By admin 
Southampton is commended for sticking by Russell Martin.
Tuesday, November 7, 2023, 9:36
Before a ball was kicked in anger, some Saints fans were criticizing Russell Martin. His possession football strategy was mocked, and after he lost four straight games, people became angry. Nevertheless, the people in charge persisted, and now the rewards are being seen.
Sport Republic began to restructure the team last season; large sums of money were spent on transfer fees, and expectations were high. However, when things started to go wrong, it could be said that the owners became alarmed; Ralph Hasenhuttl’s firing turned out to be disastrous as it led to a series of managerial appointments andsackings, Nathan Jones was clearly not up to the job in the Premier League and although Ruben Selles started well, he soon showed that he neither had what it takes and the squad descended into chaos and confusion.
Therefore, it was crucial that Southampton choose the right manager—their fourth in just over a year.
Russell Martin was viewed as the man by Sport Republic, but many others didn’t agree and shared their thoughts on social media. They called him Rusty, dubbed his style Rustyball, and patiently awaited his collapse.
The manager’s criticism initially subsided after Saints won three of the first four games and drew the fourth, but after a 5-0 loss at Sunderland started a four-game losing streak, the manager’s knives came out once more.
tactics were then exposed in that 4 game losing run, that the high line often deployed left the defence exposed.
It must have been tempting, considering their history of firing managers, to give in to the criticism and fire Martin, the fourth manager in ten months.
Footballeagueworld.co.uk journalist Benedict Ferraby has now discussed how the Southampton board should be commended for believing in their man and sticking with him.
Ferraby references the opening game of the season at Sheffield Wednesday, where Saints set a record (447) for passes in the first half of a Championship game, and says that many were left in awe of Martin’s style of play. However, he also admits that the season was rife with “impressive attacking play and defensive errors in equal measure.”
However, he also highlights the reality that Martin’s