To be principled or to be practical?

Southampton expert view banner
  • Published
Russell MartinImage source, Getty Images

I have just received my first random email from a betting company with a list of potential new Southampton managers and their odds to replace Russell Martin. My first thought was 'blimey, they’re quick off the mark' and then I thought 'maybe I’m old and slow and believe every manager needs time and should get time'.

I prefer being old and slow and 25 years watching football for a living has taught me that rarely does a constant revolving door of managers benefit a club long-term. But I’m not the one who’s spent the money. I’m not Dragan Solak. I’m not a Serbian media mogul who bought a club in the Premier League and watched it self-implode and nose-dive into the Championship ignominiously. I’ve not spent £200m to see my club gloriously return to the top-flight at Wembley, and I’ve not then spent a good chunk of change in the transfer window having got my Premier League revenue back, only to see my team with no wins in six and swept aside by the American-owned club down the road.

But hang on a minute. Surely Sports Republic are building a multi-club business with Southampton as the figure-head club? A business with a playing style and academy ethos all based on a sustainable model of development, playing a way that improves players and adds value to great finds around the world, thanks to a wide network of scouting resources. I thought the appointment of Russell Martin by Sport Republic was exactly because of the way he played, as approved of by former (and briefly) director of football Jason Wilcox.

So what happens when the principles get blurred by pressure, by results, and by money? Will Saints' ownership hold their nerve and let Russell play the season out in the hope that they will come good in the end, even if the end is relegation? The last time Saints were under pressure in the Premier League Ralph Hassenhuttl was sacked in November 2022, only for Sport Republic to make a series of awful decisions that accelerated their relegation. And the legacy of those decisions are impacting Martin now. The bloated squad he has doesn’t help him. Paul Onuachu and Kamaldeen Sulemana are two of Southampton’s most expensive buys ever. They are still at the club, but you wouldn’t know it if you didn’t look closely.

Southampton have bought some very good young talent this summer, but you don’t win anything with kids, right? We can however hope they can win a game or two. But their policy of buying mid-ranged priced players who have plenty of potential upside is a business strategy that the manager has bought into and agreed to work with, not a strategy he devised for his own benefit. And if he is the right man to improve those players and earn the club some money when they sell them, does that come before staying in the Premier League?

Or is it on Martin to find a way to win games by moving away from his and the club’s principles to make sure they stay up? Isn’t the biggest principle in sport to win? Southampton has a great tradition for developing talent and want to do it again. But will fans be patient? Will Solak agree to that, as he watches his Premier League revenue streams float off into the distance?

Two of Southampton’s next three games are away to Arsenal and Manchester City. Good luck with that. The other three before the November international break are against Leicester, Everton and Wolves. Success in those games could dictate whether Saints take a break from their principles or not. They hired Martin because of his footballing principles – they aligned with those of the club. He is still playing with them. Is that naïve or authentic? Vincent Kompany stuck to his way and Burnley stuck with him last season. He ended up at Bayern Munich, they ended up in the Championship.

However much I admire Russell for having principles, history tells us the principle of money and owners always win in the end. So let’s hope he can adapt, learn, keep improving the team and getting results because if he can’t then I fear for him during that November international break. Remember remember…..just ask Ralph.

Listen to live commentary of every Saints game on BBC Radio Solent, and download and subscribe to Goin' Home With Adam and Jo on BBC Sounds to get all the post-match thoughts that matter

An image detailing how to follow your Premier League team on BBC Sport: "On the app? Tap the bell icon to get news about your club sent to you. Signed in on a browser? Hit 'Follow' to stay up to date.