11 Aug 2025 10:42:12
Martin's Southampton stated off with many negative results, lost many points earlier in the season. then Sunderland 5 Southampton 0
Leicester 4 Southampton 1
Ipswich 1 Southampton 0
Middlesbrough 2 Southampton 1 they
lost they games one after the other then his side never lost for 25 games and got promoted, that should maybe let some know once his players know his style of play it can only improve.
11 Aug 2025 10:49:53
Something that escapes many of us is required mystar- patience. Easier said than done tho with the past 13 years we have been thru. I do think if he gets a striker more suited to his system, a left back and a left footed Cb and gets asgaard in the team it will start to look better.
11 Aug 2025 10:50:34
I do understand he'll not get that time as a Rangers manager.
11 Aug 2025 10:56:48
A very well respected coach and Rangers man said something to me today that made perfect sense.
At Rangers, you don't get given time - you earn it.
Does anyone actually think we couldn't put out an 11 in a system that could have beaten Motherwell and Dundee to earn time whilst working on the new system on the training ground?
The squad we have now is the best we've had for years.
11 Aug 2025 11:04:29
I agree we should be patient, but i don't think it's unreasonable to think we should be beating two of the poorer premier league sides? Dundee and Motherwell also have new managers and players, so face the same challenges as us - so this is not an excuse that is exclusive to us. We are now in a position where if we lose against Celtic (entirely possible) we will be 7 points adrift f them after 3 games.
11 Aug 2025 11:01:14
What does that have to do with now? The championship in England is not full of low blocks unlike our great SPL which he is never going to break down with HIS style.
Honestly is is baffling that some folk come on here and use the "once they get used to his style" nonsense. Motherwell have a new manager and loads of new player. played us off the park. Dundee have a new manager and lost loads of their best players and came into our game in horrific form. Made us look one dimensional and ineffective. The most worrying stat is that we look less like scoring than anytime before in recent memory.
Football is not a complicated sport just some managers want to overcomplicate it. Like RM!
11 Aug 2025 11:02:01
My star, I just can't see this appointment working out.
I think one of the reasons so many fans are already fed up with him is the fact none of us wanted him here in the first place.
His appointment a few months ago was met with dismay by many of us.
After just two league games, we can't sack him, but we're going to have to see changes if he's to remain as manager.
11 Aug 2025 11:06:40
I get Stars point and EHL's also, I can see what he wants to do, whether we have players that can adapt to it to get it working is anyone's guess, but EHL also has a point, that we should be able to field a team in a different system to get results, there should be adaptability in setup and game management, opponent dependant, so far that is not visible.
11 Aug 2025 11:07:56
Hope we get better.
Teams crying out for a bit of flare though as its all a bit regimented atm.
Aasgaard and Mikey Moore will be itching to get started.
11 Aug 2025 11:16:38
If we had 2 x wins and the football was awful we would get behind RM and his tactics. The problem is the effort, tactics and results are falling way short. We must pay some European bonus. Nobody i have spoken to wanted RM.
11 Aug 2025 11:18:48
Guys we're not talking about Martin playing some good teams and we just need to gel. Jesus Christ, it was Dundee at home. Hibs / Hearts and the sleep will be chapping at the bit to play us, I honestly think Hibs would spank us just now.
This isn't a dry patch that we need to work through, how on earth can you not get the players up for the start of a season? We've still to have our poor patch which historically happens January / February - generally around the time we're appointing our annual temporary management team.
11 Aug 2025 11:21:03
Spot on EHL??.
11 Aug 2025 11:29:57
Mark I am beginning to think though that no manager will ever succeed here again. firstly as you say they need to be acceptable to at least the vast majority of the support to be given any sort of time. secodnly they have to win every game and play well with a new squad every time.
It sounds to me from Martin's comments that on the training ground they have got to grips with his new style of play. It is when the pressure is on in the league that they don't implement it or resort to the slow passing.
so how does a manager gauge that the message has got across on the training ground before he uses the new style and does that mean training two systems to the team whilst they learn the chosen one. That sounds even more complicated to me.
Is it again the mentality thing of raising your game for domestic where the opposition see it as a cup final and a chance to impress on TV. I do agree until the system and patterns are secodn nature we will continue to see these glitches.
11 Aug 2025 11:31:40
See MyStar I agree with what you're saying. This team has deep running issues and the style of play isn't the issue. It's the decision making, habits and mentality of the players. They have failed under numerous managers and have difficulty taking the risk to play a penetrative pass. See Dessers comments after the Dundee game, "we need encouragement when we dribble or pass and lose the ball".
I respectfully disagree with EHL and his assessment of the team but do understand he sees things from an angle I don't. For me it's felt like the players are too quick to revert to safety and ball retention to not anger the fans. Which doesn't work. All the best clubs in the world at the moment play possession heavy football and positional play. Most have inverted fullbacks and play a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1.
PSG for example possession heavy, positional football. Liverpool possession heavy, positional football. Both these clubs use overlapping fullbacks or with one inverting and the other overlapping (hakimi often end up in the 9 position for PSG, whilst Nuno mendes sticks to width) .
Chelsea, Barca, Bayern, etc etc all play possession heavy football and positional play. Celtic have done it for years. They have a squad that is used to it and used to unfortunately winning. Our players are rabbits in the headlights and regardless of formation, style, system, coaching, etc have underperformed for years.
Low block has been a problem pre and post Gerrard barring one season. Carving teams open pre and post Gerrard an issue. Controlling games the last year or two an issue. For years we have dropped too many points against the dross. Too many bad habits have crept in and we need to resolve that. I believe we will with the club being ran by men who know what they are doing now. Do I believe we will win the title this season? Not as much as I did at the start of the season. Is it over? No. Win the old firm and that 4 points gap is back to 1.
11 Aug 2025 11:34:56
Ehl are you saying train one system and pkay the games different style. I'm no coach but I can't see how that would work on the field.
11 Aug 2025 11:36:04
Aww that's OK then southampton got promoted what's that got 2 do with Rangers.
11 Aug 2025 11:40:54
I suppose the main difference here is that since 55, Celtic have only dropped points in 6-9 games in each entire season. That's what you need to do to be champions. We don't get anything for finishing 10 points off 1st in this country.
11 Aug 2025 11:41:14
Ehl full agree best squd. Its the amnner in which RM has us playimg and game plan whixh is failing big time.
11 Aug 2025 11:41:25
In order to implement change u need to set a strategy and stick to it @EHL
It's that simple, I've listened to a lot that's been said on here, @Asathor has told us all a few times, the new ownership are in this for the long haul and will not waver from their long term strategy
I believe Russell Martin will be given time, and it's for the benefit of our club
Everyone on here banging their drums for a change in manager needs to pull their heads in.
11 Aug 2025 11:43:28
Thats also because in the championship u have the huge fall back of the playoffs so can afford to just remain in top half and make a late push while u try and implement a style. U don't have that up here drop too far early on and the season is over. Also the style of football he wants to implement doesn't work against the teams we will face most weeks. Teams are happy for us to have tons of possession in our own half.
11 Aug 2025 12:00:39
This is actually a pretty good thread!
Angus / JFM - the core set up of the team would remain 4-3-3, the principle of the system would remain the same (dominate the ball and be aggressive out of possession) - so 90% of the training would be identical.
It would be a case of simplifying the message and encouraging players to adapt when the time is right.
Let's use Raskin and Dio, start them in their natural sides, playing their natural games - but gradually implement triggers where they drift wide and the fullbacks invert.
As they get more comfortable, start to switch their sides during different phases of the game.
Give and take feedback after the games and work on it in training.
This is typically how things work.
11 Aug 2025 12:07:02
Ayrshire, I actually agree with you, in that I don't see anything wrong with what Martin is trying to implement - my issue is with how he's doing it as, in my opinion, it should be phased in as the players develop.
The reason the play often slows down is because the players are uncomfortable, and if I'm being bluntly honest, confused.
Jefte's instinct it to drive up the line, so he's naturally slow to come inside - when he comes inside Rothwell hasn't emptied the centre circle as he's not used to splitting the centre halves, so he can't find Aaron's. He then looks forward and Cameron has pulled wide, Gassama has stayed wide and Dessers is being marked by 2, so he pops it back to Souttar who passes it back and forward with Djiga until everyone resets and then we try again.
11 Aug 2025 12:07:41
Thanks EHL, the fact he is using so many pkayers out of position is a concern. Surely we must pkay players to their strengths. As I say I'm not a coach so appreciate the input.
11 Aug 2025 12:11:19
Sydney, I haven't ever called for Martin's head and the last thing I want is to see anyone in football lose their job.
I'm just frustrated as it's been clear since the friendlies that we aren't ready to play the way he wants us to play and it's painful to see the team struggling.
I'll be honest, I was seriously peed off at some of him comments, but that aside I want him to be successful and genuinely fear that if he doesn't adapt in the short term - it'll be ground hog day again.
11 Aug 2025 12:15:56
EHL I agre it is and why i come on the forum
I can see sense in switching Raskin and Dio but are they really asked to drift wide every time we have possession. I don't see Cameron doing the same and when Dio is playing with him I don't think he does; he may be on his wrong foot.
Perhaps he is trying to implement it all too quickly but we see the players can do it when they want as in Europe; yes they potentially rasie their game but that is mental attitude and not comprehension of a system. All I see is the passes being made too slow.
we have our wingers wide and don't pass the ball to them so that when they do get it everyone is in that space.
Is it speed of thought and play which is needed here rather than a change of personnel (or manager) .
11 Aug 2025 12:47:06
Great posts ehl. Bbj makes an excellent point in that we are looking less likely to score goals than any other time in years. Could any our stats men mph or angus tell us how many shots we've had on target in our games so far and if possible compare it to our first 5 games last season. Thanks in advance if you can ?.
11 Aug 2025 12:58:03
EHL I didn't see you calling for his head more a disagreement with the way he is implementing a system. so gradually and phased as you would prefer or hard sharp shock as he has chosen with perhaps more grief and disappointment along the way but perhaps with a quicker implementation date for final product.
I still think there is a mentality issue as despite the system elements I just don't see the workrate and commitment at times. now that may be down to the confusion element but we are talking about a good few experienced pros and internationals who should be able to act as leadership on the field and take a game by scruff of neck. not challenging for headers at back post may have system elements to it but commitment at these seems as much to blame.
11 Aug 2025 13:13:07
Ayrshire you make good points but and there is a big but. Liverpool and psg have world class players it's not rocket science we don't and it's that simple.
11 Aug 2025 13:17:08
Sydney asathor has not said he will get time by new owners he has said they will act if things aren't working.
Kasier great point fall back on play offs and how did Southampton get promoted play offs.
He needs to change all that crap at the back passing. If he wasn't souttar to play then rothwell or raskin needs to take the ball off him as souttar with a terrible pass is the reason djiga got sent off on Saturday.