Incredibly painful and embarrassing – Martin opens Southampton’s sad start

Russell Martin admits it is “incredibly painful and embarrassing” that his Southampton side have picked up just five points from their first 15 Premier League games.

The Saints won promotion back to the top flight via the play-offs last season but found the increase in quality too much, winning just one game – against struggling Everton.

Individual mistakes have hampered the Saints’ progress, but Martin remains confident that better times are ahead.

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Speaking ahead of Sunday evening’s match with Tottenham at St. Mary’s, said: “We shouldn’t be on the points we are. It’s incredibly painful and embarrassing to be at five points – we should have more.

“But there were a few too many mistakes and a few too many moments that we didn’t handle well.

“We’ve had disappointments in games and slumps, but we have to keep trying to grow – grow as a group, grow individually and prepare the players for those moments when it’s difficult, and find ways to cope emotionally.

“But they’re growing, they’re getting better, and they’re so competitive.”

Martin knows what Postecoglou is going through

Martin has faced criticism for his style of play with several of the aforementioned errors occurring due to his insistence on playing from the back.

So he has sympathy for his opposite number this weekend, Ange Postecoglou, who has also been accused of stubbornness as he refuses to budge from his all-out attacking philosophy.

Martin added: “I get criticized for the same thing, about being stubborn and all that stuff, but if you believe in something and it’s taken you down a certain path in life, then it’s crazy to stray too far from that.

“I can’t speak for him, but we are also adapting. We adjust the form, the approach, the personnel, but with the same consistency about what is important to us, with the same concept of the game. We must not deviate too much from that, otherwise we become nothing, in fact.

“Everyone is quick to criticize these days and I have a lot of respect for him.”

It’s good to be different from the norm – Martin

Martin believes different approaches improve the game, even if they leave managers open to skepticism when results fall.

“People only criticize those who are a little different from the norm,” he said. “So if we all believed the same thing, it would be quite boring, but we would be less open to criticism.

“I watched a lot of his (Postecoglou’s) Celtic team, they were brilliant. They got so much praise for being so brave and aggressive. He did a great job, won many trophies and played in the Champions League.

“He goes to Spurs and starts so well, so when the results are good nobody questions the style or his beliefs or his belief system. Then as soon as it starts to falter, it always comes down to that.”