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Southampton, struggling at the bottom of the Premier League table with five points from 15 matches, suffered a crushing defeat against Tottenham. Ange Postecoglou’s team dismantled Southampton with James Maddison scoring just 40 seconds into the game, followed by goals from Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski, leading to a 3-0 advantage within 15 minutes. Pape…
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
Martin is set to lead Saints for the 16th league game of the campaign against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday with some fans growing frustrated.
Saints have won just five points from the first 15 matches, a position in which only three other teams in Premier League history have found themselves.
All three, Sunderland and Sheffield United twice, went on to finish bottom by the end of the campaign, but Martin has kept his job as boss.
Asked if he feels fortunate to have not been sacked, and feels refreshed, Martin told the Daily Echo: “I’m not sure I feel refreshed but I feel energised.
Saints manager Russell Martin could be under pressure if results do not improve (Image: PA)
“I didn’t after Saturday at Aston Villa. Losing hurts and we’ve lost too much so I want to get that feeling back of winning after we won so much last year.
“You get used to that we haven’t done it enough this year, but I feel energised by the response from the players and the staff when I come in the building.
“I feel nothing but love and support from the people here all the staff, everyone from the chefs in the kitchen, the kit people, the coaching staff, the players.
“As long as I feel that I’ll have the energy to keep working and keep trying to be better and keep trying to improve and we have so much to improve.
“I’m still so excited about the group and what they’re capable of and how much we can grow them, and I’ll keep doing that until I’m told I’m not wanted.”
🚨 Big news. Saints and City Council have signed an MOU to explore redevelopment of St Mary’s Waterfront.🔻 Seen by club as big long-term step.🔻 Expand stadium/surrounding areas.🔻 + Leisure, residential, public spaces.🔻 Enhance transport and infrastructure.#SaintsFC
— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) December 13, 2024
Martin’s style of play has come under fire with his side scoring 11 goals in the Premier League this season while conceding 10 directly from errors.
“A lot of them were early on in the season and some of the mistakes are just not what we work on, so it’s just emotion and a bit of tension at times,” he explained.
“And I think we miss too many chances or we miss too many opportunities to break the rhythm of the game so we have to get a balance right.
“We need to get more rewards for what we do, we stole the ball four times at Villa and it came to nothing. If the opposition steals, they’re going for the jugular.
“We have to have more of that intent. The message to the players has been clear and I think they’ve taken it on board in the work we’ve done this week.
“A lot of it has been focusing on being more aggressive in the opposition half to go and score and to try and make them defend more, so we’ll see.”
Any fresh injury concerns or any players coming back for this weekend?
RM: Jan Bednarek’s back, Paul Onuachu’s back, which is really good. Apart from that, no, I think we’re all good.
What will Bednarek’s return give you?
RM: In Janny, he’s played a lot of games for us, a lot of trust. He’s been a very, very good performer in our team, including this season. He’s got leadership and courage with the ball.
Paul gives us a real alternative option to use that’s different to anyone else in the squad, and most people in the league, actually.
It’s really unfortunate at the timing of his injury, because he was in such a good place. He was going to really help us, I think, and now he’ll help us moving forward.
Has Ipswich’s win over Spurs been a part of your messaging to the players this week?
RM: I think the message is always whatever we see is the best one for the players in preparation for this game, so we’ll try and approach every game to try and win it, try and beat ourselves, to try and have as much of the game as we possibly can on our terms.
I think they’re an outstanding team, with outstanding players, and an outstanding manager, but everyone is in the Premier League pretty much, so I think our preparation doesn’t change,.
The message will stay in-house. There’ll be ways we feel we can hurt them, and I’m sure Ange is saying exactly the same to his team in the ways he can try and hurt us.
So the focus has been all on that, what we need to improve from the last game, and being aware, of course, of the context, like the emotional context of the game, where the opposition is at and where we’re at.
You and Ange have both been similar in the sense that you have this belief in your way of doing things, and you want to see that way of doing things succeed?
RM: Ange has been a manager for a much longer time than I have, and I can’t speak for him, so I don’t know what he feels behind closed doors, but when I see him in the media, I see a man of conviction.
When I watch his team play, a man with conviction and belief and values that he won’t compromise on, which I admire a lot. Ultimately, it’s got him managing in the Premier League and managing in the Champions League at Celtic.
I think he’s done an incredible job, had an incredible managerial career, so I have a lot of admiration and respect for him.
Is Spurs’ 4-0 win over Man City the kind of example that you see as positive when it comes to sticking with your way of doing things in the hope that points come?
RM: I think it’s really interesting because it’s like every manager that sits behind a team has some form of beliefs and some form of value system and what they deem as acceptable or what they want to see, what they won’t compromise on, what non-negotiables are.
But the ones who are only criticised are the ones who are a little bit different from the norm. So if we all believed the same thing I think it would be pretty boring and I think it would be less open to criticism.
I think his team is brave, it’s aggressive, and they’ve been really unfortunate with injuries. It’s so similar to Graham Potter when he went to Chelsea. Everything he got praise for and credit for at Brighton he then got criticised for at Chelsea.
So he went for being calm, studious, really brave in his approach at Brighton then managed a team with a different expectation and then all of a sudden he didn’t show enough passion on the sideline and was too emotionally consistent and all this nonsense.
So it’s exactly the same with Ange, I watched a lot of his Celtic team, they were brilliant, got so much praise for being so aggressive, so brave, relentless restarts, energy, energy, energy. He did a great job, won lots of trophies.
(Then) he goes to the Spurs, starts so well, so when results are good no one questions the style or his conviction or belief system. Then the minute it starts faltering it’s always down to that.
But I’m pretty sure, and I’ll get criticised for the same thing about being stubborn and all that stuff, but if you believe in something and it’s taken you a certain way in life on a certain pathway and journey then to deviate too far from that I think is crazy.
I can’t speak for him, we are adapting. We adapt shape, we adapt approach, we adapt personnel but with the same consistency and what’s really important for us, with the same concept of the game, so we can’t deviate too far from that otherwise we become nothing really.
I don’t know, I think everyone’s just quick to criticise these days and I have a lot of respect for him. I put my coat on when it rains as well by the way.
Plan A and Plan B, they don’t need to be miles apart, so this is the concept that we all get completely mixed up. So Plan A is to play this way, Plan B doesn’t have to be a million miles over here because then it would be crazy.
So you don’t really believe in Plan A that’s the point. So when you have Plan A, of course you need to move a little bit on certain things, but you start with a vision and a version of the game that you want as a coach.
I’m pretty sure everyone does, because if you’re going into a managerial job and you haven’t got an idea or a vision of the game or a concept of the game, then you probably shouldn’t be in the job. So we all have one, they’re all very different.
I have respect for every single person that does the job because it’s incredibly tough. So there’s no right or wrong, but this is where we all get mixed up. So people watch the games and if it’s not their version of the game, they’re really quick to criticise.
If it’s their version of the game, how they played it or how they see it, they don’t criticise anywhere near as much. So this is the problem Plan A and Plan B do not need to be hugely different.
Plan B is like mix it up in certain bits, maybe change the way you press, maybe change the way you build up, maybe you change the shape, maybe change the position of the players without losing the concept of Plan A.
What’s the point in having a Plan A? You just go and throw everything at it and go, work hard lads and we’ll see what happens.
So this is like, when people sit there and criticise, they wouldn’t if it was their version of the game, but it’s not. So we all have a different version of the game but really understand someone’s Plan A first.
So if he sat down with Ange maybe for an hour or two hours, and I really like Jamie Carragher by the way, it’s not a criticism, this is just a general conversation, but if he sat down with Ange for maybe two or three hours and really understood it and said, why did you do this?
Maybe it’s a different idea or concept, but I just think it’s really easy to sit down and criticise and here’s what it is, it’s the game.
As a new team in the league, how much belief do you have that you’ll get the points from…
RM: Well I really believe in the players. My job is to try and transmit the belief to the players that they can believe in themselves as much as I believe in them and what we’re doing.
I don’t think they have any doubt when we speak and we have open conversations, the belief in what they’re doing or what they’re trying to be or what they’re trying to do.
But of course, wins help that and points help that and the biggest job is to eliminate the external noise, it’s so difficult, so maybe at times we’re the only voice attending, they’re good enough, maybe, even family members will question.
I’ve been there as a player, agents, supporters obviously, media, pundits, everyone questions if you are good enough or not good enough, so yeah, it’s being able to switch that off and zoom in and focus on what’s really important. We’re trying to do that as well as we can with our lads.
And you have had positive performances this season?
RM: A lot, yeah, we like, we shouldn’t be on the points we are, it’s incredibly hurtful and embarrassing that we’re only on five points, we should have more.
But there have been a few too many mistakes and there have been a few too many moments we haven’t managed well, disappointments in games and setbacks, so we have to keep trying to grow, grow as a group, grow individually.
They are growing and they are getting better and we’re so competitive, went to a team in the Champions League on Saturday, there really wasn’t much in the game.
We make one mistake, and they score, until then there’s nothing in it, after that, there’s nothing in it really and then the last 10-15 minutes completely changes.
If you then look at the game purely on the stats after the last 15 minutes when it’s transitional, completely changes the context of it.
We’re not far away and we have to just keep working, keep concentrating on the process and ourselves and just keep trying to be better.
Do any successful teams have a vastly different plan B to plan A?
RM: I don’t think so, I’m not sure how you can, so I don’t think any teams deviate too much and a lot of the time when people say like, we got a lot of praise for winning the player final with a different plan, it wasn’t a different plan.
We just scored early and the emotion took over and we happened to do a lot of work on defending when if we were in front for the last 10 minutes.
We just did it for a bit longer than we probably would have liked to because the emotion of the game took over, so and they kept asking me after, you know, is it a tactical master plan?
No, the game went to plan really, really well until about 60 minutes, then after that, the emotion took over, the heavy legs took over, the lads dug in and they stuck to the principles out of possession.
So the plan was the same, the feeling was very different and the context of the game was very different, so you have to adapt and that’s my point, so plans can be flexible and adaptable without losing what you are trying to do and I think.
I don’t see any team having one plan and then going completely different, but every team is different and I think that’s what makes it exciting and makes it interesting.
Spurs blew a 2-0 lead to Chelsea, how much is that down to the players and how much is on the manager?
I don’t know what the message was so I think if a plan is really good to get you in a position where you are 2-0 up but then obviously teams make changes.
We had this against Leicester earlier on in the season we went 2-0 up in a really good place they made a change, we didn’t adapt quickly enough as a coaching staff.
When as players we didn’t adapt quickly enough to the emotional context of the game and the temperature going up then we had to send it off and it completely changed so I don’t know what the message was for Tottenham.
I think a team is always better off having a next-goal mentality rather than trying to defend a lead and trying to get in front again.
It depends on the makeup of your team some teams are set up to score a goal and then defend and if that’s them that’s good if you’re not set up to do that then I think you should try and attack and get the next goal.
Your comments after the Villa goal have caused a debate, what did you mean in that moment?
RM: We played out and got pressed before, which then makes Joe kick, it gets a cheer from the supporters and we concede within about 10 seconds,” said Martin.
They have a right to criticise everything else but it’s important to understand why we do things. We kick it to our two smallest players and it comes back.”
Some supporters felt that Martin should not have commented on their conduct, with Saints bottom of the table after 12 defeats in 15 matches.
I don’t know how it’s been interpreted I don’t know how it’s been dissected. What I meant was in the last couple of games at home and away we’re playing a different goalie he’s playing his third Premier League game.
The ironic cheer when it gets kicked long, I understand people get frustrated when we make a mistake in our own goal but this is my point about having plan A.
We’re not set up to kick it long unless it’s on our terms so when we kick it long no problem if we’re doing something that we’ve worked on and planned.
The goalkeeper kicked it under no pressure because of a scary moment just before and kicked it to one of our smallest players against one of their biggest ones.
Then 10 seconds later, it’s in our goal but our fans cheered ironically. That’s all it was, it wasn’t a criticism it was to make people aware I’m trying to help the keeper.
His teammates are trying to help him and we should all try and help him, so I didn’t mean it in that way. I always try and put the game into context.
We had a scary moment, I think there were a lot of angry people at that in our fan base and then they cheered when we kicked it long.
It’s fine cheering it but understand what comes of it afterwards. The fans have been amazing here, everyone I bump into in town has been amazing.
There’s no criticism of the fans it’s not us against them, we’re all together all I’m asking for is like we’re all together all the time.
It’s not a lack of effort from the team at all so I think aim it at me, no problem but when the goalkeeper kicks it long I don’t think it’s the time to cheer ironically.
That’s my opinion but I love our supporters, I love being here. I’m sure I’ll get criticised again but you asked me the question and I have to be honest.”
Is there an update on the goalkeepers?
RM: McCarthy’s back fit and Rambo’s very close so Rambo may be back for the Liverpool game, if not a Fulham game after that.
Has Joe Aribo been a little unlucky not to start more games recently?
RM: He played brilliantly against Chelsea put in a massive physical effort and then didn’t start against Villa but he’s right in contention for the way he performs. When he does come on to the pitch and when he plays.
Is there a plan B that’s not too far away from your plan A that could be brought in if you had to?
RM: I think we’ve adapted and tweaked quite a bit. We are always trying to adapt and tweak and improve the plan.
Looking at Tottenham, would you say that now is a good time to play them after their minute of out of form?
RM: I don’t know, I don’t think it’s ever a good time to play any team, I think its context is really. I don’t know what goes on behind closed doors with them, I don’t know how they’re feeling about their performances.
When I look at the results, I look at the way they’re playing, there’s a lot to like about their performances, they’ve also had a lot of injuries themselves similar to us so they’ve been a bit disrupted in the rhythm of their team.
I think a wounded animal is quite dangerous, so they’ve been on the end of a couple of tough results so I think maybe that makes them more of a threat.
On the goalkeeper front, Joe Lumley looks set to continue, how pleased have you been with him since he’s come in?
RM: It’s not an easy job to come into a team but he did brilliantly at Brighton, tough game against Chelsea, made some really good saves.
He stayed brave with the ball, and then at Villa I’m not criticising him for kicking it long, I completely understand the anxiety he takes over at that point.
I think he’s done great for someone who’s never played in the Premier League before and has been a third-choice for a lot of the season. To have Rambo and then Alex injured has been difficult but he’s stepped in and done a good job.
Nathan Wood came in fairly recently and looks like he’s settling in quite nicely in the Premier League, what have you made of it?
RM: Woody’s a good player, a really good player, that’s why we wanted to bring him here. He’s had to be really patient but I think we have two outstanding young English centre-halves that have a big chance to play for their country in years to come.
For quite some time with the ability and potential they have they get on really well, which helps, they push each other Woody’s had to be so patient but I’ve loved his attitude to keep training.
I was so keen to bring him here because I understand him very well as a person we have a very good relationship, there’s been some tough conversations this year but he trusts us and we trust him.
I’m really pleased that’s a message to the rest of the group as well if you stay ready and you respond in the right way because you should be disappointed in not playing but when you train properly and stay ready, that’s what can happen.
When you’re scrapping for points you need the fans to be on your side, have you got anything you want to say to them to reassure them a little bit?
RM: I think the fans honestly, like I said earlier, have been brilliant since I’ve been here. Even after Chelsea, I think they were great, they stuck with the team during difficult time.
I think that’s all I can ever ask I think. If I’m a supporter, what I want to see is the players are trying and giving everything, which they are and they’re fighting.
It’s not a lack of that effort and I think it will be what it will be, we have to just keep fighting keep working and we are going to need them we’re going to need the support.
It’s up to us to give them something to feel positive about to be happy about, to bring the right energy to help create the atmosphere in the stadium.
I understand their frustration at the moment because I’m not convinced anyone will be feeling more frustrated than I am at the minute.
They’ve been brilliant for us since we’ve been here that’s all I can ever ask is that they support us. I said at the start of the season it’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be tough.
We’re all going to have to stick together through some difficult periods this is one and I hope we all do stick together.
If we can all get through this together and come out the other side, I think the rewards and the growth for their team and their club will be huge.
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Russell Martin is hoping to have the Republic of Ireland international back involved around the festive fixture schedule towards the end of the month.
Smallbone, 24, has not featured for Martin’s side since he limped over the finish line in Southampton’s 3-2 defeat at home to Leicester City.
The injury was a reoccurrence of a concern suffered in August but Martin said: “He’ll be back very soon. Hopefully, in the next few weeks around Christmas.
“Will has been a big loss for us as a player on the pitch as his understanding is so good and the team functions better when he’s in it.
Will Smallbone’s last appearance was in October’s 3-2 defeat to Leicester City (Image: Stuart Martin)
“The people around him always look better when they play, he’s one of those players where sometimes people won’t understand the importance of him.
“There’s no coincidence that Adam Armstrong scored so many goals last year from that position with Will Smallbone playing inside him.
“It’s the amount of running he did for Arma to free up space for him to hurt the opposition. I am looking forward to having him back.
The academy graduate made 46 appearances in the Championship and the play-offs for Saints last season, scoring seven goals and setting up four more.
Basingstoke-born Smallbone signed a new three-year contract in August 2023, just months into Martin’s tenure, to extend his stay at St Mary’s to 2026.
He started the first three matches of this season – his longest run of successive top-flight appearances since July 2020 – before tweaking his hamstring.
“It’s been frustrating for us and for him because we love Will and what he can do but he will have a big opportunity to cement himself,” explained Martin.
“He can show everyone that he is a Premier League player, I really believe he can be a really good player for a long time with what he has.”
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As Russell Martin’s side tumble towards relegation – no team have survived 10 losses in their first 12 matches – the fate of the team looks more sure.
But if Saints were to pull off their greatest-ever escape this season, 18 year old Dibling and 20 year old Fernandes would have been central to it.
Dibling, the academy’s most impressive product for a generation, was the creator of both Southampton goals in Sunday’s 3-2 defeat to Liverpool.
There are a lot of names up on the wall at Staplewood. Tyler Dibling, if not already, will be next.#SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/xrsLzdZ95V
— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) November 25, 2024
He is tactically flexible. Deployed on the right by Martin, where the game is mostly vertical, most of the teenager’s tutelage has been in central midfield.
Dibling picked up those familiar areas more against Liverpool, with wing-backs offering Saints width. His future will take him into the middle of the pitch.
And few players are involved in both halves of the pitch more than Fernandes, a £15million recruitment masterstroke amid the Matt O’Riley saga.
He engaged in and won more defensive duels than any Saints player and completed 100 per cent of his forward passes and passes into the final third.
Fernandes became the 50th Portuguese player to score in the Premier League on Sunday, with Portugal being the 11th nation to reach that mark.
Saints player ratings as youngsters set standard in Liverpool defeat https://t.co/4AO0YqCbgy
— SaintsFC: Daily Echo (@dailyechosaints) November 25, 2024
“They’re really talented,” said Martin. “Their skill set is being brave, taking it in tight areas and beating their player. They’re getting better and better all the time.”
Martin’s next comment seemed to suggest Dibling and Fernandes are only imposing themselves in the manner they are because of his philosophy.
“I think they have to play in a certain team in a certain way right now at their age to flourish and to show what they can do,” added the boss.
“If you put them in a different team that is fighting down the bottom, maybe they look very different or they’re not playing because their skill set is not suited.”
Egotism or a hands-off transfer warning to any potential suitors? You can debate that amongst yourselves but there can be no argument about his conclusion.
“They have an amazing mentality and they will keep growing with us or they’ll outgrow the club and the club will benefit hugely from that,” he said.
A word of warning before you read on. This is not an attempt to ‘flog’ Saints players to the highest bidder, it is just a realistic discussion.
Tyler Dibling, you are going right to the very top. ✨🏴 @SotonWill #SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/HQvuCa4tk0
— Just Saints (@JustSaints_) November 25, 2024
Should Saints be relegated in May, neither Dibling nor Fernandes will be short of offers. Managers of top Premier League sides have already taken notice.
Even if Saints survive, there will be offers – but the club will have a much stronger negotiating stance with both their rivals and the players themselves.
Following relegation from the Premier League in 2023, Saints had to sell to balance the books, create a competitive squad and avoid financial catastrophe.
Romeo Lavia (£53million), Tino Livramento (£32m), James Ward-Prowse (£30m), Nathan Tella (£20m) and Mohammed Salisu (£15m) were all sold.
They have taken a careful approach upon re-entry to the top flight with a transfer fee cap and a more sensible wage structure to mitigate relegation’s impact.
But inevitably Saints will still have to bring in funds to make up the gap between top-flight and second-division finances and allow player ambition.
In an ideal world, Dibling – who has already left Saints for the top six once and decided to come back – and Fernandes opt to remain at St Mary’s.
FERNANDES! 🔥Southampton take the lead! 👊 pic.twitter.com/gJ3SMQKP0e
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 24, 2024
In modern football, some believe the ideal is fanciful. Supporters have become accustomed to enjoying their best initially but accepting their step upwards.
Fernandes or Dibling’s potential sales alone could hold the key to Saints maintaining a competitive squad for another instant promotion push.
It is reasonable to suggest they should be worth well over £70million combined and the vast majority of that would be pure profit on the books.
That kind of financial muscle should allow Saints to keep Championship-proven Jan Bednarek, Flynn Downes, Cameron Archer and Adam Armstrong.
England internationals Aaron Ramsdale and Taylor Harwood-Bellis will also draw interest but the turmoil should be nothing like Saints encountered last summer.
When Martin suggests the club may “benefit hugely” from Fernandes and Dibling, whether they are enough to save this season, that is what he means.
Football is not played in the cheque books and money to spend does not guarantee success but dropping to the Championship with no sellable assets is fatal.
But for now, the task is to keep talents like those here and do everything that is required for that. For fans, your task is much easier – merely enjoy them.
Liverpool moved eight points clear at the top of the Premier League as Mohamed Salah scored twice to help them come from behind at St Mary’s.
The determined Saints briefly led after goals from Adam Armstrong and Mateus Fernandes cancelled out Dominik Szoboszlai’s first-half strike.
But all three Liverpool strikes came from Saints mistakes to leave Martin’s charges languishing at the bottom of the table and four points behind 19th.
“My overriding feeling is just frustration and disappointment at the goals we concede,” said Martin, knowing Saints must now break records to survive.
Saints have four points from their first 12 Premier League matches (Image: Stuart Martin)
“It’s so poor. We’re playing against a team with such quality and if they produce a moment of magic or score a brilliant team goal, you can accept it a bit more.
“The quality of the goals we concede is so bad, so bad. I felt that I enjoyed the performance, we looked like a threat and much better than we did at Wolves.
“We defended really well in big numbers a lot of the time, playing against the best team in the league and limiting them to shots from outside the box.
“I asked the guys to play quickly as much as we could and then it’s the wrong time to do that because Liverpool have so many players in our final third.
“We need to take the sting out of the game but that’s on me because I’ve asked them to do that and I need to make it even clearer when and where to do that.
“Panic sets in and we mishit a clearance. It should probably go off the pitch. With the second goal, Alex McCarthy hasn’t played a lot of games at the moment.
“I thought he made some really good saves. For the third, Yukinari Sugawara, bless him, I don’t think he moves his arm towards the ball.
Ramsdale waits to console McCarthy as he leaves the pitch. Really hard to see how Saints come back from this when it just keeps happening. Dibling and Fernandes are incredible players though. And really enjoyed Onuachu.#SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/e0kvL1HCeu
— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) November 24, 2024
“We can talk all day about the goals but we had some really good moments and most come from playing and taking the ball. The lads just have to keep on going.”
Saints have taken the lead in each of their last four home league games but won just one, while they are yet to claim any points from behind this season.
“We have such a young team on the pitch, on the whole, we have a team that’s growing and learning,” explained Martin.
“The only way they are going to learn is by having moments like that, trying to get through it and understanding why they make the decisions they make.
“I ask them to play quick, so I take responsibility for that. The rest is just isolated moments and we should make more of some of the stuff that we have.
“But it’s not like a lack of competing or a lack of desire. I think the players who were here in the Premier League last time felt very differently to the feeling of this.
“When you look at our games, the guys feel they are so close – but we have to eradicate those moments to give ourselves any chance.”
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Martin feels his players still believe in the system, despite Southampton currently sitting bottom of the Premier League table with one point.
Earlier this week, James Bree confessed that the squad still “love” Martin and want him to stick around.
Martin, 38, disclosed he feels more love for his players due to their willingness to remain headstrong and play the way they want to.
He told the Daily Echo: “I’ve never felt at any point that there was unrest or that they were unhappy with what we’re giving them.
“I think they know that we’re giving everything we can. We really care about them. We treat them with as much love, care, respect and honesty as we possibly can.
James Bree was asked how important the win against Stoke City could be for Russell Martin.”I think every win is good for the gaffer. We all love him in there.”We want him to stick around because he does so much good stuff for us.”#SaintsFChttps://t.co/xbPaZIexd4
— George Rees-Julian (@rees_julian) October 31, 2024
“I love the players. It’s not changed from last season because we’re now losing. I have more love and respect for them now that they’re continuing to try and be who we want them to be.
“Honestly, perception and reality in football, I’ve said this so many times this season, but they can be very, very far apart.
“If I felt the team had given up a bit or lacked belief in what they were doing or had maybe lost a bit of belief in us and conviction, then I think I would be honest with myself.
“We’d probably have that chat with the owners and ourselves and say, look, we’re at that point. But I don’t think we’re anywhere near that.
“I’ve been in dressing rooms where it gets to that point and then it’s tough, really tough. But I don’t feel that.
Southampton boss Russell Martin admitted he loves the players more (Image: Stuart Martin) “You can see they’re giving everything on the pitch. They are fighting so much for each other. They’re running so much for each other.
“They’re taking the ball in places people wouldn’t want to take the ball. So that’s all I can ever ask for them.
“I just really want them to win for them and for us and for the fans. I know it will come and we have to make sure it comes tomorrow.”
Martin was rewarded with a new three-year contract in the summer having guided the club to promotion via the Championship play-offs.
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Jones managed Saints between November 2022 and February 2023, overseeing eight Premier League matches in an eventual relegation season.
Although he guided the club to the Carabao Cup semi-final, his only league victory came from three rare points at Everton in January.
Jones manages League One Charlton Athletic, who only sit outside of the play-offs on goal difference after a 1-0 win over Birmingham City last time out.
The Welshman saw the result against the league’s biggest-ever spenders as a response to criticism, following three consecutive defeats.
“If I’m not wanted and continue to get abuse – questioning everything I do – then fine, no problem – I’ll hand the reins over,” Jones told South London Press.
Nathan Jones was unable to stem the tide of relegation at Saints (Image: PA)
“I don’t want that to happen. I want to be here and the fans to enjoy it. I understand the frustration of certain players when they are not in the team.
“I want to be here with this football club. I love the club. I love the people. But we have to be united because we need an equilibrium.
“At Stoke, I categorically failed. I was given enough time. At Southampton, I was given eight games,” Jones continued.
“I’m not sure David Blaine would’ve done a good job in eight games. That is an anomaly… Southampton.”
Jones became Southampton’s shortest-serving non-caretaker manager when he was sacked after a 2-1 defeat at home to 10-man Wolves.
Jones added: “At Luton, I built something special and they reaped the benefit of that. Here we are endeavouring to build something.
“We’re going to have downs and we’re going to have ups. I went into Luton with the opportunity of building something – I did.
“I went into Stoke and wanted to build something but didn’t get the results to back that up. I went back to Luton and built it again. I was there for three years.
“Then I had a wonderful opportunity to go to a club and build something – but I was given eight games (at Saints). I’m not one to jump.
“I want to be here and build something. I would like us to be successful and me to enjoy everything about being a manager at Charlton Athletic.”
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Cherries’ wait for a spot-kick long precedes Iraola’s time at the club, failing to be given a penalty in the entirety of last season.
Iraola’s men had a few shouts to referee John Brooks for a penalty during their 3-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. Dominic Solanke went down under a challenge of Pervis Estupinan early on, before Simon Adingra’s hand connected with the face of Marcus Tavernier, also in the first half.
On the flip side, both Liverpool and Swansea City have been awarded penalties against Cherries earlier this campaign, the one at Anfield particularly contentious when Dominik Szoboszlai went down under Joe Rothwell’s tackle.
“I don’t know what has to happen to be given a penalty,” Iraola told the Daily Echo, after the loss at Brighton.
“A slap in the face, clearly. There are people watching on TV and then we concede a penalty, I remember the one at Anfield, a light touch.”
Iraola and coach Pablo de la Torre were often seen discussing decisions with fourth official Peter Bankes during the contest, who was in consultation with video assistant Michael Oliver.
“We were winning 1-0 and they are key decisions that are very important,” said Iraola.
“There was a check they did on Dom after five minutes, a possible penalty. I think it is a push.
“But they say it has to be something else for a penalty. But you see the one we conceded at Liverpool.
“It is difficult, but I understand this one because it is a push, but it is not enough for a penalty.
“But not the second one. The second one he (Adingra) just slaps the face of Tavernier without any reason.
“Maybe he lost his mind for one second, but sometimes red cards are like this.
“It just costs one second. Now it is probably not the referees, but the ones watching.
“I think that if you don’t concede this penalty, you are free in the box to slap players.
“This cannot happen. It is not like there is a reason why. I think it is pretty obvious.”
Cherries have slipped to 17th in the Premier League table over the weekend, with no wins from their opening six matches.
They turn their attentions to the Carabao Cup in midweek, when Championship Stoke City come to Vitality Stadium.
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The Spaniard oversaw another defeat in the Premier League as Brighton & Hove Albion powered past the St Mary’s side 3-1 at Amex Stadium on Sunday.
Reports have said Swansea City boss Martin is expected to take over from Selles, who is set to leave the club at the end of the season.
However, Selles – who does not want to stay at Saints as an assistant – claimed he did not know of any links to the former Scottish international and expects to be in the dugout again next weekend.
“I don’t know anything. I didn’t read anything. I think I just get the question everywhere I go,” he said.
“It has not changed anything in my position or since we spoke on Friday. I have been respectful with the club and I have put all my knowledge into this to keep this team together and the club together.
“I expect that if something goes on like that, and it happens before the Liverpool game, that they will communicate it with me in the proper way.”
Selles added: “I didn’t know about it until Southampton’s press officer told me just before I speak with you.
“I know I’m going to stay here until the Liverpool game unless something changes. If something changes it’s not my decision.
“It’s been a hard week for us and I was focused on keeping the boys ready for today’s game. I’m not worried about my future.
“I know that my contract expires at the end of the season and what the club decides is up to them. I made my points known and I can’t control it.”
Uncertainty about the division they’ll be competing in next season, uncertainty about who the manager, uncertainty at the top of the club after a raft of staff departures, and uncertainty with the playing squad in terms of who will actually still be at St Mary’s in three months time.
Six points adrift with time starting to run out, the first of those uncertainties is strongly learning towards the Championship but with a squad of 30 players, the last of those uncertainties – the future of the playing staff – remains suitably murky.
READ MORE: ‘Lost our philosophy and consistency’ Bednarek on issues with Saints manager carousel
But in such a time of limbo, Saints boss Ruben Selles insists that his squad isn’t distracted by thoughts of their futures although he admitted that the ‘gossip month’ of May presents its challenges.
“I haven’t seen any distraction but it’s true that May is a gossip month,” Selles told the Daily Echo when asked if rumours of potential departures has effected his squad’s concentration.
“For everybody. For the club, for the coaches, for the players. Rumours, situations, end of contracts, new transfers, where do I play, where could be better for my family, where could be better for my future…It’s something that is in football in the transfer window in general.
“So I haven’t seen any distraction from any players or the technical staff but I know it is there. Not only for Southampton players and coaches but for every single player, coach, or sports director in football, in the Premier League or in any competition.
“If you ask in any other club there are players that are not playing that expect to make a move for next season. Teams that are going to be promoted, players that don’t know if they’re going to be there or not, same thing with coaches. Players who don’t want to play for one coach or who want to go play for another coach.
“So there are a lot of different situations and it doesn’t really matter which situation you’re in because it’s always going in one way or another.”
Saints will be hoping to keep their comatose season alive when they visit Nottingham Forest on Monday night. While Selles’s side enter the weekend six points adrift of safety, all their relegation rivals are in action prior to the bank holiday kick-off.
Selles and his team could cut the gap to safety to just three points should results go their way and they successfully beat Nottingham Forest and the Saints boss insisted on Friday afternoon that his players still believe they can stay up.
“Players know they can do it and it’s not a game where we feel we’re completely out of it,” the Spaniard said.
“We compete against every team and it’s our belief we have been competitive but for some reason or another we haven’t got the points. If there is a time to do it then it is now.”
Saints are bottom of the Premier League and facing relegation after recording zero wins in their last nine games under manager Selles.
The Spaniard – who was hired over the summer to be assistant to Ralph Hasenhuttl – replaced sacked Nathan Jones in February, after his own run of one win in eight league matches.
Saints were already well bottom when Selles was appointed but despite two wins in his first three he has so far failed to improve their immediate prospects.
Selles was asked if he would like to remain at Saints for the future when chatting with talkSPORT, admitting: “Yeah, absolutely, I said that I want to be here for the next 10 years.
“At the level it is Southampton and the people have given me too much love and confidence in my job that I want to give all of these things back, I want to be here long term and if it’s in the Premier League next year that is better than if it is not.
“What I am not doing right now is winning enough football matches, but sometimes the result is a consequence of a few things – a crossbar and out or an offside by two inches that takes one point.”
He added: “I am showing what I am and what I can do, managing a team in the best league in the world. We are showing for moments the football we practice and in some games how competitive can be.
“The mindset is it doesn’t matter who is in front of us, we can beat them. If it is enough or not it is not for me to decide, that is for the owners to evaluate.”
With relegation to the Championship likely, Selles accepts that dropping to the second division would likely spark a club rebuild undertaken by owners Sport Republic.
“When a club gets relegated the rebuild is always going to be there, I think the club should do it in the best way possible,” he said.
“They need to start a project where everything needs to show fresh, direct and very honest so the rebuild will be there. That is for the club to decide how big it is but of course, it is not like keeping the project as it is now.”
Selles also accepted that his team have lost in must-win games over the last week, after a 1-0 defeat at home to AFC Bournemouth and a 3-1 loss despite taking the lead at Newcastle United.
“We have been in the win-at-all-costs situation right now with Bournemouth and Newcastle but of course now there is less games to play in front of us,” Selles said.
“The situation is starting to be critical in those terms, so of course we are going to go there and try to win the game. We have shown how competitive we can be but need to be more robust for 95 minutes. It is a game that we must win.
“We had some momentum at the beginning and there were a couple of times that we were competing to get the momentum back but we didn’t get it and it went straight to the other side.”
However, Selles insists his focus is on nothing but the game ahead of them – a Bank Holiday Monday trip to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest.
The Spaniard said: “I’m very forward-oriented so we have 12 points to play for and we have the chance against Nottingham Forest to be straight back into the race to be in the Premier League.
“That is all my focus is on, I’m not focused on more than one thing at a time. I know the situation, it has been the situation from the very beginning.
“I need to have a team that works well every day and prepare for Nottingham Forest, I can’t say more than that because we still have possibilities to do it and we are going to fight for it with everything.”