West end Saints

I just went back to around the 3rd and 4th defeats, a funny read. It should be compulsory reading before being allowed to post on here!

I think you are hanging onto your negative view of him, and now he has proved he knows what he is doing are maybe looking for something else. Do you honestly think he is any less attached than our other managers have been after 20 odd games? If he has a couple of good years here, I'm sure he will feel a similar bond as Adkins does. Most think he sounds a decent guy, very keen to respect the individuals he works with, and appears to be loving his time here. Just accept we all misjudge players and managers at times, all of us, and enjoy him while he is here. I cannot remember when I last had four consecutive visits to St Mary's (or Dell) giving 4 wins and 12 goals for, none against!

Superb appointment. He has been brave to continue with a style, even though players at times struggled which is now showing the results. Popular with players, good at managing the squad, good atmosphere and popular with fans. I said as walked into St Mary's how strange it is arriving feeling confident. No other club or fans will have written our automatic chances off yet. After those 4 defeats no one could have hoped or expected any manager to do this well. Enjoying going more than I have for years, last 4 home games, 4 wins, 12 goals for, none against. I have tonight read both Ipswich and leeds forums, posts there have us as favourites for 2nd. Leeds fans were saying they hope we get 2nd as wouldn't be able to beat us in the play offs.

Live table has us 7 points off 2nd, but 9 points ahead of 5th. Surely posters can't write off automatic at the same time as saying we will struggle for play offs... Well some can!

Jack Stephens and Ryan Fraser, how both came on relatively late, had more passes, and also more passes in opposition half, than any Blackburn player.

It was shit. Some games he disappears, but others adds something we are sometimes lacking. He is comfortable when teams defend deep and crowd us out, for example his play in the lead up to one of the Cardiff goals. He always tries to let the ball run forward, or try a fast incisive pass. I also like his character, he can be rash, or look sulky etc but it's great to see some personality in the game. We saw all side of this yesterday, from the cocky penalty, to his reaction after - he went into a super determined zone, desperate to make amends and score, and when he did, he showed humility to repeatedly apologise and thank the fans. I like him.

Can you imagine the bedwetting if we had appointed him, with no championship experience, there would have been some amusing rants. He is doing great though, and I'm sure catching the eye of bigger clubs. There are still a few being stubborn though.. Knowing following the 4 defeats, that it would take a really good manager to get a run like our current one. He is doing pretty damn good, accept and enjoy! I've just seen how recently on this thread posters moaning saying the club should be brave enough to get rid of him.... Clueless!

This run is looking pretty good. Any fan, on the back of those defeats, and with our squad, would have said if a manager could turn those defeats into this run he would be doing an excellent job. Tbh, although he clearly isn't perfect, and there are still some frustrations, and I get that the skillful short passing game isn't to everyone's taste, I am a bit cynical, and wonder if the small, but very vocal posters who still give him 5 out of 10, are trolling. Enjoyed my afternoon, and seeing this run build

Piroe was trending on twitter this week with Leeds fans slating him. I thought it was obvious signing but RM said too similar to AA and not as good - maybe he was right

This is sort of thread that other fans would take the piss out of.. A manager who had 4 defeats in a row early in his time at a club immediately turns that into W W D W D W W W D W W D D and fans are talking about whether he should be sacked, or giving him 4 out of 10! He is not pep, and we want to be higher but how entitled does this thread look! Success isn't guaranteed in football. If any of you were offered a manager who was, after those 4 defeats, capable of turning form around, into this sort of run, you would have bitten their hand off! He is not perfect, not great, makes mistakes, we are not scoring enough or killing games off, but chances are that most of your pre appointment suggestions wouldn't have achieved this run.

If he meant in style - It's not a silly comparison, if you regularly watch both sides you will see that some of our shape passing / transitions is a clear Man City copy. And the replies are unfair. If he meant not far removed in quality and effectiveness, then I would strongly disagree, and support some of the sarcasm!

Agree, winning play offs is the best way to go up, but not the most relaxing! Last year after 20 games Burnley 38 Blackburn 36 Sheff U 35 Norwich 32 Watford 32 QPR 31 Lower down, Luton 29 On that basis, I find it hard to believe that anyone, at the start of the season, knowing the disruption in the changing room, low morale, new manager etc, would have thought our 38 points would be anything but a very good start for Russell.

Obviously more goals would have meant more points, but the point I was trying to make (in response to someone saying we were dropping off) is that you are not doing much wrong, or need to change a lot if our results are recently the best in the division, which they have been since 23rd September when we last lost. But yes, a free scoring centre forward, or Charlie / Stu would have gained more points to help recover from that bad spell, but the key thing is that spell is the problem, not so much where we are now. It's going to depend on how consistent teams can continue to be through the winter, with injuries etc.

We are not starting to fall away, over last 6 games we have gained points on the top two.(4 on Leicester, one on ipswich). We are on a very good run, no-one is unbeaten for as long as us, or had more points than us since we started that run 12 games ago. We have two problems, which make automatic promotion hard, but not yet impossible, 1) our poor start 2) the freakish season with 4 teams doing great

Not confident we will be promoted. Think got fair chance of top two, but others clearly more likely. Very confident we will be top 6, but then it is cup football so who knows. Play offs are stressful but winning them would be better than automatic for me.

As we are currently bookies favourites to win the play offs, if you are this confident you can make decent money. Unless of course you don't really think that...

The key this season is who can deal with the pressure and grind out consistency over the season. The argument about whether he can manage at this level is clearly over in the short-term. This season's table is bizarre with so many teams starting so well. Our start, compared with last season's table at the same stage, would have had us clear in 2nd, only a point behind Burnley. The positive is over the last 10 games we are in the best form, and hopefully have potentially more squad depth than some of our competitors.

Of course it is. You stick with your early writing off as it looks more and more short sighted

Last year after 17 games Burnley had 32 Sheff Uni 29 Luton 25 So, know how shit we were last season, players that left, complete overall of style, the manager being given Ryan Fraser (unfit) Fraser downs ill) Sulemana (injured) 3 injured / unfit CBS, Steward injured etc etc, players leaving late. Any, absolutely anyone would have said, when asked how Martin was doing after 17, that he would be 1 point of burnelys great season, unbeaten in 9, and top of current form, everyone would say impressive start, without fail. Some are enjoying changing their expectations to have a moan and look edgy

Of course the manager should take the blame for bad form, he took personal responsibility when we had 4 defeats, spoke about things he got wrong. Just as he should take credit for 9 games unbeaten and top of the current form table. I suspect that those slagging him off would not have predicted we would get 31 points from first 17, and if that was suggested at the start of the season would have thought that was a good start and beyond him!

Disappointed with Downes, he only managed 79 passes in that half, not able to match Huddersfield's 80 between them

Something I'm looking to implement... To do that the first port of call was to get the manager. That clearly means he wanted it a certain way and the first thing he wanted to get sorted was his manager. Loads of other reporting saying it was his choice but without direct quotes. Looks like Wilcox knows what he is doing!

After 16 games last season: Burnley 29 points Sheff U 26 Luton 24 Middlesborough 17 Coventry 20 Sunderland 20 Us this season 30 points after 16. 8 games unbeaten, best for 10 years. Top of current form. Going to be a long season, but looks great appointment and nice guy. (and if you want to have a laugh read the assessments of him on this thread)

Where I personally disagree with your assessment is over what the expectations were for the first third of the season. Without going over old points in detail, we were awful for a long time before relegation and showed a total lack of character and spirit during the last three managers, we then had disruptive departures and for whatever reason signed players late who were unfit or unwell. So with that knowledge what would be a reasonable aim? After 15 games last season: Burnley 26 points Sheff U 25 Luton 24 Middlesborough 16 Coventry 17 Sunderland 20 So if you set a target at the beginning of the season then 26 points would have been seen as very ambitious. We have 27. I fully appreciate we have to better this seasons competitors but it is ridiculous to suggest that 27 points from 15, with the mess he inherited, with increasing good form is anything other than an excellent start. Find it bizarre reading people on this thread writing him off as a crap manager and out of his depth. A personal subjective view is that I also love the style, the one touch passing into tight gaps etc is the pure football I enjoy.

I genuinely didn't know your views as first visit, I think to this thread. However, having read your reply, I think I could have safely stopped at the first bit in bold. After that, I think it is best that I leave it with, as long as you are happy in your views and you are not harming then you carry on. I won't waste your or my time pointing out rational points as it will probably only wind us both up and you won't suddenly see the light. Take care X