Russell Martin was basking within the glow of defeat, not victory. It might say one thing for his expertise of Premier League soccer that the excessive level arguably nonetheless got here in a loss. However his Southampton facet had gone to Manchester Metropolis, had 43 % of possession and solely misplaced 1-0. Martin had been praised by each Pep Guardiola and Phil Foden. Since then, he has taken as many factors as Guardiola. He was to not know his 1-0 loss would look much less admirable when Metropolis solely gained considered one of their subsequent 11 video games.

However he was capable of maintain courtroom. “I’ve seen so many groups promoted and get nowhere,” he stated. Southampton had bought someplace when Martin’s reign was curtailed on Sunday night time: twentieth within the Premier League, 9 factors from security, their return ticket to the Championship booked. At their fee of progress – if that’s the phrase – they need to simply beat Derby’s divisional report low of 11 factors; although the numbers solely put them on track for 11.875.

“We’ve to imagine in one thing,” Martin added that October day. “We’ve to be excessive and take the ball in locations folks wouldn’t normally take pleasure in taking it.” The temptation is to assume that loads of different groups loved Southampton taking the ball in their very own ultimate third. They grew to become a parody of themselves, conceding objectives by gifting the ball to many an opponent. The tone for his or her season was set on the opening day, after they had 77 % of possession in opposition to Newcastle and goalkeeper Alex McCarthy handed to Alexander Isak, who arrange Joelinton for the lone objective. Not one of the three goalkeepers used this season – McCarthy, Aaron Ramsdale and Joe Lumley – is especially assured with the ball at his ft. Every was informed to move out from the again. When Martin was dismissed, Southampton had been the runaway leaders within the chart for many errors resulting in pictures, with 26. That they had made 10 that introduced objectives – in official statistics; many one other mistake not directly triggered them – placing them en path to set one other report.

They ranked eighth type possession however threat happening as one of many worst-ever Premier League sides. They paraded Martin’s ideas. The decision from St Mary’s on Sunday was temporary and blunt. “Russell Martin, your soccer is s**t,” got here one of many choruses. At occasions, it was idiocy masquerading as ideology, a self-defeating model of stupidity.

An argument typically made in Martin’s defence is that the gamers weren’t ok to implement his model of play. And the apparent response is to play a special method – and the pragmatists Martin seemingly disparaged by claiming they bought nowhere claimed extra factors with a extra reasonable angle – it’s also tempting to surprise if the supervisor was not a ok coach to coax his gamers into passing to folks within the same-coloured shirt.

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Both method, it displays a failure of decision-making. There have been lots. Martin bowed out after a recreation in opposition to Tottenham when he switched to a midfield diamond and needed to abandon it after quarter-hour, making a tactical substitution when already 3-0 down. He picked midfielder Flynn Downes as a centre-back in opposition to Liverpool and he handed the ball to Dominik Szoboszlai for the opener. His penalty taker in opposition to Manchester United was Cameron Archer, who had by no means scored a spot kick in his profession, and never Ben Brereton Diaz, who had by no means missed one. Archer duly failed from the spot at 0-0 and Saints misplaced 3-0. Martin’s chosen captain was Jack Stephens, who was despatched off for an terrible lunge at Alejandro Garnacho, collected an additional two-match suspension for calling the fourth official a “c***”, returned and was red-carded within the 5-1 hammering by Chelsea for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair. A Championship-standard defender, Stephens will likely be banned for 9 video games by Christmas.

Unhealthy selections had been compounded by a scarcity of competence. Southampton conceded the second most objectives; solely Wolves let in additional at set-pieces. They ranked eighth for possession however that proved meaningless as an excessive experiment produced a close to certainty of relegation. There have been comparisons with Vincent Kompany’s Burnley, these different masters of making possibilities for his or her opponents. Martin’s Southampton ignored the proof of the vacation spot and went additional down the identical path.

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They might plead misfortune with late objectives and selections however a return of 5 factors from 16 video games offers Martin the joint lowest points-per-game common of anybody to handle a minimum of 10 Premier League matches, together with Terry Connor. Even Jan Siewert, with 5 from 15, fared barely higher. However Connor and Siewert had been put on the helm of sinking ships mid-voyage. Martin charted the course from the beginning.

And, when their summer season spending got here to £100m, that is an costly model of failure; nonetheless not as costly as their demotion in 2022-23 however pricey sufficient that Martin may be very culpable. He a minimum of earned a few of that cash: Southampton would have been in an enormous gap financially had they not gone up and so they can savour recollections of each the play-off ultimate win over Leeds and a 25-game unbeaten run.

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But Martin’s general report invitations scepticism. It’s harsh to say he has failed upwards, however he has been given larger jobs on the idea of favor, not substance. He completed nineteenth and thirteenth in League One with MK Dons, fifteenth and tenth within the Championship with Swansea. Southampton had one of many three greatest budgets and finest squads within the Championship final season and got here fourth. Now their group of gamers may be superior to Ipswich’s, however they’re seven factors behind Kieran McKenna’s savvier workforce.

The Burnley parallels prompted the witticism that Martin’s reward for relegation may very well be to get the Bayern Munich job. But when he has been uncovered by the Premier League, Southampton face a process to steer somebody to supervise their final 22 video games in it earlier than the Championship beckons. Their plight is such that many a high-calibre candidate might move on the chance. And never realizing when and the place to move proved the foundation of Russell Martin’s issues.