Martin hits back at critics

Southampton boss Russell Martin says his critics are welcome to sit down with him to discuss his style of play rather than making an "uneducated guess" about it.

With Saints picking up just one point from their opening seven games, Martin has come under fire from some fans and pundits for his possession-based playing style, which he has not altered since promotion.

"I always find it fascinating that someone can watch six minutes of highlights and have a really credible opinion of your team, [and about] you as a person as well, about being stubborn or whatever," Martin said.

"I would always invite those people to come and sit down and have a chat about it and why we would do things if they want to have a really educated opinion rather than an educated guess - or an uneducated guess sometimes.

"I don't know how we're perceived. My perception of our team is that they're brave and they're doing some really brave things. Eventually, that courage will pay off.

"And if it doesn't, then I'll know that we stayed ourselves and stayed true to ourselves, which I knew would be the biggest challenge at the start of this season with the amount of questions and scrutiny we would get - because of the way we play, because I'm an English coach and because I'm young.

"The rest will just be what it will be.

"I'm proud of the journey they're on, but no-one cares about any of that if you don't win. So we have to win and this game is as good as any to get that first win and really kick us off."