Every word Southampton boss Martin said after Brentford defeat

Q: Russell, first off, what is your take on that?

RM: Well, frustrating result, disappointment defeat. I feel much better this week than I did last week after Forest about the performance in general. We should score more goals.

We have some brilliant moments and then we have some moments that are not so brilliant or pretty and we get punished for those. But I said to the players, if they haven't felt it in the last three games, it's that last little bit.

Adam's chance is the best chance of the game in the first half. I think last season that's a goal. I don't know, that's a mentality thing. The lads are delivering the ball in the middle of the goal so we have to make the most of the moments and the game changes.

We're getting punished for moments and we're not making the best of ours. We score a goal of incredible quality. We're in their box a lot before they score the second goal. Momentum is there and the guys did some brilliant stuff.

But again, it doesn't come to enough and then we get punished. We're complicating things a little bit and I think that's just a desire to help each other and to really show what they can do when actually probably less is more at the moment.

Trusting the work and trusting the structure of the team rather than trying to do stuff on your own. It's good learning but I feel way more positive today than I did last week after Forest. I didn't enjoy Forest. I enjoyed our performance today, a lot of it.

There was some really good stuff but we have to cut out their mistakes. We have three mistakes and two set plays. When someone scores a brilliant goal against us, it'll be easier to accept.

Q: I was just going to say, looking at the five goals you've conceded, four mistakes and one set play. Is it the most frustrating thing then that the opposition are not having to work harder to score?

RM: We're giving away them goals so we're beating ourselves a little bit. Over the three games we've been so competitive. I think the guys have shown that in some brilliant moments.

But we have to take the leash off a little bit in the final third, which Matty Fernandes, Tyler Dibling did. They were fantastic, Cam Archer did. So there's a lot of food for thought in terms of team selection over the next couple of weeks.

There's a lot that's been learnt over the three games. We'll sum it all up and move forward. I feel really positive and confident and believe even more in what the players are doing. I really do after today because they are trying and giving everything they've got.

They just need to really stick together and believe and ignore the noise. Exactly what I said to you at the start of last season, really, and we had a tough spell. If they stick with it, they're going to have some really brilliant moments.

Q: You said to us during the week about how felt you set up slightly wrong against Forest. You did make some tactical changes today, but if you go back and do it again, would you make some personnel changes?

RM: Yes, but hindsight is so easy. The guys that were on the pitch at the start built up so much credit and have been so good. And also we had the guys that came on today. Tyler was knackered at the end because he couldn't have played 90 minutes today.

He played 90 minutes on Wednesday. His body is not conditioned to do that yet at this level, but he is an outstanding player. So we have to find a way to get him up to speed by doing that. Matty played 60, 70 on Wednesday, hasn't played that many minutes for a while.

We went for freshness and work on the training pitch over some changes but then the subs had an impact. But also if Arma scores in the first half, we had a lot of good moments in the first half. We crossed too early, make a bad decision in the final third and then went home to defend again.

The lads just need to breathe a little bit. It's my job to give them that and just understand the game and the momentum of the game and manage the game. When Adam Lallana comes on, he's so different because he manages the game so well.

His voice is something we lack. You can hear him from the sideline. So yes, there is a lot to think about, but there will be changes for the Man U game for sure. I don't know who yet, I don't know how, but tactical and personnel.

Q: You've mentioned a couple of positives already, but just looking at the goal. Yuki with the finish, but it's Adam and Tyler who are involved to build that - tell us about what they've offered.

RM: Well, Adam just offers incredible quality and composure because of the level he's been at for a very long time. So he's been a top, top player and he still is. So that's really easy.

I think with Tyler, he has a level of talent that is unique, for sure. He has a physicality where it's not like many other 18 year olds, but he's not conditioned to keep repeating the action. So we need to get him to that and he's 18, so it's difficult.

Because he does one amazing action, then he's too long to recover to then get the next one. But he's an incredible player. I love him as a young man as well. So it's my job to get him ready and make sure he can help us and put himself in the team.

And he's doing that with his performances. So he's probably unlucky not to play, not to start a game yet. But I hope people understand that the guys in the team have been amazing for us. So there's a level of credit that they've built up.

But now, after three defeats, it doesn't really mean much, unfortunately, in football it moves on quickly and now it's about the best guys on the pitch that are in the best place. Tyler's given himself every opportunity to be in the team or to really impact it straight away from the bench.

Q: Aaron Ramsdale made his debut today, what did you make of his performance?

RM: I thought he was great. I thought he was really good. Even in the second half, the ball was getting put back to him too much because we were 2-0 down, 3-0 definitely. The lads lost a little bit of belief.

It's really difficult when the crowd's up here and Brentford are in a good place. He stuck to it and he's going to be amazing. I just said there in one of the other interviews that I think we'll all fall in love with him very quickly because of who he is, the person he is, how brave he is.

He's got big character. So I think he's going to be a brilliant signing for us.

Q: You've also brought in Ryan Fraser and Maxwel Cornet since the last time we spoke, what can you tell us about them?

RM: They're going to help us. They give us experience in the Premier League, for one, which we don't have a huge amount of. They give us moments that can change a game. They give us flexibility as well on the top line, which will be really nice. So they're going to be really, really important players for us.

Q: You've got the international break coming up but a lot of players will leave to play for their country. How will you balance that with preparing to face Manchester United?

RM: In the best way we can. We have a big squad and we'll be left with a lot of players still. Some people need to really work. Some people need a bit of a balance of rest and work.

We'll do a lot of work with them in their units individually and then cross our fingers that the guys who are going away come back fit and ready and just show them and reinforce some of the brilliant stuff they've done over three games.

There's a lot of it and some of the stuff that's hurt us. Now we're going to get better at that. That's the process and they'll be part of that. I wish there was a game next week but there's not. So now I'm looking forward to getting to work on the training pitch. That's the best part of the job. 

Q: Sam Edozie's loan move to Rangers didn't go through last night - that's gutting for him isn't it because he needs minutes and you've brought in more wingers?

RM: What frustrated me was how late it fell through and it wasn't our end. I think it's a bit unfair to Sam really. So it's a bit disappointing but it is what it is. Every club has their prerogative and their priorities and all that stuff in the transfer window.

So I was gutted for Sam because it was too late to then find another opportunity to go and play football. He'll get to work like everyone else now. Get his head down, work really hard and try and get himself into the squad and into the team.

He wasn't in it today because of the speculation but also because Sam Amo deserves to be in the squad more than he does right now. That's my opinion and that won't be everyone's opinion. It definitely won't be Sam Edozie's.

But unfortunately, I'm the guy who takes that hope or the opportunity of him playing away. It's the hardest bit of the job. So we'll have a chat. We had a couple of messages already and we'll have a chat on Monday. He'll be fine. He needs to find a way to get himself back into the group and really impact things.

Q: Are you not asking too much of your players to try and play out, beat the press in the Premier League that way?

RM: No, I think they did it so many times today. We did it more than we didn't but the two moments we didn't, it's big mistakes and the structure of the team is not right. It's got me this far in five years so it would be illogical to change.

The positions on the pitch at that moment in time when we lose the ball, the distances are too big. So that's about detail. But that's also about mentality and really backing yourself because both times it doesn't need to go backwards.

It just doesn't but it does. I think that's just a little bit of belief I need to give the players obviously. So that will be my fault, not theirs.

Q: Are you confident with Aaron Ramsdale coming in that you can still play that way? Because that was one of the things he was sort of labelled with at Arsenal that he wasn't so good with.

RM: I think he's brilliant, yeah. I think he's brilliant with it. Some of the passes he picked out today were fantastic. So I don't know. Every manager has their priority on what they want from a goalkeeper.

Aaron gives us everything we want. That's why we worked so hard to get him. And I'm so grateful for the owners and everyone that went to work on it and that we managed to get him. It's a huge signing for us and he'll be brilliant.

Q: Obviously when you haven't won a game, confidence can be lost. How easy is it to keep encouraging them to play that way.

RM: Well, I think we've got enough evidence to show them some of the stuff. In the first half we had a move that ended up with Adam Armstrong, which sort of should have been 1v1 with the goalkeeper really. Which should end up in more.

Some of the chances we have come from the build-up. The players do some incredible things but we get punished for two. So it's about weighing up the evidence and showing them. It's not just my feeling. It's not a subjective thing.

Objectively, we have some brilliant moments of breaking the press and really hurting Brentford. It just needs to come to more. So until we cut out the mistakes, and of course that will be the narrative. But since I've been in the last year, the reward outweighs the risk.

It certainly did last season. We need to make sure that it does this season. We scored some incredible goals last year. When you play this way in this league, in this country, when you have brilliant moments and score no one really wants to talk about it.

But when you make a mistake this way, everyone wants to talk about it. That's context of what is normal and acceptable for British football, I guess. Also a young British manager. I really feel that I'm not English, or apparently Scottish, it gets questioned way, way less.

Q: Burnley got relegated playing in a similar way last season. Does that worry you? 

Burnley are very different to us. Very, very different to us. They got to the Premier League doing one thing. Started out with the same intention and then after a few bad results, went in a different direction.

They were actually better when they went back to what they did in the Championship, in my opinion. Everyone's entitled to their opinion. I wasn't there, but watching it from afar. We're going to stick with what we're doing. Like I said, it's got to be this far.

I will live and die by the sword, I know that. But I'd much rather do it this way and actually enjoy some of the moments the team gives me. Of course, it hurts me when we make the mistakes we have today.

But it's my job to fix that. It's the job of the coach, parent, teacher. It's all the same. Work out what the problems are and find solutions. The only problem with this job isn't when you want to do it in that way. So much of it is not tactical.

It's about feeling and at the minute we're feeling a little bit tense in certain actions and being punished for that. So it's my job to make them stop feeling that. Long answer, sorry.