GREAT player. Great captain. But mostly a great leader.
Frankie McAvoy knows what he likes in a football player and a person — and found all those qualities and more in Russell Martin a decade ago.
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The man who looks certain to be named the new Rangers boss was skipper at Norwich when McAvoy went into Carrow Road as Alex Neil’s No 2 at the start of 2015.
And the 57-year-old has nothing but praise for the former Scotland international.
McAvoy told SunSport: “He was captain the whole time Alex and I were at Norwich.
“Right away the thing that stood out was what a leader Russell was. Good speaker, good communicator, could get the message across in the dressing room.
“He knew exactly what he wanted players to do, and he let them know if they needed to do more.
“I was at Hamilton with Alex Neil and he was a natural leader too. Russ has the same characteristics.
“Right away you knew he was a guy you wanted in the trenches with you.
“The season we went down to Norwich, the team were in the Championship and Russ was desperate for us to do well.
“He had played three seasons in the Premier League, and you saw the hunger he had to get back up to that level.
“I’d have classed him as a role model for that Norwich side — and after Alex won 17 games out of 25 at the end of that campaign we reached the play-offs and got back up.
“Russ and Alex had a great relationship from the start and it was imperative they did. But that wasn’t a surprise.
“They both had real drive and energy, they were similar characters.
“Russ wasn’t your usual centre-half who was big and strong. He loved getting on the ball, playing it, breaking the lines. He was quick as well.
“I loved him and I enjoyed working with him. In training he gave everything, he was a real heart-and-soul type, a very intelligent boy.
“Because we’d worked with him I then always watched him when he went into management too. I remember watching his MK Dons team scoring a goal against Gillingham after 56 passes, which was a British record.
“Alex and I went to Preston and when he left I took over as interim manager, and we played against Russell’s Southampton team.
“They were fantastic. They loved to dominate the ball, and you could see that was his style as a manager.
“When they didn’t have it, they were real high pressure to get it back.
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“Knowing him, he thinks the more time you’ve got the ball, the less time the other team have got to damage you.
“Preston beat them 3-1 but we shouldn’t have. They were miles better than us.
“Even though we were at home and we won, we had 33 per cent possession of the ball.
“If Southampton had better finishers it would have been a different result.
“His teams are fantastic in terms of how he wants to play. If he goes to Rangers you’ll see a big difference in how they play. He’ll be a breath of fresh air.
“I could imagine when Rangers spoke to him he’d come across brilliantly in a interview situation. You’d be drawn in by him, because he’s very intelligent.
“Matty Gill was with him at MK Dons, Swansea and Southampton so you’d think he might go with him too.
“And with Scotland, Steven Naismith and Russ were good friends so that might be an option.”
The criticism Martin received in the Premier League with Southampton was a reluctance to change his beliefs, and a system that saw them lose 36 goals in 16 games, winning just once before he was axed last December.
But McAvoy says that’s NOT the case.
He added: “Russ did a Continuing Professional Development day for the SFA, and he spoke really well about styles.
“He likes playing 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1, but he’ll change to a back four if he needs to. His teams will always be about movement, energy, trying to find the spare player.
“I know people say he needed a Plan B, but he changes within games — it’s not a case of, ‘This is my way’. He adapts.
“But he does stick to his principles and that’s a good thing, something he deserves a lot of plaudits for.
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“It will be intriguing seeing him go up against Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic, another team who want to dominate the ball. That will be really exciting for Scottish football because it will be two teams trying to play really well.
“The one thing I guarantee is that players will like playing for Russ.
They will respond to how he wants to play and he’ll be a really good appointment by Rangers.
“He’s very good at man-management and building and maintaining relationships.”
Martin was already vegan when Neil and McAvoy arrived at Norwich — but the former Hamilton and Hearts coach says that was just one example of his dedication.
He also believes the fact he made 17 appearances for Gers in 2018 will benefit him.
McAvoy said: “Russ was vegan at Norwich, but his daily approach was that of a model professional, in terms of training, diet, looking after himself, recovery, everything.
“The fact he was at Ibrox before will help him because he’ll know he’s going into a massive club with a fanatical support. It wasn’t the best time to play there, but he’ll know the club’s an institution, a team fighting to play in Europe every season.
“It would be a fantastic move for him and a great move for Rangers too.
“There would have been a few clubs in England looking at him because he’s got out of the Championship as a player and manager, and also played at the top level.
“Russell ticks a lot of boxes, and I believe Rangers and him will be a great fit for each other.”
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