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“I want to give the fans a team they can be proud and identify with. A team that looks the same everywhere we go, be it at the Liberty Stadium or away from home.”
Swansea City’s new head coach Russell Martin spoke to the club’s website following his arrival from MK Dons this evening.
Martin had a playing career spanning 500 appearances, winning five separate promotions with Peterborough and Norwich City, whom he captained.
He also has connections at SA1, having played with Ryan Bennett, Korey Smith and Kyle Naughton at the Canaries.
“I am immensely proud and excited, to be honest. Everything I have heard about the club – be it from the owners, the people here who work inside the club, and people who have been here before that I know – underlines how special it is.”
Arguably, Martin’s unique selling point as a coach is his deep-rooted possession based style. Swansea fans had experienced similar under other managers in recent times, and that is something Martin wants to build on.
I know the fanbase and what they expect in terms of the modern Swansea Way, that started under Roberto Martinez and continued under Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup and people like that.
“I am familiar with that, and I played against most of those teams throughout the years and we, as a coaching team, are very much aligned with that. It excites me.
“We really believe in it, and I hope that is an immediate connection and something we can enjoy.”
Martin also revealed he spoke to former Swansea manager Graham Potter, who also identified with club and city well during his one-year stay in South Wales.
He established Swans in the Championship after an abrupt relegation in 2018, and played exciting football – something which the new boss wants to replicate.
“Graham spoke so highly of the club, of the people and of the area. He spoke about his connection with the fans and the staff who worked here.
“My mind was already made up to come here, but to hear that was nice and reassuring and gave me a lot of confidence that this is the right place to move forward and progress.
“I am looking forward to giving them a team that excites them, that they enjoy. I want to watch our team from the side of the pitch and enjoy it, otherwise what’s the point?
“I don’t want to be involved anything that I don’t enjoy, and that includes watching our own team.
“It will be a team that gives them everything they have got.”
Alan Tate – a club legend in South Wales who took over as caretaker before Martin’s arrival – will remain at the club in a first-team coach role.
“I have spoken to Tatey, we have mutual friends within the game. We played in the same era and played against each other a lot.
“He is a club legend, he is one of many and one of the pulls of this club is how they treat their ex-players.
“It’s a family club, the people that work here support the club and that connection is really strong and Tatey is one of those guys.
“It will take time for the dynamic to work out and for everything to fit together, but I am looking forward to working with him, and I hope he will enjoy working with us as well.”
Martin takes charge of his first match against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday 7th August.
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