Russell Martin insists he is under no pressure to get Swansea City promoted this season – but next season will be different. The Swansea City head coach – whose team host Millwall tonight – is still looking for his first home victory of the Championship campaign. The Swans have so far won just one game out of their first six and are languishing in 20th place in the table, above the relegation zone only on goal difference. They have also only scored four times in those half a dozen matches.

Russell Martin has promised worried Swansea City fans their lowly position in the Championship will not be the one they occupy at the end of the season. The Swans had a to settle for a frustrating 0-0 draw at home to Hull City on Saturday – a result which leaves them with just a single victory from their opening six matches and in 21st place, one point and one place above the relegation zone. It is early days in the campaign but the Swans – who lost both Andre Ayew and Jamal Lowe in the transfer window – have only scored four goals in those half dozen matches, the joint lowest total in the Championship.

Russell Martin insists Swansea City’s players are responding to his new regime – on and off the training field. The Swans head coach believes the 12-day break during the international window has enabled him to firmly establish the new methods that were hurriedly brought on board when he was appointed on the eve of the new season. They include making sure the players are fitter, better conditioned, and more open to “honest conversations” in more regular meetings.

Russell Martin slammed an unacceptable display after Swansea City let an early lead slip in a 3-1 defeat at Preston. Joel Piroe’s neat finish put Martin’s men ahead in the 19th minute but their advantage was quickly cancelled out by Liverpool loanee Sepp van den Berg. Emil Riis gave North End the lead in the dying seconds of the first half before Ben Whiteman’s 52nd-minute free-kick settled the outcome.

By Paul Jones  Swansea manager Russell Martin says Morgan Whittaker has “done himself the world of good” as he claimed a second-half hat-trick to propel the Swans to a 4-1 victory over Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday. Daniel Williams put the Swans ahead early on before Rhys Shirley equalised for the visitors, but three goals in the space of 12 minutes from Whittaker fired Swansea into the last 32 of the Carabao Cup. “He’s (Whittaker) playing in a role that’s a bit different for him, as a lot of the guys are,” explained Martin.

Russell Martin has claimed the reason Swansea City’s players are not fit enough is because of their disrupted pre-season. The Swans head coach claimed a summer of upheaval is taking its toll as his team crashed to a 3-1 home defeat to Stoke City on Tuesday night. The protracted departure of Steve Cooper, the cancellation of pre-season fixtures due to Covid-19, and the unsuccessful pursuit of other candidates before the club turned to Martin all combined to leave the squad underprepared for the start of the Championship.

New Swansea City signing Ethan Laird has paid tribute to Nicky Butt for his progress through the ranks at Old Trafford. Laird – who could make his Swansea debut at home to Stoke City on Tuesday night after joining on a season-long loan from Manchester United – says former United star Butt has been a key figure in his development. Butt left Old Trafford earlier this year after a shake-up in the club’s academy staff but not before he had helped the likes of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Dean Henderson and Scott McTominay break into the first team during his nine-year stint as a coach.

Swansea City new boy Flynn Downes reckons the pass masters will soon be back and it will be torture for the opposition. The club’s £1.5m signing from Ipswich believes new head coach Russell Martin can take the Swans back to the time when they used to kill teams through death by a thousand passes. It was only 609 passes in the 0-0 draw against Sheffield United on Saturday but Downes played for the Tractor Boys against Martin’s MK Dons last season and said: “It was the worst.

Despite a goalless draw against Sheffield United, Swansea City head coach Russell Martin thought “there were a lot of positives to take” from his first home match in charge. The former MK Dons chief has clearly already implemented his passing style on his new players, yet said that his side, “lacked the fitness to do it for 90 minutes.” He admitted there had been disruption to his side’s pre-season.

New Swansea City head coach Russell Martin insists he is hopeful captain Matt Grimes will remain at the club. Grimes was expected to join the raft of other players who have moved on since the end of last season and has been linked with Premier League Brighton and Watford as well as the Swans’ Championship rivals, Fulham. Bournemouth are also understood to have re-activated their interest in the player in the past few days.

By Tom Prosser New Swansea City signing Flynn Downes is eager to start working with his new gaffer Russell Martin and has revealed the former MK Dons boss played a big in his decision to move to South Wales. “I am buzzing to be here, it’s a massive club and I cannot wait to get going,” said the 22-year-old. “I spoke to the gaffer, and I just liked the way he came across, the players they have got and it all just added up for me. “The style of play massively appeals to me, I played against the gaffer’s side with Ipswich last year and I think we only touched the ball about four times during the entire game.

New Swansea City manager Russell Martin insists he was encouraged by his team’s “courage” in trying to adopt his passing style, even though his first match in charge ended with a 2-defeat at Blackburn Rovers. The Swans suffered opening day defeat at Ewood Park – a venue where they have not tasted victory for 50 years – with Jamie Paterson marking his debut with a goal. The visitors had trailed to a Sam Gallagher goal and a Ben Brereton penalty after a mistake by Swans keeper Steven Benda, but finished the game strongly as they adjusted and adapted to a new gameplan and style of play under the 35-year-old Martin.