7 reasons why Norwich City must go all out to appoint Russell Martin

Dean Smith has been dismissed as Norwich City manager, and EFL pundit Gab Sutton discusses why the club has to pull out all the stops to bring Russell Martin back to Norfolk...

1) Connection with fans

Supporters were already slightly disillusioned in the summer, when no senior member of the board were prepared to speak to external media off the back of the club’s relegation.

This mood in the fanbase wasn’t helped at all when Smith burnt a lot of bridges in the latter stages of his time at Carrow Road, and the result is a following that feels as though they’ve been blamed for the club’s failings and the whole atmosphere is very standoffish – and not towards the opposition.

Being a City legend, revered for approachability and outstanding people skills, Russ Martin can galvanize supporters.

That’s not everything - not by a long shot - but it’s certainly a crucial start.

2) Managing upwards

Norwich must be realistic about where they are in terms of ownership and directorship.

Delia Smith and Michael Wynn-Jones are in their 80s, and while they retain an immense passion for the club having done wonders for a generation, it’s not unreasonable to say that nobody at that stage of life can offer a professional football club the consistent leadership required.

Such leadership should be coming from Stuart Webber who, again, has been an incredible influence for the club in the first four years of his reign but is not talking to the external media anymore, has had conflict with supporters and it’s questioned whether his heart is still in the job.

Losing Chief Operating Officer Ben Kensell back in August 2021 was another big blow: things haven’t been running as smoothly off-the-field since he left, and communications have waned with no direct replacement.

The long-term hope is that Mark Attanasio, along with his son Mike, can represent the fundamental change Norwich City desperately need at boardroom level – the American businessmen came across extremely well in an interview with ‘Talk Norwich City’, highlighting a willingness to engage.

The Attanasios only acquired a 15.9% stake, however, and are just four months into their involvement with the club, so they don’t have a huge amount of power at this stage, and may also be in a place whereby they want to get a feel for things before calling any shots.

A combination of these factors, therefore, means the club is found wanting for some direction, and while this could change if the Attanasios were to purchase a bigger stake as well as further commanding some respect and authority upstairs.

In the meantime, though, Martin’s people skills will allow him to get fans onside, whilst doing his best to patch up issues upstairs until a more permanent solution can be found.

3) Style of play

Martin will instantly establish a clear style of play.

Inspired by Luke Williams, a very highly-regarded coach in the EFL who now leads Notts County at the top of the National League, Martin employs extreme, possession-heavy methods with a consistent 3-4-2-1.

Martin’s side are the Championship’s keep-ball connoisseurs, averaging 60.8% possession per game, and it’s been the same in his previous two seasons in management.

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More precise use of the ball will help Norwich establish coherent patterns of play, and progress it into areas where they have the quality to hurt teams.

Whether he operates with a box midfield, as he tended to at MK Dons, or dabbles with inside forwards, systematic disruption is minimal because the principles and patterns of play are broadly the same game-to-game.

That sort of consistency could be crucial for Norwich, as they look to build a team that can challenge for promotion, this season and next.

4) More from Núñez

In the opening weeks of the season, Norwich fans were waxing lyrical about Marcelino Núñez.

The Chilean’s feather touch, laser vision and immaculate execution meant, during their better spells of results under Smith, Norwich could carve their opponents open, without needing top notch exchanges or rotations of movement at times.

Núñez’s brilliance kept the Norfolkian competitive, even while they had no real playing identity.

The 22-year-old recently picked up a hamstring injury, which may have limited his game-time on the return from the World Cup, yet it’s hard to avoid the feeling he’d fallen slightly out of favour when fit and might benefit from different management.

Russ Martin has got the best out of midfielders previously, like David Kasumu and Matt O’Riley at MK Dons, and Matt Grimes at Swansea – there’s no reason why he can’t get Núñez purring.

5) The ‘box’ midfield

Norwich’s first-team squad, with everyone fit and available, has 11 players who could operate as at least one of a number six, an eight or a 10.

Martin’s 3-4-2-1 system contains two #6s simultaneously, as well as two #8s or #10s, which would maximize the strengths of his squad.

This may mean choosing between legendary stalwart Teemu Pukki and USA international Josh Sargent, who showed promise earlier in the season, but it would also allow Norwich greater control in the opposing half.

Todd Cantwell thrived as one of two number 10s in the 2020-21 title-winning season under Daniel Farke, and could come back to prominence under the right guidance.

Conversely, Aaron Ramsey has been out of the team lately and Allan Russell has been reluctant to disclose the reasons, but if they can be addressed, the Aston Villa loanee could slot very nicely into a Martin side.

The former centre-back’s MK Dons side operated with a left-sided #10 called Scott Fraser, who was very hardworking and often made runs away from the general direction of play, into the channels, to allow the corresponding wing-back to make their mark.

Although Giannoulis is at his best playing high and wide, attacking the flank and putting crosses into the box, his quality extends beyond that and operating with a selfless, left-sided #10 would allow him to make some inverted runs and show a different side to his game, much like Matthew Sorinola did for MK Dons, and add to Norwich’s unpredictability.

Martin’s style will also get the best out of Gabriel Sara, who has that lovely little pinch of arrogance in his game.

The Brazilian recruit will pull off the most audacious flicks and tricks that many English players wouldn't dream of trying.

Add that Samba style to a driven work ethic and Sara makes it all effective for the team: with better progression into dangerous areas, the 23-year-old will become a more prominent force in games.

6) Max-imizing Aarons

Back in 2018-19, Max Aarons was one of the most exciting right-backs in England, linked with big money moves to Tottenham and Manchester United.

That, though, was largely because of his raw pace and stamina – the ability to stretch the game by hitting the byline, and create space for Emi Buendia, Mario Vrancic and others.

In 2019-20, Aarons’ pace wasn’t enough to be impactful in the Premier League because the physical demands of the level were greater, and many players he came up against could match him for speed, or at least be able to counter that strength.

When Aarons came back into the Championship in 2020-21, we saw a more measured, refined version of him, sometimes cutting onto his left foot to create or curl a shot at goal, to add another dimension.

Again, though, Aarons struggled in the Premier League and like other players, hasn’t played to his full potential under Smith.

In truth, the 22-year-old may have had one too many false starts to live up to his elite billing of three years ago but, managed correctly, this should still be one of the top right-backs in the Championship, with the potential to have a good Premier League career.

Martin has worked wonders for the development of Sorinola, Ryan Manning and Ethan Laird in his career, so there is no reason why he can’t get a tune out of Aarons.

7) Development of talent

Russ Martin has only had two full seasons so far as a manager, and just over three years in total, but in that time he’s been able to develop 11 players who were under 23 to a level way above the one they were performing at when he first started working with them.

Martin has worked wonders with goalkeeper Andrew Fisher, defenders Warren O’Hora, Harry Darling and Nathan Wood, wing-backs Laird and Sorinola, midfielders Kasumu and O’Riley, advanced creators Oli Cooper and Luke Cundle plus striker Joel Piroe.

In fact, ironically, one could put that XI out as a starting line-up and it would fit into Martin’s 3-4-2-1 setup, so the cost of compensation – which of course might be significant – would be massively outweighed by the ability to add value to the squad.

Think how much Max Aarons’ value has dropped because of poor management? Easily £10M knocked off his price tag over the last 12 months – so why not use the parachute payments to invest that extra few quid on quality coaching?

While the 36-year-old hasn’t yet achieved anything of substance, like a title, a promotion, a cup, or even a Play-Off finish, he’s been able to lay the foundations for those things and massively grow a feeling that success is around the corner.

That’s what Norwich need right now. A clear style of play, a connection between fans and club, and performances that offer the hope of better times.