Russell Martin has opened up on one of his best motivators ahead of his first foray into Premier League management with Southampton.
Southampton spent last season in the Championship after relegation in 2022/23 saw them end an 11 year stay in the Premier League.
That saw Russell Martin appointed as manager, as owners Sport Republic oversaw a cultural reset at the club.
Martin’s possession-based style was viewed as the best option to give the club sustainable long-term success and his rein has certainly started well as he led Southampton to a Premier League return at the first attempt via the play-offs last season.
Now, he has his biggest task in his shirt managerial career so far as he bids to keep the Saints in the top flight and the 38-year-old has revealed how his brother keeps him motivated.
Russell Martin knows Southampton have doubters this season
When a side comes up from the Championship they are generally widely tipped to be relegated straight away.
That is certainly the case for Southampton, with Martin’s philosophy being used as a stick to beat him with from the media despite the fact it is a positive approach that focuses on having the ball.
- READ MORE: Paul Merson makes Southampton v Newcastle United score prediction with warning to Russell Martin
Martin has conducted an in-depth interview with The Telegraph ahead of kicking off the season against Newcastle United on Saturday where he revealed how his brother motivates him.
Martin told The Telegraph: “We have been written off already.”
The Saints boss then revealed his brother, Jamie, sends him all of the articles that predict his downfall, saying: “First manager to be sacked is me, then 20th in the league in predictions. But it doesn’t bother me. I quite enjoy it.
Asked why his brother does this, Martin claims: “He knows that I will probably use it as fuel.
“He knows how I am built; how I am wired and I come into my own during tough times.”
“It doesn’t affect me negatively, that’s the point. It’s like ‘you know what?’ If people go ‘it’s brilliant the way you play’ then it’s nice to hear but it doesn’t affect the plan.
“Do we get carried away with anything? No. It’s the same with criticism. Does it affect what we do? No. But can we use it as part of the story? Of course we can.”
Martin likely to need thick skin at Southampton this season
Martin has his naysayers before a ball has even been kicked as fans and pundits voice their concerns about how his possession-based style will translate to the Premier League.
- READ MORE: Southampton fans told which player will be ‘crucial’ as final Premier League position predicted
Every defeat is likely to result in noise around his tactics, so Martin will have to have a thick skin in order to block out the noise.
The positive is that it seems Martin will only use the criticism as motivation and his players will be expected to do the same.
The Saints boss showed he can adapt and tweak things with his switch to a back three ahead of the play-offs last season proving a masterstroke as he guided the club to the Premier League.
A principled manager, Martin will stick to his beliefs in the top flight.