Southampton: Leeds United helped Russell Martin to beat key accusation – Vie.
In the summer of 2023, Southampton looked to Russell Martin to help them return to the English Premier League on their first request.
After a very dismal 2022-2023 Premier League season that ended with relegation, he had a lot to sort out.
The Saints had been in the Premier League for ten years, but during the season they lost to the drop, they suffered under three different managers.
Even though Ralph Hasenhuttl was able to lead them to some victories in the early part of the season, they were still in serious danger of being relegated when he left in November.
Unfortunately, Nathan Jones struggled to succeed after leaving Luton, and his replacement didn’t rise to the occasion either.
In February of last year, Jones was fired after winning just one of his league games in command. Ruben Selles took over, but he had an uphill battle ahead of him in leading the south coast club to safety.
Though the Saints had some shining moments in the latter part of the season, they ended the season with a whimper. Selles had a foundation to work from after winning away at Chelsea in his first game, but he was unable to capitalise on this success at Stamford Bridge.
Although it was impressive that they could travel to Arsenal and win the match, the club’s disastrous finish at the bottom of the table meant that it was all for naught.
Russell Martin’s Southampton appointment was criticised last summer
Martin began his managing career at MK Dons, a League One team at the time. He was successful enough to advance to Swansea City and move up a league.
Though he hadn’t been able to lead MK as close to the Championship as his replacement Liam Manning had, Martin still has some fans who think highly of him for his work at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Swansea had recruited Martin after Steve Cooper led the team to consecutive play-off victories.
When Martin joined in the summer, Andre Ayew and Connor Roberts left, but the Swans strengthened their team with a number of fresh additions to help their then-manager.
During his two seasons there, Martin managed to lead the Swans to a play-off finish. Of these summer recruits, Flynn Downes and Joel Piroe both went on to flourish in South Wales.
In light of this, a few people were taken aback when Martin decided to sign with the Saints last summer, and many others criticised him of “failing upwards”—a charge that he eventually refuted.
Leeds United games helped Russell Martin silence the doubters at Southampton
Three games versus Leeds United proved to be pivotal in the end; the first one took place at St Mary’s.
Martin was under fire at the time after the Saints had lost four straight league games, but a 3-1 victory over the Whites at home served to relieve some of that strain and marked the beginning of a 22-match league unbeaten streak.
It’s significant to remember that their four-game losing streak ended with a loss to Middlesbrough, who were at that point mostly in difficulties, raising questions about Martin’s future at that point.
The next meeting between Leeds and the Saints came when the latter were in a much better position, having secured their place in the playoffs already.
This was the last league game for both teams, and with a 2-1 victory away at Elland Road, Martin’s team crushed any chances Leeds had of earning automatic promotion.
Having won both games in the league, you also have to believe that this triumph gave the visitors a psychological advantage before the play-off final.
Additionally, the South Coast team outperformed the Whites in the play-off final at Wembley, winning 1-0 thanks to a goal from Adam Armstrong. The Whites were far below average.
Martin, meanwhile, had guided the Saints to promotion and had beaten the accusation that he was failing upwards.
Silencing his critics would have felt just as satisfying as the win at Wembley itself – and regardless of what happens this term – Martin will be proud to have a promotion on his managerial CV.
Leeds, to their detriment, played a big part in that.
| Southampton’s record v Leeds United (2023/24 season) | |
|---|---|
| Games | 3 |
| Wins | 3 |
| Draws | 0 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Goals scored | 6 |
| Goals against | 2 |
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