Remembering Russell Martin’s Southampton achievement | Promotion to Premier League was A Day to Remember Forever

That was what Martin told us at Wembley Stadium just 204 days ago after Saints had secured one of the most important results in their history. Martin always felt grateful that Sport Republic took a punt on him, despite having never really competed at a club challenging for big things. In his first season at St Mary's, he took a shattered squad at a club on the brink of financial ruin and delivered a record-breaking campaign to seal promotion. "The club were brave enough to give me the opportunity and hopefully I have repaid them with a day they will remember forever," Martin added. Russell Martin celebrates promotion in May Culminating in a 1-0 win over Leeds United in the Championship play-off final, even the club's route to that day was not without considerable lows. Those lows meant there was always a lingering doubt over whether philosophy-driven Martin could deliver Premier League results with his style of play. Saints conceded 63 goals in the Championship and were handed 5-0 defeats on two separate occasions; at the start and at the end of the season.  It was a 5-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, this time in front of the home supporters, that have seen Martin told to stop managing the side. Saints are bottom of the league with just five points from 16 matches, having shipped 36 goals with a goal difference nine worse than any other club. Southampton's owners, Sport Republic, had been reluctant to part ways with another manager after the fiasco in their first full season at the helm. They remained bottom that campaign and look certain to do so again, with all three clubs who previously had this poor a start in the league finishing 20th. So what is the point in spending all that money on a new manager now? Is Martin the best man for the job next season? Could he remain popular? Clubs serve their fans and those fans voted on Sunday evening, cycling through several chants all to voice their discontent at Martin's management. Fans hold up a 'Russell Martin out' banner against Spurs (Image: Stuart Martin) The writing was clearly on the wall when the supporters sang for him to wave and, after he acknowledged them with a thumbs up, booed him. Martin came into the season publicly declaring his suspicion that, as a young British coach, the inevitable media narrative would be about his style. And, when he reflects on these past few months, he will likely believe he was right. But initial admiration soon subsided when the defeats tallied up. Individual errors - of which Saints have made 10 leading directly to goals, just one fewer than the total amount they have scored - have plagued the season. From the opening day, when Alex McCarthy passed it straight to Alexander Isak, Martin's demand on playing out has been under the microscope.  But part of the reason Martin has lasted so long is probably that, at least in the first half of the season so far, no two defeats were exactly the same. They have been dealt VAR injustices aplenty and found new and creative ways to concede from set pieces, chucking away vital points in the process.  The scrutiny, the likes of which the 38 year old had not yet experienced, began to visibly weigh heavy on Martin after the 3-1 defeat at AFC Bournemouth. Although he regularly claims not to read social media, he always seemed hyper-aware of the latest criticisms journalists and fans had made.  And even in the only game they have won this season, Saints conceded cheaply four minutes after taking the lead and were spared by a tight offside. With a chance to back up that win against Everton, Saints - done by VAR, admittedly - failed to register a shot on target at 20th-placed Wolves. That was a feat they would later repeat at Aston Villa, becoming the only club to achieve that unwanted statistic twice already this season. Martin could have gotten away with conceding lots if his side, like last season, simply outgunned their opposition - that never looked likely.  Nobody has scored more than two in the league (Image: Stuart Martin) Therein lay the biggest problem. Martin's risk and reward style of play had become all risk and no reward, without someone capable of scoring regularly. While most of the investments Saints made in the summer are financially sound, they could not address what has seemingly become a cursed position. Cody Gakpo, Goncalo Ramos, Nicolas Jackson - should we add Liam Delap to the list? Sport Republic have identified some good strikers. None of them are in the building. Southampton's squad, even with Aaron Ramsdale, was not fancied by many pundits and they are being proven right. Martin has used 31 players in the Premier League this season yet Mateus Fernandes was the only new summer signing starting against Spurs. Ramsdale, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Fernandes and Tyler Dibling will put the club in a financially strong position even in the face of relegation. But Saints have built a strong Championship squad in the summer, rather than a competitive Premier League one. That much is clear.  Whatever Saints do next, the new man will inherit an impossible job. They are on course for a close shave with Derby County's record-low 11 points. The decision comes as no surprise, board felt they had given Russell Martin plenty of time and did. They were reluctant to change for several reasons but ultimately clubs serve their fans and those fans voted tonight. Wish Russell all the best, last season was great.#SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/bT4PgPj5Re — Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) December 15, 2024 While Martin's commitment to his principles may hold him in high regard in dugouts and boardrooms across the land, a manager's job is to adapt. At Saints, in the Premier League, and with as many injuries as they had in recent weeks, he did not have good enough players to deliver what he wanted. In three consecutive games, the goalkeeper passed straight to the opposition, and the already-tested supporters started to voice their frustrations. So as Spurs visited for Southampton's third television match in the last four, Martin insisted: "We have to try and draw blood first. That's the simple solution." But when it took only 36 seconds for James Maddison to open the scoring, Martin must have then begun to understand that his fate was sealed. At Wembley, Martin said: "I feel a lot of love for the people I've worked with. To watch them celebrate that together will live in me forever." He earned the right to give this season a go. While it has not worked, those celebrations will live too in the memories of 36,000 Saints fans. Southampton are Premier League.#SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/oHhtR5LMXy — Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) May 26, 2024