Russell Martin strikes defiant tone despite another Saints loss that sees them rooted to the foot of the PL table.
Russell Martin was philosophical on Saturday after seeing his side beaten by Gary O’Neil’s struggling Wolves to leave the Saints bottom of the Premier League with nine defeats from 11 games.
After the game, which some had predicted would be the battle of the under-pressure bosses, the head coach answered one question, although a quick one, on his future.
Martin has come under fire for his manner and performance this season as a result of that record, particularly heading into the international break in November.
“It will be what it will be. We work as hard as we can, give as much care, love and commitment to the players as we can. The rest is out of my control. I don’t sweat it or focus on it,” he added in his post-match press conference at Molineux.
Because of his background, Saints’ owner Sport Republic’s co-founder and CEO, Rasmus Ankersen, is able to remain smart and patient.
He learnt how to create a successful club and a sustainable model during his tenure as co-director of football at Brentford, when he helped manage the Bees’ ascent and Premier League promotion.
Additionally, the owners are always seen at Saints’ Staplewood training facility; hardly a week passes without them.
For the time being and possibly for some time to come, that lends support to Martin. Southampton is not playing significantly worse than projected, even if they have only won one of their first 11 games.
It is still extremely possible to shape the team and gain value from it while still aiming for survival in the preseason, which is a 17th place result.
At St. Mary’s, that is acknowledged, and the difficulties encountered this season are understood.
That will be taken into consideration in any long-term planning, particularly as Saturday’s loss in the Midlands was not without controversy and frustration following the disallowance of Ryan Manning’s equaliser. However, Southampton’s 1-0 success against Everton last weekend—their first Premier League triumph of the year—was not built upon.