gamble. He certainly seems to be betting it all on red with this one.

[trooky]

2 hours ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

They are still here because whoever is interested hasn’t yet met the valuation the club has placed on them. That isn’t Martin’s fault, and it isn’t his fault that the squad he needs isn’t in place. That is the point I am trying to make. 
 

have a go at him about playing style, substitutions etc but people having a moan about him trying to be professional and positive about players who are still here and also about the failure to move players on and bring players in are venting their frustration at the wrong person in my opinion.

Yeah, not his fault. It will be though if plays them if they're still here. 

 

The club needs to be realistic in their valuations, they've all underperformed with 2 consecutive relegations on their Cvs.

 

I saw a report online somewhere we value then at a combined 28 mil including Skipp 

 

Nobody outside the club really knows what happens behind the scenes, if they're forcing a move, don't want to be here, acting unprofessionally....

 

There performance from last and this year all suggest they don't want to stay, so we would be better getting the best price and move on IMO. 

[moore_94]

He can fvck off already

[Muzzy_no7]

Very thin ice

[CornwallFox]

Never trust a man attending football matches wearing a shacket 

[bovril]

"where we are as a squad"

 

"Keep growing and getting better"

 

All vague meaningless bollocks

[Muzzy_no7]

So pre season was by in large quite impressive apart from the second half of the Genoa game.

 

Northampton League Cup game - honking, like hilariously sh*te against a league one/two yo-yo team. Passed them to death and genuinely created nothing or even threatened. I’ll allow some of this due to Stiffy playing and having no striker. (Although Lorenz or Evans shouldve had a go)
 

Notts County away -  all fart and no poo. While it’s clear we are a work in progress this was too similar to Northampton.

 

Burton home - shocking, somehow worse than the previous two. Played better without Skipp. 
 

Ipswich away - after dropping Okoli and no Skipp we suddenly look dominant and threatening. Helps playing with a striker and enthusiasm on the wings. Much better and scoreline flattered Ipswich. Performance was good on and off the ball.

 

MK Dons away - So much better in most departments bar final third decision making and finishing/shooting. Still struggling to create clear cut chances but it’s clear we now can be a threat. If we’d had won 2 or 3-0 no one would’ve batted an eyelid and MK Dons couldn’t have felt aggrieved. 
 

So there is progress and it certainly felt much better at the ground yesterday but Plymouth really is a must win as well as playing well.

 

Bristric, Howell, Alves, Page, Braybrooke, Macfarlane and JJ all HAVE to start. 
 

 

[FoxesTalker]

At least he's acknowledged the decline goes back further than the last 2 years. Not a popular view to take on here, but in a different situation with more time, he's the type of manager who could turn the tide. Hopefully he can achieve that here, but he's at a club with one of the least patient fanbases in the country. The Cooper Out thread during the 2024 pre-season was a prime example of this.

[Gamble92]

4 minutes ago, FoxesTalker said:

At least he's acknowledged the decline goes back further than the last 2 years. Not a popular view to take on here, but in a different situation with more time, he's the type of manager who could turn the tide. Hopefully he can achieve that here, but he's at a club with one of the least patient fanbases in the country. The Cooper Out thread during the 2024 pre-season was a prime example of this.

Can you define least patient fanbase?

 

We have fans who are still supportive of an owner who's neglected us in every single way possible, destroyed the club and put us to the point of extinction. 

 

The ones who aren't brainwashed into a cult for a duty free family who couldn't give a shit about us are just sick and tired of the same wrong decisions. I'd say the atmosphere at the start of the Burton game proves we are all still prepared to get behind them. But you need to give us something to get behind. They haven't done that. To blame fans in anyway is the same enabling bullshit that's allowed the demise.

[SafewayFox]

A couple of non LCFC mates of mine, keep talking/laughing about this video of RM not wanting to get his trainers wet yesterday.

 

Has anyone seen it?

[Katy]

1 minute ago, SafewayFox said:

A couple of non LCFC mates of mine, keep talking/laughing about this video of RM not wanting to get his trainers wet yesterday.

 

Has anyone seen it?

Yes. Although to be fair to him (I’m not going to make a habit of it) it was a fairly deep puddle and I wouldn’t have wanted soaking wet feet all the way home either. The rain was relentless in MK yesterday. 

[DepressedFox]

2 minutes ago, SafewayFox said:

A couple of non LCFC mates of mine, keep talking/laughing about this video of RM not wanting to get his trainers wet yesterday.

 

Has anyone seen it?

 

 

[Claudio Fannieri]

4 minutes ago, SafewayFox said:

A couple of non LCFC mates of mine, keep talking/laughing about this video of RM not wanting to get his trainers wet yesterday.

 

Has anyone seen it?

Yep I have seen it, not sure what the fuss is about, shows he isn’t thick as mince to walk through a large deep puddle 😂

[Katy]

Just now, Claudio Fannieri said:

Yep I have seen it, not sure what the fuss is about, shows he isn’t thick as mince to walk through a large deep puddle 😂

It was quite industrious, I thought. Now, if he could just apply that to the team…

[SafewayFox]

1 minute ago, Katy said:

Yes. Although to be fair to him (I’m not going to make a habit of it) it was a fairly deep puddle and I wouldn’t have wanted soaking wet feet all the way home either. The rain was relentless in MK yesterday. 

I think it sums us up a club, people love to laugh at us/RM though.

 

We really needed another Big Nige with the situation that we found ourself in.

 

[Katy]

Just now, SafewayFox said:

I think it sums us up a club, people love to laugh at us/RM though.

 

We really needed another Big Nige with the situation that we found ourself in.

 

Yeah, that’s exactly who/what we needed but was never going to happen with Mr Tippy Tappy doing the hiring and firing 😭