Southampton suffered a blow in their pursuit of automatic promotion on Tuesday night, with a 3-1 defeat to Bristol City.
That loss at Ashton Gate saw the Saints’ 25-game unbeaten run come to an end.
With Leeds United claiming a 4-0 win over Swansea City at the same time, Russell Martin‘s side have now slipped out of the automatic promotion places in the Championship table.
This therefore, could be a fresh test of Martin’s managerial credentials at Southampton.
However, it appears there is some belief that the 38-year-old has got things right in the way he immediately set the tone in the wake of that defeat.
Russell Martin praised for response to Southampton loss
Speaking in his interviews after the defeat to Bristol City, it was noted by some that the Saints boss did not appear to be too downbeat.
Instead, Martin was deemed by some to have been calm and happy, which may have raised eyebrows among some supporters considering the result Southampton had just endured.
However, BBC Radio Solent Sports Editor Adam Blackmore believes that was the right thing for him to do in the circumstances.
When asked on the Saints and Sinners podcast about how he felt about Martin being calm and smiling in response to that defeat, the Southampton reporter and commentator said:
“How I felt when he was happy and calm, I think I was pleased. I think it’s very smart of him not to overreact.
“It’s not a time to be bashing players, for getting things wrong when they’ve been on a ridiculous run. So I think he immediately got the context of one defeat in 25 rather than just focusing on the performance.”
Southampton are next in action when they travel to The Hawthorns to face West Brom in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Friday night.
Saints must remain positive after setback
Martin certainly seems to have taken the right approach with his reaction to this defeat for Southampton.
Prior to their 25-game unbeaten run that has just come to an end, the Saints had lost four straight games in the Championship.
Given how finely poised things are now in the race for promotion, they cannot afford to endure a repeat of such a run now.
Remaining positive will help them go into games with a confidence and belief that is not going to be the case. By contrast, any sort of negativity could affect the mood around the squad, making them more vulnerable to further setbacks.
As a result, the approach Martin is taking here is certainly the right one. Indeed, Southampton ought now to be carrying a sense of optimism that they can recreate the sort of unbeaten run that has just come to an end.
If they are able to do that they will be in an excellent position to win promotion, so the Saints boss is right to try and keep the mood up around St Mary’s.