Every word Russell Martin said in new in-depth interview

The 38 year old was speaking with BBC Radio 5 Live on Monday evening - and here is everything Martin talked about... 

You must be very relaxed at the moment with the very good spell you are on?

RM: I am not sure you can ever feel relaxed fully to be honest, in this job. I feel very happy, and very grateful and proud of the players.

I am also a bit frustrated with a few things during this run and that we haven't got a couple more points on the board.

I think it is a really good place to be in but I think you can be happy and not 100 per cent satisfied and that is the job I suppose.  

What is it that has left you frustrated?

RM: I am a pretty positive person and I am aware of what it has taken for the players to achieve what they have achieved so far.

We have had a couple of draws that we should have converted into wins during this run.

We also had a draw at Preston which is the only game I perhaps feel like we got a bit more than we deserved. 

Gavin Bazunu had to go up and head the ball in, in the 95th minute or whatever. 

Even in those frustrating moments, we have had to learn. It's been a brilliant source of learning for us and for the players to learn.

When you had that difficult spell in September, how difficult was it?

RM: September is the only month we have lost games, which is crazy. They all came at once.

It was difficult not to manage but to translate and communicate that I was comfortable with it - not losing because I hate losing.

But I understood why we weren't doing what we wanted and I understand the context of the situation and all the change.

I was also asking them to do something opposite to what they have been doing previously and that is not easy.

The group was still a bit fractured and a bit damaged from the season before so all of that and the energy around the place was interesting.

It was difficult to do all that and tell everyone that we were going to be consistent and focus on the work while still trying to have some fun.

I also told them that if it doesn't work out, it would be me who pays the price and not them. When you have conviction in something, it is easy to stay on the path.

It was about prioritising the right things and it was my fault, I probably tried to get into people too much and there was too much thinking and not enough feeling. 

There was too much X and Os and nowhere near enough focus on mentality and that is the balance when you're trying to play this way.

When you're trying to play this way, tactics and understanding are so important but it can never override the feeling. 

How did you address the fractured squad from last season before you can imprint new information?

RM: I think so. I tried to make them aware of all the good stuff they had done despite the fact they were relegated. 

Ralph Hasenhuttl did a lot of brilliant work against the ball over his four years. We wanted to come in and implement some stuff in possession.

They have been known for being relentless against the ball and out of possession and we didn't want to change that either, just to enhance it. 

The players get a lot of plaudits for what they do with the ball but they also press relentlessly and work hard for each other, you can't have the ball without it.

I think it was about trust that we were going to be consistent and that four-game period built a lot of trust as we didn't change one bit with the players.

It is also totally new and scary as a player, the way we play is scary as a player. 

You have got to take big pressure as a goalkeeper or defender with five machines tearing at you 10 yards from your goal.

They are trying to take the ball from you and you have to add the 30,000 people behind you nervous about where the ball is.

That's not easy so to expect that to all change and for the group to come together confident in what they are doing takes time.

Unfortunately, for all of us, you have to make mistakes and have a bit of pain to grow but they have done. 

You said in a brilliant interview a few months ago that the last thing your dad would say to you before you went on the pitch was - 'don't make a mistake'.

RM: Yeah, that was why I stopped talking to him when I was about 26 - I made far too many, calling him before games.

For us, the biggest mistake you can ever make is not wanting the ball and I will never criticise something done with the right intention.

The players get criticised when they don't run for each other and when they are not brave enough with the ball.

That is it. The methodology is really to have courage and to play the way I see football really, how I wanted to play but was not able to for whatever reason.

The energy, aggression and intensity as well - if you have one without the other, it never feels complete for me.

I watch the team with gratitude now for what they do with the ball and the intensity and energy to get it back. 

I want to do this job for however long I can do it until everyone decides this guy is too mental and too crazy to do it anymore. 

We all got into the game because we love it and I have seen so many people get towards the end and stop loving it.

I think that is sad and it is my job to keep the players loving what they do. I went back to Swansea this weekend and it was incredible seeing some people.

The feeling we have about them and the feeling they have about us despite the fact we didn't win anything there.

If we can have that feeling here at Southampton and win as well, being successful in terms of how everyone sees success - league position and winning stuff - it would be incredible. 

When you were losing games in September, did you ever doubt yourself or your beliefs? 

RM: No, I think I get called stubborn a lot and I am aware of that but I believe so much in the work we do and what we have done for four years.

We have had teams in different situations and now we have come to a team that has amazing players for the level and an expectation to win.

We believe in something and it has got us this far. I have had lots of chats with people who have challenged me - family and staff I have worked with.

I had one chat with my brother after a game where he questioned if I was being too stubborn because he had read social media and all that stuff.

I said to all of them that it is my stubbornness that has got us this far, so far. If I now back down or show fear to the players, it's game over.

I don't see any way back from that. When you really believe in something and work so hard on it, with all your energy, care, respect and love, you don't lose faith in that.

I spent so long learning everything I have got and I said that when I get a manager's job I would do it this way and see how far it goes. 

I am growing all the time and I think we grew over that losing period as we stepped back and saw we were missing a few ingredients - that was my fault. 

What type of football club will Southampton be over the next few years?

RM: Players and supporters need evidence that it is going to work or you run out of time very quickly.

When you can show people and they understand why they are doing certain things, it gives a lot of clarity and the opportunity for them to give feedback as well.

I was brought in, Jason Wilcox has come in as director of football, we have a new CEO in Phil Parsons - the ownership haven't owned the club for too long.

I think this is the first time Sport Republic feel they have put their stamp on the club by appointing a new leadership team and a new way of doing things.

Jason has come from Man City and I think he was quite brave in appointing me, a guy who has not really achieved anything in terms of success.

I think we have been successful in terms of the remit we were given at previous clubs. 

Jason has come in to change the philosophy of the entire club and Andy Goldie has come in from Swansea as well as head of academy.

Hopefully, the way of doing things becomes synonymous with the club and success as well.

I am here because we have a certain way of doing things and it is what Jason and I, and everyone, believe is the most sustainable way of doing things.

If you haven't got the most money in football then you need a clear identity and bouncing around from one thing to the next doesn't bring much success.

I grew up in Brighton and they have slowly implemented change in their philosophy and are now at a point where the club is really sustainable.

We are not going to try and be Brighton as we are Southampton and will do it our own, different way.

But the club recruited brilliant young players and sold some for a lot of profit in the summer and I don't think we are going to go away from that recruitment model.

We will also try and develop our own from the academy and I think this way of playing is the best way to develop players as they can show everything they do. 

How much feedback do you get from your players and do you encourage it?

RM: A lot. We have individual meetings after every game and we have unit meetings with defenders and midfielders etcetera. 

They engage in conversation and at our previous clubs, a lot of players ended up leading those meetings and we will get to that point here as well.

We are honest to the point where the players probably thought we were a bit weird at the start but I think they understand it now.

We have a lot of communication and hopefully with that comes clarity. If they want to try something with a set piece or they aren't comfortable with something we talk about it.

Then, they will do it in their own way. Some players are better at certain things than others. 

One of the best things about this group is that they are flexible in the game so we have stuck with a clear plan but been adaptable. 

A lot of that has come from them saying they aren't comfortable and then, not completely throwing it out, but just tweaking it. 

What was your problem with Wuthering Heights in English Literature A-Level?

RM: It was not a problem with Wuthering Heights, although I have been put off for life.

It was the fact we couldn't argue about it. Debate and healthy conflict right, but we weren't allowed. As soon as I said something that wasn't agreeable it was game over. 

Do you have a draft excluder when defending free-kicks?

RM: We do, it's Kyle Walker-Peters. When you pause the freeze frames it's incredible some of the positions he takes up.

We also have a little giggle to each other but we do, I don't think he particularly enjoys it but he does it very well.

We lost our set-piece coach to go and manage Lillestrom in Norway, he was a great guy Andreas Georgson.

The detail of it is incredible so I can see why it's a role in clubs. You can spend a long time doing it and fortunately, we have guys who like doing it so I don't have to focus on it.