Russell Martin knows all about Albion’s progress under Graham Potter.

He hears about it from fans back home all the time.

Now the Swansea City manager from Brighton is ready for something of a meeting of like-minded tacticians when the two clubs clash in the Carabao Cup tomorrow.

The two bosses have plenty in common.

Martin has certainly heard plenty about Potter’s work in West Glamorgan since taking over at Swansea at the start of the season.

He hopes to establish a sustainable way of playing and improving players similar to that being developed at the Seagulls.

And he is aware that might take time.

Martin, who left a promising situation at MK Dons to take the Swansea job, is looking forward to the tie at the Amex.

He told The Argus: “It’s a great game for us against a manager a lot of the guys know and who did a really good job here.

“I spoke to him before I took the job here and a lot of people and staff speak really highly of him.

“Some of the players who worked with him are still here as well so he’s someone who has a really good year here and made an impact on a lot of people.

“He is obviously doing the same at Brighton.

“I enjoy watching his team and I look at his time here and how they worked, how they got going and his first year at Brighton.

“You look at how he wants his team to play and we are not a million miles from that so it gives us a lot to look forward to.”

Swansea have played some good football down the years under Potter, Roberto Martinez and Brendan Rodgers.

But Martin says what he is trying to implement is a change from the last two seasons.

He said: “We really believe in something, we work extremely hard at it and we have brought a really clear vision and identity.

“We laid some foundations for a team which is now doing really well at MK and we had no doubts that would be the case.

“That is why it was such a tough decision to leave.

“But Swansea, I feel, aligns with our philosophy and how we believe football should be played and what their fans and club expect in terms of their modern history.

“It’s a brilliant club with brilliant people and we are slowly but surely getting there.”

Whatever the style, Potter has often said it is all, ultimately, about results.

Wins, or good draws, are key in giving players and fans faith in the methods.

Martin famously riled against a suggestion he had no Plan B when he was at Milton Keynes.

 

 

He replied: “This talk of a Plan B? What they mean is I put a big guy up front. It’s not happening.”

How strongly does that align with what has happened at Albion?

Such as the time they were chasing a game at Liverpool and used their biggest player, Lewis Dunk, as the quarter-back spreading passes as they looked to work their way through.

Potter has great faith in the football his side play and Martin is the same.

He saw them stick to their principles at Luton on Saturday and come back from 3-0 down to earn a point.

Martin said: “The reason we get back and draw 3-3 and have a big chance to win it at the end is the way we play.

“The guys have the courage to stick to it.

“The easiest thing would have been to feel sorry for ourselves, try and get it forward really early and hope for the best.

“But they stick to the plan, stick to what we have been working on and I was incredibly grateful and proud of them for that.

“I’m hoping that will give them a lotof belief. It shows much they really believe in what we are doing.

“The way Graham wants to play football, the way Daniel Farke wants to play football at Norwich, is more sustainable than any other way because over time you improve players.

“You can have clarity and real belief in what you are doing.

“You can learn very quickly about how you need to adapt and find different solutions to different problems.

“I saw it with Daniel first hand at Norwich.

“His first season was really tough but he stuck at it, improved and got promoted in the second season.

“With Graham, the parents from my boy’s team are all Brighton fans and they were coming to games on the Sunday morning saying the football was such a change from Chris (Hughton).

“Now you won’t find any bigger fans of Graham and the team than those guys.

“It changed. You need time but, once people start to understand the process and see an end product on the pitch, I’m pretty sure Brighton fans will be enjoying supporting their team as much as they have done at any time over the last 20 years at least.

“It takes time and I think what we have here are people who understand that and have brought us in for a period of time.

“They want to see a certain style of football which brings success and is sustainable and hopefully that will be the case - and it has done at Brighton and Norwich.”

Martin’s Brighton connection is not just historic.

GRAHAM POTTER PLAYS IT CAREFULLY WITH YVES BISSOUMA

About 2,000 youngsters per week in and around the city get involved in football sessions and events under the umbrella of his ever-growing Russell Martin Foundation.

At the elite end, the RMF has helped players who thought the system had passed them by secure chances at Albion, Portsmouth, Fulham and Charlton in recent times.

But there is a lot more to it all than that.

He said: “We have had a lot of growth in our education programme and kids who are struggling in mainstream school.

“We have a really good record of getting them back into school and getting their attendance back on track. I’m really proud of that.

MARC CUCURELLA HAILED AS FANTASTIC ADDITION FOR BRIGHTON

“Old Barn Way is another project where we hope to make an impact within the community.

“I speak to the guys two or three times a week.

“We have a proper catch-up once a week.

“They understand my schedule and they know if they need me I’m on the other end of a phone.

“I’m as hands-on as I can be with the task I have on here.”

(To find out more about the Russell Martin Foundation visit www.russellmartinfoundation.co.uk)