Martinez (long read)

[spider-Neil]

Roberto Martinez

Wigan Athletic have given permission for Liverpool to approach Roberto Martinez to interview for the vacant Liverpool managers post. The question that now surfaces asks if Martinez is capable of:

a) realising and implementing a vision
b) capable of making the step up.

Firstly there is the complication of Villa also calling for his services and he may prefer to cut his teeth in a series of progression rather than suddenly be thrust into the high pressure, closely scrutinsed post of Liverpool manager. He turned down Villa last season and the sound bites of only wanting to leave Wigan for a 'bigger club/opportunity' show, to me at least, he would prefer to finish his project there unless an offer that was 'too good to be true' came along.

Martinez backs up this opinion by only ever talking of laying foundations for a dynasty. It's fair to say he has ambition, but does that ambition outstrip his talent? Having said that his work at Swansea is said to have allowed Brendan Rogers the fortuitous opportunity to 'stand on the shoulders of giants' as it were.

Quote

'We lost two very important players in Tom Cleverley and Charles N'Zogbia last summer and we were struggling to create goalscoring opportunities. But we now play a system that is designed to get the best out of our players. It's a system that has been made here to play the best we can with the players we have.

'I did something similar at Swansea. Everyone played 4-4-2 but we couldn't compete like that with the budget restrictions we had. So we started with 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3, and it gave us a lot of success.

'Here we are now very well balanced. We are organised defensively and we are creating opportunities. It's not a case of the players adapting to a system. It's adapting to a system that suits our players."

- Roberto Martinez​

Not to take anything away from Rogers, he argues that Swansea made changes at the right time when the preceding manager had hit his ceiling. He says that Martinez came in and got the best out of the squad he had, made a couple of additions and changed the style of play to suit these players which brought good fortune. He was followed by Paulo Sousa, who took over a 'good squad' and added a couple of his own players. Lastly Rogers followed as his ideals meant football was played a 'certain way' and he needed to bring his own players in to achieve this.

Martinez went on to Wigan and in truth it's been a difficult two and a half years for him. It's only now that there looks to be some sort of light at the end of the tunnel. After this amount of work and graft that has gone into the Wigan project, can he turn his back on it now just as he would be looking for the acclaim? In his mind - and with recent coverage of Rogers - Martinez would feel very hard done by if he moved on and wasn't fully attributed with Wigans revival for the second time.

With regards to his tactical nous and the much lauded 3-4-3 (which I'll come to in a bit), he certainly takes his work seriously:


Quote

"It was during the hours of analysis, during what proved a particularly difficult first few months of the season, that Martinez arrived at the 3-4-3 formation which is working so well for his team.

'I have a 60-inch pen-touch screen that allows you to write on it. You link it to your computer so it becomes a 60-inch computer screen really and you can use the ProZone software with it.

'My wife was delighted when I had it installed, but she understands that I need that space and time to be able to come back to being myself. Once I find a solution, I'm fine.

'You learn more from defeats. You see how players react to situations. I don't see it as work. I see being a football manager as a way to live. The moment you feel you need a day off, you are in the wrong business.'

'It helps that we have a very young group. It might lack experience but it has real energy. We went to Anfield and won the game. We went to Chelsea and really we beat them. We are very flexible. We have been working so much in the past two-and-a-half years, tactically, and we can adapt to the demands of different games against different teams. We focus on the small details and see how we can make strong partnerships on the pitch. That's how you arrive at a system that works.'

Off the field, too, this 38-year-old manager seems to have a system that works. Martinez is an intelligent guy. He studied and qualified as a physiotherapist when still in Spain and continued his studies once he arrived at Wigan, gaining a post-graduate diploma in business and marketing at Manchester University

In his role as a manager he puts both to good use. 'I was always interested in trying to understand the business side of football so I went to university in Manchester a year after I arrived at Wigan to play,' he says. 'I enjoyed it and I also did it to develop a better understanding of English. I wanted to be able to think in English, instead of having to translate in my head all the time.

'The physiotherapy was more a promise to my mother. There was no guarantee I was going to earn a living in football and she wanted me to have an alternative.
'I was six months into doing my hospital hours when I moved to England. But it really helped me to understand my body when I was playing and to understand injuries and how the body can recover. I was never injured for more than nine weeksbody is right it will react quicker to the treatment and recover faster. I don't believe in soft-tissue injuries. If you get a soft-tissue injury in football, a mistake has been made. It could be the training programme, a lifestyle problem. Whatever it is, it will be a mistake.

'At this club we are below the average for injuries in the Premier League. It's important. It helps.'

- Roberto Martinez
​

 

[spider-Neil]

in 16 years of professional football.

'I've always been fascinated by different techniques and I look at what the best physios in the world are doing. I love that side of football. Injury prevention. Maximising physical ability. The treatment of injuries. I always believe every injury can be avoided. That's my starting point and my staff believe the same.

'You get accidents in football, collisions that cause injuries that can't be avoided. But even then if your
On the back of this, we can say that Martinez is a manager that is serious about the work he does. He has a very high level of analytical detail and is not afraid to try new things. The one cause for concern is the time it takes to arrive at a system to suit the players. We've just had a very disjointed season trying out different tactics and formations, and this went on as far back as Roy Hodgson.

While we have Martinez and Villas-Boas in a head-to-head I feel with that with Boas he has a defined way of playing and as seen at Chelsea requires a certain set of players to transition into that style. On the flip side I would say Liverpool have the players (possibly minus one) to immediately put that philosophy into practise and reap rewards from it, so there would be little risk.

Martinez on the other hand, would come in and take stock of what we have. He would work through the team and juggle his ideas about until he came up with something that worked for the players at his disposal first and foremost. He has a core of young players which he will require to keep the energy and morale up during difficult times of the transition. More importantly after the affluent summer of 11/12 at Liverpool this profile or approach might be deemed less risky by the owners.

It appears to be a trade off between low risk, unknown ceiling against medium risk, potential high ceiling. Between the two I think Boas is more likely to have us closer to CL football at the end of one season than Martinez though.

One other thing of concern for me is at the moment, we are awash with candidates who appear to have a flavour of the month taste about them. The premier league is really quite static in that you know pretty much how most teams are going to setup. I fear that Wigan (almost relegated we must remind ourselves), could easily have followed the path of QPR instead. It's quite plausible to suggest if Martinez had not eventually found the balance to that team, he could have take Wigan down still fumbling for the right chemistry.

Here's what Martinez had to say regarding Boas' favoured 4-3-3:


Quote

“When you play a 4-3-3, you rely a lot on the full-backs to get high up the pitch. You shouldn’t look at a system as away to win a football match, it is the players that play the system. Maynor [Figueroa], Gary [Caldwell] and Antolin [Alcaraz] have been so solid with a back three, and it allows [other] players to be high up the pitch, like the wing-backs. They aren’t full-backs that need to get deep and then forward to give us an extra man, they are in positions where they can do both a little bit better, and we can be a little bit more solid.

“The difference is the width that we get…before, we had to compromise a little bit, when you want to be very attack-minded, the full-backs have to push on, so you leave two players at the back. Now you’re still pushing the wing-backs on, but you’ve still got three players at the back, plus probably a midfielder. In the West Brom game, as Paul Scharner will tell you, we were attacking with seven, eight, nine players and they were surprised by it, and that’s what the system gives you, without being weak at the back.

“It suits our players. When you’ve got a Jean Beausejour (acquired in January) who is a specialist in that position, you take advantage of that. The back three gives you that. Then there’s the energy we’ve got in midfield, players who can play between lines like Shaun Maloney and Jordi Gomez. It’s so difficult to play against…there’s a few clubs playing it around Europe now, Napoli are one: they play it with Cavani, Hamsik and Lavezzi…this is the advantage of this system – it goes where the danger is…it’s not in defensive lines, it’s not working as a unit of four, it’s not man-marking.”

- Roberto Martinez​

 

[spider-Neil]

So clearly Martinez feels that a lot fo reliance goes into the full backs in the 4-3-3, and he is right to an extent. But if we first look at what Boas does to eradicate this perceived weakness from the formation it would help further understand how Martinez differs. Here is a typical Boas setup, with no player names - just positions:

Now with the reliance on the full backs they will start to push forward to offer width once the ball has been held up. Remember Boas prefers direct passes to forwards with a pass back onto the oncoming player (full back or midfielder) to open up the pitch. In order to balance the attacking full backs, the deepest lying midfielder drops deeper to make a back three:

So what does that look like now? 3-4-3 right? Usually this was Fernando at Porto, but if Fernando was caught pressuring the ball Moutinho could also drop next to Otamendi. That is one of the gripes from his time at Chelsea he (Boas) felt Lampard was too aggressive in forward play to drop as Moutinho often had to. Boas preferred Ramires in behind the right forward as well.

Wigans was a lot more static in playing three specialised centre backs. You can see that it's a waste of an entire position dedicated to a defender when also playing with wing backs. The other option is when a full back goes forward, one stays back creating the back 'three' which again they used at various times against Braga in the final.

Where Martinez formation has excelled towards the end of the season is the pressure they've exerted when not in possession. At times it's looked like a 5-4-1/3-6-1 as the players drop in order to win the ball back and then quickly find Di Santo up front or Moses wide. It's no doubt entertaining, I've been watching some full games of Wigans as I've been writing my assessment of Martinez and they do have a style that gets the crowd lifted.

Ultimately I'll summarise my thoughts on Martinez by saying the style they currently employ makes use of giving them simple instructions when not in possession and giving them freedom with the ball. I think the interchanging of the front men and midfield is impressive but limited. It's not proven over a significant amount of time for me. I would expect next season, despite the occasional sucker punch, that Wigan are found out and then that's the test of a top coach for me. Will Martinez switch again or will he have conviction to make only small adjustments to his overall blueprint? I don't think he's been at a level yet where that's been fully tested and I wouldn't want it to be under the microscope here next season if we start to struggle

 

[spider-Neil]

no one interested in reading about our potental future manager?

 

[doctor_mac]

In comparison with AVB's tactical masterclass, this is much better. He is describing how tactically to make the most out of the players under his charge.

AVB wasn't so good at that.

 

[spider-Neil]

In comparison with AVB's tactical masterclass, this is much better. He is describing how tactically to make the most out of the players under his charge.

AVB wasn't so good at that.

well, whoever has the better interview technique is going to get the job.

 

[FoxForceFive]

Well, I found it a decent read.

He seems to know tactics, but I'm fairly sure Roy Hodgson could do a very similar interview.

 

[Dahuge]

One slight problem, he concedes 60 goals a season so where has says we a organised defensively I struggle to believe him...

 

[hmmmmm1]

Ryan could do a better job than both

 

[Sunny]

Christ on a bike

 

[King Binny]

Not too concerned over goals conceded - simply cos of the money and personnel available (as is the case for win % given the squad and budget constraint).

Back 3 (2 million - Back 4: 3.5 million):
Emmerson Boyce £1 million

Antolin Alcaraz free transfer

Gary Caldwell £1 million

Back 5 (7.5 million)

Maynor Figueroa £1.5million

Jean Beausejour £4million

Other options:

Steve Gohouri Adrian Lopez - free transfers

Ronnie Stam - £2 million

On a sidenote, current average age for matchday team is round 25 yrs old. It was around 30 during Paul Jewell's time and under Steve Bruce it was 28.

 

[hmmmmm1]

Not too concerned over goals conceded - simply cos of the money and personnel available (as is the case for win % given the squad and budget constraint).







On a sidenote, current average age for matchday team is round 25 yrs old. It was around 30 during Paul Jewell's time and under Steve Bruce it was 28.

You dont need expensive players to stop goals going in. Mcleish and Hodgson have done well with limted budgets.

 

[King Binny]

You dont need expensive players to stop goals going in. Mcleish and Hodgson have done well with limted budgets.

Yes, of course but there are other 'compromises' like style of play and consistency (McLeish esp.). Besides their 'limited budget' - including both wages and transfer fees (be it Fulham, WBA, Aston Villa or Birmingham) is still a few times more than that of a club liks Wigan's.

 

[StevieM]

I bet Neil got excited when attacking full backs were mentioned.

All we need is the phrase "ball playing centreback" and his head will explode in delight.

 

[King Binny]

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlQ5DSBgHdE

 

[spider-Neil]

Christ on a bike

you don't think ryan could do a better job than a proffesional manager?

 

[doctor_mac]

Ryan could do a better job than both

Hmmmm, are you actually Ryan? Or are you really that obsequious/ daft that you believe this?

 

[RolandG]

Very interesting read. I like Martinez tactical approach and the interchanging midfield and forward line. That kind of attacking flexibility. The ability of the players will determine the strength of the attacking unit. The greater the player ability, the stronger the attack.

 

[King Binny]

Wigan owner Dave Whelan has warned Roberto Martinez that he will have very little input with regards to Liverpool's transfers dealings if he lands the vacant manager post at Anfield.

Latics boss Martinez is part of Liverpool's six-man shortlist to replace Kenny Dalglish and Whelan has urged the Spaniard to think carefully about relinquishing traditonal managerial powers.

Whelan told ESPN: "My information is that the new Liverpool manager will not be given full responsibility of the football department. There will be somebody else signing players, and they might not necessarily be the choice of the manager.

"My advice to Roberto is to think very carefully about this, but Liverpool are a big club and I hope that they remain one of the big clubs.

"But I have to say from what I am hearing the new Liverpool setup on the football side goes well beyond the norm even with a director of football."

Whelan also criticised the Liverpool process of seeking a 'beauty parade' of six managers to head to Boston for interviews with owners Fenway Sports Group, and insisted reports that Martinez is going to America this week are wide of the mark.

Whelan told ESPN: "My understanding is that Liverpool are seeking a final shortlist of six managers whom the owners would like to interview. I am amazed that they think they can do that, it sounds very much an American way of dealing with these issues in sport, but I would wonder how those six managers might feel.

"I spoke with mine only yesterday and he is on a week's holiday in my home in Barbados. The weather is wonderful. Nothing will happen until he returns, which won't be until next Tuesday, so reports that he is flying off to Boston today to have talks are not right.

"In fact, he was relaxing on a sun lounger the last time I spoke to him yesterday, he had a mentally exhausting season and he needs the rest.

"He has not said anything to me yet about what he plans to do, but I have told him what I think about it, of course I have. I have told him it doesn't feel right what is happening at Liverpool, but it's for him to make his own mind up."

 

[Modo]

Whelan needs to shut the fuck up.

 

[RolandG]

Whelan is a dick of the highest order.

 

[King Binny]

Paul Jewell brought Wigan up and helmed their inaugural top-flight campaign. Charged with escaping relegation he oversaw a predictable bump in transfer activity with a £6.8m net spend in 2005-06. In his second season Jewell was given more leeway to spend and spent a net of £10.4m. Unfortunately, results were not as spectacular as in the first season and the club only narrowly avoided relegation. Jewell resigned at the end of the season. Net spend under his tenure was £17.2m and the wage level ended at £24.6m.

Steve Bruce was brought in during the 2007-08 season to bring stability to the club. Net spend for the season was 12m. Performances improved marginally bringing the club to a 14th place finish. In 2008-09 net spend was £5.4m. Bruce left at the end of the 2008-09 season for Sunderland. Net spend under his tenure was £17.4m and the wage level ended at £37.7m.

Roberto Martinez started in the 2009-10 season. His net spend to date has been -£5.7m (profit) and £7.1m for 2010 and 2011 respectively, a paltry total of £1.4m has been spent and wages have been reduced to £35.7m.

To quickly summarize the activity of the three, Paul Jewell entered the Premier League with a small squad on low wages. He was able to invest substantially in both transfer fees and wages. Steve Bruce, while given a larger net spend, had liberty to increase the wage bill. Roberto Martinez has presided over the lowest net spend as well as a shrinking wage budget while also expanding the squad.

At the end of 2010-11, player registrations valued at £20.7m were held on the books. These constitute the majority of Wigan’s assets.

 

[King Binny]

The team that beat Newcastle 4-0 this season:

Ali Al Habsi £4 million
Gary Caldwell £1million
Maynor Figueroa
Antolín Alcaraz free transfer
Jean Beausejour £3.5 million
Emmerson Boyce
James McArthur £500k
James McCarthy initial £1.2 million raising to £3 m
Shaun Maloney £1million
Victor Moses £2.5 million
Franco Di Santo £2 million

Average squad age decreased by from the high of 30.45 in season 06/07 to 24.64 in 11/12.

 

[King Binny]

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan believes Roberto Martinez has already begun speaking to Liverpool's owners, but doubts whether he will accept the manager's job if he is not given the control he wants.

And while Whelan remains desperate to keep the highly-rated Spanish coach, he admits he has started to think about possible replacements.

Sky Sports sources revealed on Thursday lunchtime that Martinez would be holding talks with John W Henry and his Fenway Sports Group colleagues in the next 36 hours.

Martinez is currently on holiday in Barbados but he has now taken time out to see the Reds owners.

"I have given him permission and he is just carrying out that permission. He has to listen to what they are offering."

Whelan accepts that taking charge of Liverpool would be a fantastic opportunity for Martinez, but he has reservations about the club's owners and feels it could be difficult to reach a deal.

"I think it will depend on the attitude of the owners in America, because I don't think the owners from America fully understand the game of football in England," Whelan explained.

"We have to wait and see what they offer Roberto and what kind of control he has, because Roberto likes total control.

Confirming that it would also cost Liverpool around £2million or £3million to buy out Martinez's contract, Whelan added that he had already started considering a possible successor at the DW Stadium.

"Hopefully he will stay with Wigan, but if not good luck to him," said Whelan.

"I have asked Roberto to make his mind up as quickly as possible, and if we do lose him I will move very quickly to appoint a successor.

"I have got ideas, but hopefully he will stay with us."

Reports have suggested former Porto and Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has slipped out of the reckoning to replace Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool, while there are claims in Holland Louis van Gaal would prefer to be manager rather than technical director in the new set-up.

 

[King Binny]

Roberto Martinez has been to Boston before. It was February 2004 when the Spaniard visited York Street. But that was Boston, Lincolnshire, not Boston, Massachusetts. Then he played the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw for a Swansea side mid-table in League Two. Now he has been discussing becoming the latest addition to an illustrious list, including Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish: the Liverpool managers.

Martinez had seemed set for a summer of change long before the invitation from Fenway Sports Group arrived. After 29 games, only Wolves prevented Wigan from propping up the Premier League. They had 22 points. Oakwell, not Anfield, beckoned next season. Instead, after spending three-quarters of the last two seasons in the relegation zone, a promotion may be on the way.

Wigan's subsequent, startling renaissance may suggest Martinez is the flavour of the month. Had Dalglish been dismissed two months earlier, it is improbable the Spaniard would have figured on the shortlist to succeed him, and yet the timing and manner of Wigan's ascent suggests that, behind the ever-present smile, there is a manager of mettle.

Chairman Dave Whelan has long said that, if he were to lose his manager, it should be to a big club. Martinez spurned Aston Villa's advances last summer, a decision that he justified by finishing ahead of the Midlanders. Wigan's deserved victories against Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle were eye-catching, often elegant, eviscerations of the elite and were earned by a starting 11 whose combined cost was less than Stewart Downing's £20 million fee.

No team ended the campaign in better form, but results were secured as a philosophy was advertised. Far from being the archetypal relegation scrappers, Wigan brought purist passing to a dogfight. If Gary Caldwell, Emmerson Boyce and James McArthur can play some of the best football in the Premier League, it raises the question of what more gifted individuals can achieve under Martinez's tutelage.

Keeping Wigan in the Premier League for three successive seasons while recording a transfer-market profit and reducing the wage bill is an accomplishment. To do so uncomplainingly ought to endear him to chairmen everywhere. While many managers' default reaction to a disappointing run of results is to ask for more money, Martinez found the answer within his squad.

After autumn's eight successive defeats, he started to repair his failing side by recalibrating it. November's 3-3 draw with Blackburn saw the DW Stadium debut of a 3-4-3 formation that marked Martinez out as an innovative thinker. By the middle of the March, the system had been fine-tuned. Wigan were creating angles to out-pass and out-think opponents. Martinez's ethos started to look seductive.

And yet major clubs must weigh up his obvious potential against the reality that he is unproven at the upper end of the table. While Martinez is no one-season wonder, Wigan finished 11th under Steve Bruce and have never come higher than 15th under the Spaniard. The merits of managing Wigan are that losing runs attract comparatively little attention. As Roy Hodgson discovered, a blip at Fulham can go unnoticed; at Liverpool, it can prompt talk of crises. Moreover, Martinez will never work with a chairman as accommodating as Whelan again. Others will put more pressure on their manager.

An examination of Martinez's record prompts questions as to whether his teams are ruthless enough or, in a criticism also levelled at Liverpool, they merely dominate at home without taking the points. Wigan went seven months without a victory at the DW Stadium this season. In part, it is because they lack a clinical finisher, a regular problem for impoverished teams. Yet this is where Martinez's otherwise admirable record in the transfer market is poorest. While nine of the 11 that defeated United were his recruits - Boyce and Maynor Figueroa are the exceptions - he also signed Jason Scotland, Mauro Boselli, Conor Sammon and Franco Di Santo for Wigan. It is an understatement to say none was prolific: spurned chances were a theme of Wigan's season and their chance conversion rate was little higher than Liverpool's.

Money, of course, creates opportunities. Were a wealthier employer to appoint him, Martinez need not buy a central midfield partnership from Hamilton Academicals (although James McCarthy, too, has the ability to step up). But it will provide a test of his judgement: could he identify and mould world-class footballers? For that matter, could he handle the egos some multi-millionaires possess? Motivating and galvanising lesser players may be a less complex task. It is why Martinez, like the other overachievers Brendan Rodgers and Paul Lambert, represents an unknown for the top clubs - his experience of management is very different to the demands placed upon the best.

But this is the Catch-22 situation the emerging manager is placed in: without the experience of managing at the elite level and a track record of winning trophies, how can be prove he is capable of it? It is why choosing a man like Martinez is a leap of faith, but a 38-year-old who played a solitary top-flight game has travelled a long way in a short time, even if it was from Boston to Boston.

 

[King Binny]

Lol, just came across this:

 

[gkmacca]

Deeply depressing. It's one thing to think your club's being laughed at. Worse still to realise it'll probably go on being laughed at for several years before the poor sap is spat out and the lizard king is forced to think again.

 

[King Binny]

CHRIS Kirkland believes Roberto Martinez would live to regret not taking up the opportunity to manage ‘a massive club’ like Liverpool.

The 31-year-old played under Martinez for three seasons at Wigan before joining Sheffield Wednesday this week.

He’d prevously spent five years at Anfield, where he was once rated the long-term answer to England’s goalkeeping problems, before injuries intervened.

Kirkland, who cost a British record £6m when he signed from Coventry, admits he would have left the Sky Blues for any other club other than the Reds, his boyhood heroes.

And he insists the feeling of ‘what might have been’ could forever haunt Martinez if he does not accept the challenge of succeeding Kenny Dalglish.

Kirkland told the Evening Post: “What he’ll be thinking to himself is: ‘Will I get this opportunity again?’

“The Liverpool job is still one of the biggest in the world – and it doesn’t get offered to you every day.

“It’s a massive job, and it will be a massive opportunity for somebody.

“Whether that will be Roberto remains to be seem.

“But my gut feeling is that he’ll go – there’s been too much speculation for far too long for something not to be happening.”

 

[gkmacca]

Kirkland, who cost a British record £6m when he signed from Coventry, admits he would have left the Sky Blues for any other club other than the Reds, his boyhood heroes.

That makes no sense.

 

[King Binny]

April 2008:

Swansea City sealed promotion to the Championship for the first time in 24 years following the 2-1 over Gillingham on Saturday.

But when Roberto Martinez was handed the reins at the Liberty Stadium in February last year, his appointment raised a few eyebrows.

The Spaniard was a fans' favourite as a player before he was released by predecessor Kenny Jackett eight months earlier.

But a few questioned if he was the right person to take the club forward given his lack of managerial experience.

It is safe to say those questions have been answered.

And more so, they did it in style, playing some dazzling football along the way and having the ability to off opponents with clinical composure.

"For moments like today, it's worth it to be under the pressure and stress [of being a manager]," said Martinez.

"I can guarantee you I will sleep well, because it's been a very intense period.

"If we can clinch the title it will be fantastic, but the priority was to get promotion and we are going to enjoy the moment.

"Promotion is for the fans."

When Martinez took charge on 22 February, 2007, the Swans were struggling to keep up with the promotion-chasing pack.

But one defeat in 11 took them into the final game of the season still in with a shout.

That went against them, though, with a 6-3 loss at home to Blackpool and they narrowly missed out on a play-off spot, but the Swans have not looked back since.

Martinez put his stamp on the side, adding eight new faces last summer.

They came in the form of top scorer Jason Scotland, who arrived from Scottish side St Johnstone, along with fellow striker Darryl Duffy from Hull.

Defender Angel Rangel and frontman Guillem Bauza - whose brace at the Priestfield Stadium sealed promotion - added to the Spanish connection at the club.

Welshman Matty Collins joined from Fulham and young Liverpool starlet Paul Anderson arrived on a season-long loan.

Martinez also brought in Dutch duo Ferrie Bodde from Den Haag and goalkeeper Dorus de Vries from Scottish side Dunfermline.

And it was De Vries' arrival that sparked the exit of number one keeper Willy Gueret to MK Dons.

But there was a much bigger talking point than Gueret's departure, along with the exits of striker Bayo Akinfenwa, centre-back Izzy Iriekpen, midfielder Tom Williams and reserve keeper Andy Oakes.

It was the bold decision by rookie boss Martinez to allow talisman Lee Trundle to depart for Bristol City in a £1m move.

Trundle was regarded with legend-status by the Swansea faithful for his showboating and topping the 20-goal mark in all four seasons with the club.

Despite the loss of Trundle, supporters still had hope for the new season.

Martinez had installed a rigorous training regime and strict dietary guidelines, which improved fitness and allowed his team to play in the quick and slick tempo he demands.

And that is what they did at the start of the season, except they found goals hard to come by and by the end of September the Swans had won just one home league game out of four.

A section of the Swansea faithful were already starting to get restless and left-back Marcos Painter was involved in a verbal bust-up with a supporter during the 0-0 home draw with Brighton.

But that incident seemed to spur the Swans on and they went on to win the next four league games in style, including a 5-0 demolition of then-leaders Leyton Orient.

Two brief stints at the top of League One were followed by a more permanent stay starting on 27 November.

They have remained there since, playing some scintillating football in the process and at one point building up a 14-point lead over their nearest rivals.

But a run of 18 games unbeaten in the league was brought to an end in March by Millwall, managed by former Swans boss Jackett.

That loss was the start of a Swansea wobble, as they saw their lead reduced to four points over Carlisle, who were in second, and six points over Doncaster, who stood just outside the automatic promotion spots.

Swansea seemed set to clinch promotion on 5 April, when they led Bournemouth 2-0 at home and a 10-man Doncaster were losing at Huddersfield.

In the blink of an eye that changed, Doncaster finding a late equaliser before the unthinkable, as relegation-threatened Bournemouth grabbed two injury-time goals at the Liberty Stadium for a dramatic win

However, any worries by Swans fans that their side were capable of an almighty collapse were banished thanks to Saturday's win at Gillingham.

Martinez has worked his magic in an incredible first season in charge and has the potential to take Swansea City to even more glory in the future.