So, a story about Graham Potter. When he joined Swansea, a move that many found a bit baffling, the Swans won their first two, then drew the next two, and then went into a prolonged slump which saw them manage 5 wins, 3 draws and 8 losses in their next 18 matches: a point a game for almost half the season. But they stuck with him, and at the end of the season his performance (10th in the Championship) was good enough to secure another baffling move to Brighton. He isn't remotely realistic as a target, but a reminder that today's shiny object was often yesterday's next-man-for-the-sack...and often tomorrow's, as well. There is absolutely a timeline where Potter gets sacked after Christmas by Swansea, never gets that move to the PL, and is currently receiving plaudits for Peterborough's push for promotion from League One or something.
I voted one more game but tbh I don’t think it matters either way. I don’t believe he’ll change his philosophy which means regardless of a surprising win or a defeat plus SR providing a devoted love in, RM will continue “as is”. It’s boring football which the team aren’t ready for / capable of adapting to.
I really don't look at our squad and think that 'boring football' is their strong suit. Their propensity for catastrophic errors is such that sitting back in a deep block really isn't wise, and as finishing isn't our strongest suit, hoping to get a few chances a game and capitalize on them doesn't play to our strengths either.
..... so carry on, what happened when he rolled up at Brighton. I don`t know what happened in his first months.
He turned out to have been a very good manager. That's the point. But very good managers get fired over a run of bad results all the time, and the primary reason Potter didn't get sacked long before Brighton came in for him was that Swansea couldn't afford to, not that they recognized that his brilliance would shine through.
Absolutely! We basically give one or two ridiculous goals away & struggle to create goals scoring opportunities, added to, boring, pedestrian football.
Net result though is that the football we played in the first few games is likely our best strategy: control possession, generate a huge number of shot attempts (most of which we'll miss), expect that we'll make 1-2 catastrophic mistakes despite the opposition barely touching the ball, hope that equates to a 2-1 or 3-2 win.
Hmm listened to the press conference and he’s said a lot of good things. I don’t think he came across as arrogant personally. He mentioned that it’s a learning process and that the team needs to grow together. Which I accept but equally his suicidal tactics have directly cost us already this season so I am still unsure if this approach is correct. All we can do is trust that Martin & Wilcox know what they are doing. I think they are going to stick with him for the whole season to be honest.
I’m not sure that’s right tho. Set up “standard” without the inverted FB’s, play the right personnel in the right position & im sure we’ll be more solid at back & create just as many chances. Plus, more exciting (pleasing to the eye probably a better phrase) football.
The assumption that most of us made - having never heard of him before - was that the reason he hadn't achieved much success before, was because the clubs he had been at before just didn't have particularly good playing squads. In fairness if you look at Swansea now, they are woeful by all accounts. Though admittedly their league position last season could have been more down to Piroe than Martin. Probably a combination. That excuse can't really be used at Saints, as we have a very good squad for this level. So the only thing we have now is the fingernails-down-the-blackboard expression 'trust the process', in which in the implication is that, once the players can play how he wants them to, we'll improve significantly and start getting decent results. The problem though, is that this season is our best chance for going straight back up, so the Martin experiment was simply as risk that we didn't need to take. This squad, with a fairly basic manager (ex: Scott Parker) would almost definitely finish top 6, and depending on Leeds/Leicester, maybe even top 2.
I’m not in the Martin out camp yet. 3 wins and 3 losses is not the end of the world. I’m not happy tho. Pep wouldn’t walk into SFC and try to recreate what he did at city any more than he tried to recreate Barca at Bayern. It seems deluded to think that anyone else could do it. A good manager would be getting the best out of what he has and so far he hasn’t done that. I was pleased to see noticeable change in the way we play football but that has turned to horror of late. He hasn’t yet got much of a performance out of anyone and he has a lot of talent to work with. Find a way of playing that isn’t ****ing farcical, settle on an 11 and get some consistent principles of play that we can use and not 700 different ‘If then And’ equations that need mensa candidates to understand.
Haven’t been on for a while but jeez, people need to chill. We’re 7 games in to a new season, manager, style of play and players. We needed a mass clearout which took up most of the pre season and well into the start of the season, then came the international break. There are 117 points still to play for, yes we’re going through a bad patch but imho it was pretty predictable will the things I’ve mentioned. EVERYONE will go through a bad patch in this division. Comparing his interviews etc to Jones’, is ridiculous. Martin has taken the blame and yes fans booing after 7 games with all that’s gone on is pretty sad really. So let’s sack yet another manager and join the 2 we’re still paying at the moment. Who are we going to bring in realistically? I’ve seen Graham Potter mentioned, yeah that’s likely to happen, seriously. Facts are we are now in the championship and deservedly so, from mistakes from players, previous managers and the owners, not Russell Martin. We do not have a given right to expect promotion this season and to piss this league at a canter, again delusion. And also we have been **** for 2 years, no identity, no fight, no nothing. I think it could take a couple of seasons to totally change the mentality at the club, and I think the owners have planned for that with the sales etc made this summer and not over spending as they will know that the total change in playing philosophy will take time. Give the man a chance. I will
He needs to give himself a chance by playing Charles in DM and starting Charly! He's bringing it all on himself quite frankly.
I think he will get there. Has had a lot to deal with, players here, players gone, some up to virtually the ,last day of the transfer window. The players will now knuckle down as there was a LOT of distraction throughout the squad, so I wouldn’t say Martin has bought a lot on himself up to now. Mistakes, yes, but he has admitted to them which I would say some were made from circumstances he was trying to deal with. But as always, time will tell.
