Every word Southampton's Martin said on Huddersfield and team news

How is the fitness looking ahead of the game?

RM: I think we’re in a fairly good place. We are in a better place than maybe we thought we would be. I don’t think we could have hoped for much more. The guys here are closer to fitness than they were two weeks ago. I think we are in pretty good shape. The hardest thing is that people have done a lot of travelling as well. The hardest thing now is picking the team because we have had some real consistency. We had a three-game week where people were nursing injuries. We’ve had people go away and play varying minutes and varying amounts of travel so it has been an interesting preparation. The week has changed a little bit so we could get everyone in today. It’s been good to have everyone back in who stayed behind. We had a practice match against MK Dons which was great last week. It had some good moments for people and minutes on the pitch. Now we are ready and prepared for another different test ahead of a really busy schedule. We have utilised the time off for the people that have stayed and for the players who have come back, it is nice to have them back.

How is Ross Stewart coming along in terms of fitness?

RM: Yeah he (Ross Stewart) is looking really good. He stepped it up again against MK in the behind closed doors match. He played a bit longer. I don’t want to put expectations on Ross because he has been out such a long time but I think the reception he got was incredible from the fans, the energy shown when he was on the pitch. I put him in a different position which is one that he can do so this period has been really good for him and he is part of the squad now training. It’s now about getting as fit as he possibly can, and understanding what we are asking of him but he’s been really impressive. We had Jack Stephens on the grass as well today so he got a little round of applause this morning in the meeting room. It’s a big day for him. He’s been back on the grass and training. He’s worked so hard, the club have documented that on social media and stuff. His attitude has been immense. He is going to take a little bit of time again. We have to manage him through this period and hopefully, we can get him back in the squad soon.

How do you decide on the positions of the forward players?

RM: I think the opposition (determines the positions of the players). It is dependent on what we feel we need and we think the game will look like. You watch previous games, the teams that they have played against, and if there are not many teams that are of similar style to you. Then maybe we played against that manager before and then you try and think about their approach. It’s always like the best educated guess that you can possibly come up with but also preparing the lads for something different. We try to be as adaptable as possible. People change in the game, we start games with players in positions that may surprise some people. It is always dependent on what the game needs and what the team needs. I’m sure that will change again in the coming weeks because every game will be different in the Championship. We are at a point now where the team has been really consistent but I think players feel that they can come in at any point. Subs have had big impacts in games as well and so the squad is going to be hugely important. Now it’s about getting the right balance.

Are you still expecting to serve your one-match ban?

RM: I don’t think I was going to turn up and expect to get away with the one-match ban. I presume that I will be sitting in the directors box. Gilly (Matt Gill) will be on the sideline with the guys and the rest of the team. I’ll get a nice view of the game and it will be frustrating for me but I’ll have to learn from it. I’m sure it won’t affect the team because ultimately from that point, you can only help the boys a little bit. It’s more of an annoyance to me really. It is something that I will try and learn from. I have to say I think two of the bookings have been nonsensical. But that’s my opinion, right? There is a real fine line.

I haven’t been booked from screaming at my own team. We don’t do that with our players. Sometimes it is decisions or a lack of communication or a lack of logic to certain things. As a group of staff, I think we are pretty calm on the whole for most of the game and then you almost get punished for the one moment where you are not. You stand there sometimes and the fourth official is getting nothing but abuse for 90 minutes. But when it is a different personality, it’s how they are. It is an interesting dynamic because then you choose to try and be calm a lot. Then the one moment you do have, it ends up in a yellow card. I have had a conversation with Kevin Friend about that recently and he’s been good. I just have to learn from it and make sure that it doesn’t happen again. I’m passionate about the team, I care about the players and I think on the whole, we are pretty respectful and we conduct ourselves fairly well. I’m banned from the game and it will be a different feeling for me but ultimately all that matters is the performance of the team and the players that are on the pitch. We have enough guys in the technical area that will help them for sure.

What can you expect from Huddersfield?

RM: You watch the Hull game, they made it difficult for Hull and they had a few moments themselves. They will be tough to play against, they are at home. We need to turn the game into the game that we need it to be regardless of how their setup is. We have an idea of what we think they might do but we will find out on Saturday afternoon. Darren as a guy, as a manager with the job he did last year at Sheffield Wednesday was really fantastic and he’s a really good person. I don’t think you will find a person who has got a bad word to say about him. I look forward to seeing him after and it will be interesting to hear what he’s facing and what his thoughts are currently but I have no doubt that he’ll do a brilliant job there over a period of time and he’s just trying to bed in his ideas. He’s probably working out the personnel, how he can adapt, and what he wants from them. He has got a good coaching staff with him, people that he has worked with for a while and trusts. No doubt, they will all benefit from him being in charge. We need to make sure that it’s not this weekend.

How critical of a part of the season is this next month or so?

RM: If you break down the season into blocks, we have had three international breaks and blocks before each one have been different. We have had two really brilliant ones and then one in the middle that was a bit sticky. It’s a long season so nothing is going to be decided between now and the third round of the FA Cup game. We have fought so hard to put ourselves in a position that we are able to compete and be where we want to be and we need to keep doing that. There are teams that keep winning and that are being relentless with their approach. We are focusing on ourselves and this will be a really important period for us. The table probably starts taking real shape towards January. If you look last year, at this point two teams were near the bottom of the Championship ended up in the play-offs and one in the play-offs ended up in the final.

Now will have a big impact in the league and what it looks like but all we can focus on is ourselves and our process. Trying to improve things all the time is what we really focused on. The club is in a good place. It is not where we want it to be yet but I think that we are really getting there and building some momentum. It feels like that at the stadium now. Supporters have been really brilliant the last few games, the atmosphere and the feeling that they have towards the team and the connection that the team have with them now is really building. Late wins help that and the spirit. We beat West Brom with spirit and character really without a top performance. You need too when you are not at your very best. You need to dig them wins out.

I don’t particularly enjoy saying that or doing that but it is part of the game because you can’t be perfect every week and we are playing against really good teams but I think we are building and there is a bit of momentum now. It is up to us to keep going and really drive the players and to keep improving all the time. That’s the exciting bit for us is that we have so much to improve on, so much room for growth and it’s our job to make sure we continue to do that.

How big is the women's fixture against Arsenal this evening?

RM: When I say the club is building momentum. The women’s team is a huge part of that. We will all be there tonight. We are really looking forward to it. Really excited for Marieanne to have that moment with her team. She puts in so much hard work so I think it will be a great occasion for them and for the club. As I said when I talk about the club, it includes them. It includes everyone, the academy. There has been huge changes throughout the whole club and we need to keep growing together. I am looking forward to tonight. It will be a really good game and a good moment for the club. It will be a huge milestone for Marieanne and the team and hopefully we can all enjoy it.