Russell Martin Popular Books

Russell Martin Biography & Facts

Russell Kenneth Alexander Martin (born 4 January 1986) is a professional football manager and former player who is the manager of EFL Championship club Southampton. He represented Scotland at international level. A former defender, Martin began his playing career at Brighton & Hove Albion's youth academy. He established himself at Wycombe Wanderers in 2004, before moving to Peterborough United in 2008. Martin joined Norwich City in 2010 and made 309 appearances for the club. He then had brief spells with Rangers, Walsall and Milton Keynes Dons. During his playing career, Martin won five promotions (including two Premier League promotions) and was named in the 2014–15 Championship Team of the Year by the Professional Footballers' Association. Although born in Brighton, England, Martin played in 29 internationals for Scotland. He moved into management in 2019 with Milton Keynes Dons and became head coach of Swansea City in 2021. Two years later, he was appointed manager of Southampton. Personal life Martin was born in Brighton, East Sussex, to parents Dean and Kerry. He has two older brothers, Jamie and David, and a younger brother, Pepe, while his parents also fostered. His father was a taxi driver who subjected Martin's mother to domestic abuse and had spent periods of time in prison. His father's gambling addiction saw the family lose their house in Hollingbury, moving to Hollingdean. His father coached his son's football teams. Martin was educated at Varndean School then Varndean College, achieving A-Levels in history, PE and drama. Prior to signing with Wycombe he was cleaning pub toilets in the mornings prior to school, then working in Spar in the evenings. Martin established a charitable foundation in his hometown of Brighton, initially set up as a football academy, named the Russell Martin Foundation. The charity aims to use "the power of football to help change people's lives" by providing access to football, education, and health courses in the local community. Martin has been a vegan since 2014, initially for health reasons as he sought to manage issues with ulcerative colitis. He is also a part-owner of Erpingham House, the largest vegan restaurant in the UK. In a 2018 interview, he stated that he had joined the Green Party of England and Wales. He is also a proponent of Buddhism. Club career Early career Martin joined Brighton & Hove Albion's youth academy before leaving by mutual consent in early 2004 to join Isthmian League Division One South side Lewes. He then had trials with several clubs, including Charlton Athletic. Martin joined Wycombe Wanderers in 2004. He made his debut in a 2–1 home victory over Cambridge United on 7 August 2004, then went on to make ten more appearances during the 2004–05 season. Ahead of the 2006–07 season, Martin signed a new two-year contract with the club. In the following season, he played in the League Two semi-final against Stockport County, which Wycombe lost 2–1 on aggregate. On 29 May 2008, Martin moved to Peterborough United, who had just been promoted to League One. He signed a three-year contract. Martin became the club's youngest ever captain after taking over from Craig Morgan. In his first season at Peterborough, Martin captained the club to gain promotion to the Championship. Norwich City Following Mark Cooper's appointment as a replacement for Darren Ferguson in November 2009, Martin joined Norwich City on loan. On 4 January 2010, his transfer was made permanent and he joined Norwich on a 2+1⁄2-year contract. Martin scored his first goal for Norwich in the 3–1 defeat to Doncaster Rovers, with a diving header on 14 September 2010. He scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Championship league leaders Queens Park Rangers on 1 January 2011, and a last-minute equaliser against Cardiff City, leading fans to dub him "the Cafu of the Championship" or "the Norfolk Cafu", in honour of Cafu. On 7 May 2011, he was the runner up for the Norwich City Player of the Year award to winner Grant Holt, in a season where he played every minute of each game. After an impressive first season in the Premier League with Norwich, filling in well at centre back during some games, Martin signed a new three-year deal in June 2012. On 29 December 2012, Martin scored two goals against Manchester City in a 4–3 home defeat. On 9 July 2013, Martin agreed a new three-year deal with the club. On 10 August 2013, he was officially named the club captain. In a 2013 interview, Martin revealed his desire to take up management after the end of his playing career, stating, "I would eventually love to come and manage Norwich." On 22 November 2014, Martin made his 200th appearance for Norwich against his hometown club Brighton & Hove Albion. He scored Norwich's second goal in a 3–3 draw. Norwich were promoted to the Premier League in the 2014–15 season via the playoffs, a year after their relegation, but were relegated again after just one season back in the top division. Martin made his 300th appearance for Norwich on 21 April 2017, in a 2–0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion. He signed a new contract with Norwich in July 2017, but then had few first team appearances during the 2017–18 season. Rangers (loan) In January 2018, Martin moved on loan to Scottish Premiership club Rangers. He made his competitive debut for the club on 24 January, in a 2–0 win against Aberdeen. Martin was one of four players to make their first appearance for Rangers in that game. He scored his first (and only) goal for Rangers in a 2–0 win against Hearts on 24 February 2018. Following his loan with Rangers, Martin left Norwich City on 31 August 2018 after his contract was terminated by mutual consent. He made 309 appearances for Norwich, placing him 22nd in the club's all-time appearance list. Final years and retirement Martin signed for League One club Walsall in October 2018 in a player-coach role. He left by mutual consent in January 2019, for family reasons, having made twelve appearances for the club. On 15 January 2019, Martin joined League Two club Milton Keynes Dons on a short-term deal until the end of the season, and played a key role in the club clinching promotion on the final day of the season. Following the departure of manager Paul Tisdale on 2 November 2019, Martin was appointed as his successor in his first managerial position the following day and later announced his retirement as a player to concentrate on the role. International career Martin, who was born in England, qualified to play for Scotland through his Scottish father. On 17 May 2011, he was named in the Scotland squad for Nations Cup games against Wales and the Republic of Ireland, making his debut as a late substitute against Wales. He remarked before a game against Croatia in June 2013 that he was not recognised by taxi drivers when he met up with the Scotland squad. Martin made his first competitive appearance for Scotland in that match against Croatia, which.... Discover the Russell Martin popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Russell Martin books.