Every word Southampton's Martin said on deadline day and Brentford

Q: Can you just bring us up to speed on the latest on Ramsdale?

RM: I hope it all gets completed, I think, until it's signed in football. I've learned in my short spell as a manager that things can change very, very quickly and nothing's done until it's done.

So yeah, if it happens, when it happens, hopefully it'll be a huge signing for us, on the pitch, off the pitch, for the fans, for the players, for the staff, I think for the opposition as well.

Looking at that, I think it's a big signing. So yeah, I hope it gets completed. And I hope everyone is smiling and happy at the end of it. 

Q: Will he be involved in training today or do you have to wait for that?

RM: Yeah, we'll have to wait and see again. It's all about timing. So yeah, I'm sure, you know, I think the clubs are very advanced in what's going on with the paperwork and all that stuff.

But as I said, you just mentioned there, you know, Arsenal are trying to get one in themselves. So yeah, I don't know that situation, but we'll be kept on top of it.

The hope is that he's registered in time to be involved tomorrow and to train this morning and then we'll have to wait and see.

Q: Aaron Ramsdale's obviously a player that's played at the highest level. He went to the Euros with England. How excited are you to work with him?

RM: Well, that experience of winning and playing in a team in the Premier League that have to win. The expectation is huge. Playing internationally, he's hungry to become England's number one again and he wants to be here. So I think that's so important.

If you'd have asked me four or five weeks ago if, would we have had a chance of signing Aaron Ramsdale, I would have thought you were probably crazy.

Then we spoke a fair bit over that period of time. Yeah, pestered him a little bit. Even a week ago, I'd have probably thought it was not achievable, but it's worth trying still.

And then, yeah, he's seen the way we played. He's watched the first couple of games. I think he admires the courage of the players and the way they play.

I think he knows he has a chance to express himself and to come in and show everyone what a good goalkeeper is. I think he's been frustrated over the last year with the lack of playing time.

But I think he brings a winning mentality, he brings big character, he brings a big voice, which is something we as a group we're not. We're quite a quiet group in terms of the players because we're a young group.

So I just think he brings experience and attitude and a winning mentality and I think he's going to be great.

Q: Now Southampton fans will hang on every word of this next answer. Can they expect to see some more faces on deadline day today?

RM: I think, yeah, I hope so, rather than expect to. I think there'll be maybe one or two more but it will also depend on people leaving the building, I think.

Some players that want to go and get more playing time, some players that just aren't featured in the plans too much. But everyone's really clear on their situations.

So myself, the ownership group. And it's really important to mention the owners with Aaron as well. They've backed us hugely with that signing and it's maybe one people didn't expect.

So I'm really grateful for that and I'm convinced that Aaron and us as a group will repay that faith and what they've done for us.

I think there'll be some people leaving the building and hopefully there'll be one or two coming in. But as I said, we'll just have to wait and see. I've learnt not to get too far ahead of yourself, especially on this day.

Q: Is one of those Maxwel Cornet?

Again, we'll have to wait and see. I'm pretty sure we'll get linked or we have been linked over the last 48 hours with lots and lots of people.

He's been one of them for the last week that we've been linked with. But honestly, I don't know right now. So, yeah, we'll have to wait and see.

Q: The win against Cardiff, your first win this season, would have given the whole place a lift and a boost. How much has that given the whole training ground a lift this week?

RM: Yes, but it's a nice feeling to win and to have so many young players on the pitch and so many guys playing their first game for us competitively.

Honestly, they played some brilliant and beautiful football times. We scored some great goals. But it's also my job to be really demanding of them and to make them understand that conceding three goals in the manner we did was not on.

So, honestly, I don't have a worry about us scoring and creating. I just don't. And it's always like the last piece of the puzzle, really.

So, we have to build up properly. We have to get there in an organised manner and a structured way. Forest was my fault because of the way we set the team up and I don't think I got that right in terms of the context of the game for our players and I said that.

So, I have to learn from that and take responsibility for that. So, now we have to show what we've learnt from that tomorrow against Brentford, who are a very good team, well organised.

Tom's done such a brilliant job there over a long period of time and I think it shows the benefit of time and having a consistent way of working and being aligned and the way of doing things.

They've really developed and evolved into a really good Premier League club. So, our job is to make sure we become that in our way and the learning from Saturday and the first game against Newcastle and even the other night.

Some of the stuff we worked on in and around the final third and creating it, the lads carried out so brilliantly and now it's up to us to go and do that on a Saturday.

Once we score, the players will relax a bit, I'm pretty sure, and then hopefully that will open us up for a bit more.

Q: Thomas Frank has confirmed this week that Ivan Toney won't play this weekend, regardless of whether he's still at the club or not. Does that help you in your preparation?

RM: You take any bit of information you possibly can. We watched a lot of the previous games. We watched their cup games during the week, they weren't fairly strong.

So, we prepare in the same way for everyone. He's a really, really fantastic player and Ivan's done brilliantly for them. So, I don't know what it changes in their group.

We prepared for life with him and life without him against them on the pitch. The lads just need to be ready for whatever's coming.

Q: What are the biggest differences you'll see between managing Southampton in the Championship and these early few games in the Premier League?

Well, there aren't any really. I think the difference in the Premier League, so we'll coach our team and prepare our team in what we feel is the best way to win the game and to try and learn from the previous game and the week.

It's always the best educated guess you can possibly have in what a team's going to do. Some teams will stick to what they do relentlessly, some teams will change and you'll be maybe surprised by that.

But I think the biggest difference is on a match day is the athleticism and the power of individual players in the Premier League. So, there are some outstanding tacticians in the Championships and outstanding coaches.

So, in terms of tactical preparation, maybe some of them are not very different in terms of like, honestly, some of the coaches we played against last year were really outstanding.

It was difficult and you enjoy that, you like I said, having an educated guess at what could work, what maybe they change.

But then it comes down to moments and so far we are a big mistake and a set piece away from having any points, which is really frustrating.

But it is, when you look at the power and pace in athletes and the individual quality of players at the top end of the pitch, especially in the Premier League teams, a big, big difference.

And I think it's why these players get bought for so much money and end up costing so much money because they are rare and they're hard to find, but the Premier League, they're everywhere in every team.

So, yeah, I think that's the biggest difference. We have to try and make sure that we as a team, us as a team is stronger than sort of any individual quality that we can face and we are going to face some brilliant, brilliant teams that are littered with that everywhere across the pitch.

So, yeah, it's been interesting, it's really interesting. I'm enjoying the process, I'm enjoying the learning, I'm enjoying being involved in it and after two games I feel really, really confident and happy with the group that we can go and do this season.

Q: You mentioned about creating those big moments, what can you do yourself to work with your team on the training pitch to create them going forward?

Well, I think we play with principles, so there are some principles in the build-up, in the middle of the pitch and in the final third that are really important for us.

But also to give them a chance to express themselves and play free in the final third and to have the courage to go and take the risks that some of the guys do in the build-up phase early on, further down the pitch.

So, I think it's giving them the licence to do that, to let them have some fun in the final third and, yeah, honestly I've got no worries about that.

Forest, as I said, is my foot, so he's not theirs. So, hopefully we can see some change in that, as we did against Cardiff the other night and, honestly, I'm convinced we will.

Q: I know Mark mentioned there will be no Ivan Toney on Saturday, but what other threats do you think Brentford pose to him?

RM: Well, they have lots. They have lots of really good players. I know one or two of their players have been wanted by other clubs because it shows the talent they have.

They have some real power and pace at the top end of the pitch, as I just discussed. They're really well organised, they hunt the ball, they work really, really hard.

They're evolving all the time as a team, in possession and trying different things. They play with tempo and intensity, so it's really ingrained in that club the way they do things and it runs throughout and you can see that.

They have a real threat set-piece, they're big, they're strong. So, it's going to be an interesting challenge for us.

I think they're all going to be different, they're all going to be interesting, but the challenge for us is to be the team we want to be always, whether we're at Brentford, whether we're at Man City, whether we're at home.

I love that challenge for the players. The biggest challenge for us is to remain true to who we are and to adapt and work our way without losing what we are and what's got us here in the first place. Tomorrow's game is no different in terms of that.

Q: When the window closes tonight, will you be a happy manager or a sad manager?

Well, I'll be very happy the window's closed. Whether I'm really happy or really sad will depend on how the squad ended up.

Honestly, I think I'll be happy. The players we've added already, the one or two that we might add today maybe, could be exciting for us. All you ever want, I guess, after the window is the squad stronger than it was and I think we will be.

That has to be the aim at the end of the window. You're never going to get everything you want, but actually, as I said earlier this week, I think we've done good business in the short term that is going to help us in the Premier League.

I think we've done outstanding business for the medium to long term in this club as well, which maybe shouldn't or won't be people's priority and some fans' priority.

They just want to make sure we stay up. I think we've added people to do that, but also the club's in a really, really good place with the people in the building in terms of character and quality and youth added with some experience mixed in.

I'll be really happy either way because I love my job and I love the people I work with. I've learned the hard way at times in the deadline on transfer windows to just take it for what it is and not to get too stressed about it.

There's no fight here because people are really aligned and really want to help, but to be really strong of what you want and clear and everyone's been clear. As I said, we've been backed and we've been supported, so I don't think you can ever ask for more than that.

Q How important is that for you as a coach and manager for the rest of this period to the winter now, the day-to-day coaching of the squad, that you get the right size and get it down a bit?

RM: Yes, I think ideally you don't want to leave six or seven players out of the squad on a Saturday that are really good players and really good people.

The hardest bit of managing is leaving people out and taking away from them that opportunity to play on the pitch and that moment to have on the pitch.

So it's tough and ideally, you don't have six or seven players, which you will have tomorrow as it stands. Obviously, that will change as the season goes on.

We'll find a way, whatever we're left with we'll find a way. Ideally, it's a little bit smaller, but it'll never be as big as when we first walked into the building and had 32 players to work with. So we managed to find a way through then and we'll find a way through again this time.

Q: Did any of the players Wednesday, now you've assessed what happened, actually do what you wanted, which is give you questions about selection for Brentford? Or is Brentford away not the place to be throwing people in?

RM: No, I think two or three of the players really stake to claim. Of course, there is that discussion about Brentford away, but I think if we feel they've done well enough and they're ready to play then they should be able to play anywhere.

I think two or three were outstanding. There were a lot of good performances on the pitch and a lot of things to be happy about. A lot of them playing their first game for us.

Two or three players really stake to claim and could make a difference for us on the pitch tomorrow for sure.

Q: You said it was your mistake against Forest and you talked about the final third. Is that more to do with getting Adam and Ben closer to each other or in the box more?

RM: Yeah, I think it's just positions on the pitch. We should have had them a lot closer together, but we turned the ball over too much. Impossible when we get there and the ball just turns over how we're supposed to get them close.

You spend a bit longer there as we did at Newcastle where we should have scored three goals. They were together in the box a lot, which was highlighted by a chance where they both missed a chance together at the set, one after the other.

I think as a manager you have to accept responsibility when you come off in a game feeling like it's not. There are times we lost last season where we've been really dominant, but one thing happens, there's a mistake or it's a brilliant goal or whatever.

But it wasn't that, I just felt the game passed us by a little bit as a group and I don't want that. They have 38 games, 36 now in the Premier League to really seize their moment and seize their opportunity.

I don't want another game like that where I felt the whole day just passed us all by really, which is disappointing.

So I don't want to feel like that. If we're going to lose, we're going to lose in our way, having really been us and attacked the game. It was just a bit nice and I don't want us to be nice.

I want us to be the team we were at Newcastle, especially that run in last season and towards the back end of this season. I want us to be really horrible to play against and I think hopefully tomorrow we will see that.

Q: We've got the link with Rasmus obviously, who previously worked with you at Brentford. Are they a great example for you?

RM: I think it's a brilliant blueprint. I think the style of play is different to ours. So their recruitment strategy and their philosophy of the culture around the club will be different.

I think it's an amazing example of how to build something over a period of time and to give people time. I know Rasmus is still in touch with a lot of people there and the manager and their friends.

He has a lot of admiration because he started off that process with them and I think it's great that he's got that experience. It's great for us because he's very calm, he understands the game model really well.

It's different to Brentford's but he loves the way we play and he always offers his opinion and he's been great. He's been really good, especially with the recruitment process and the way he works.

I've really enjoyed working with him, Henrik and Dragan, and we have a really good relationship as I said. We're really open with each other and I think since we've been here they've been brilliant.

Especially last season when early on it was quite bumpy and they never ever once felt like there was any pressure in terms of our jobs. They've been nothing but supportive and for me as a manager and for us as a young group of coaching staff as well it's been brilliant.

I think we will try and build in our way but if we can be as sustainable and as established as Brentford are in a couple of years then we're on to something good I think.

Q: Just finally on Aaron's impending arrival, you've talked about the character which he brings. How much of a boost is it for the rest of the squad and how much does it help you, how much does it give the dressing room a lift having someone like that come in?

RM: I think it will be massive. I think some of the guys might be surprised that he's coming but I think it's big, I think it will give everyone a lift.

But I also think it's not like there will be one guy in there who's not happy about it, which is Alex. And Alex has been amazing for us. If he hadn't come in the team and did what he did last season we wouldn't get promoted.

If he'd come in rusty because he hadn't even been number two for a lot of the season. Without Alex we're not in the Premier League I think.

So I'll be forever grateful to Alex. He's done great this season, people will talk about the mistake at Newcastle and all that but he was brilliant on Saturday.

I know a big call to make if we get Aaron done in time if it happens for tomorrow's game. So I feel for Alex. Whilst I'm really happy that Aaron's coming in and really happy with the group we have and excited about that signing, I really feel for Alex.

It's a really tough part of football. Someone's always going to be upset and someone's always going to be unhappy with that happening. But I also have no doubt that Alex will be a brilliant teammate.

He was all of last season even when he wasn't playing because he's a fantastic guy. I absolutely love Al and what he brings to us as a group. He's so calm and trains really, really well.

When he's played he's been outstanding. I just wanted to make that really clear that whilst I'm really excited about the signing, I also want to make sure that everyone appreciates the job that Al did for us and respects that.

Aaron knows that if he comes into the building he's got someone that we really trust breathing down his neck. And another guy, Joe Lumley, who is one of the best teammates you could ever find.

So yeah, it's in a good place if Aaron comes in that department. I'm sure it will give everyone a lift but there will be one guy that is feeling a bit differently about it.