Don Goodman exclusive: How Leeds and Sunderland can survive in the Premier League this season, what we’re learning about the Wrexham project in the Championship, and why Rangers have shown Russell Martin could be right about the state of the club

Don Goodman has backed Frank Lampard and Coventry City to follow up their promotion push last season in style to get even closer to a Premier League breakthrough in 2026 in an exclusive interview with CoinPoker.

Speaking after the final round of games in the English Football League ahead of the September international break, the former striker who scored 162 league goals in his career as a player, also talked about how Leeds United and Sunderland can stave off relegation this year.

Following a rollercoaster start to the season across the first four divisions of English football and the Scottish Premiership, Goodman gave his expert view on the runners and riders for promotion, titles and survival up and down the football pyramid.

Read the full interview below.

What’s your reaction to Stoke City’s start to the season?

Yeah, look, you have to say for Stoke City, it’s been a brilliant start. What’s also really interesting is that I keep hearing Mark Robins after every game insisting that they’re going to get even better. They’re not where he wants them to be, yet, from the outside looking in, we’re all pretty impressed. So, this feels like the season that they can at least sort of progress into the top half of the Championship. Since relegation from the Premier League, they haven’t even been in the top half, I think this is the eighth season now. 

Even in defeat, they lost at the weekend to West Bromwich Albion, but there was literally nothing between the teams apart from a goalkeeping error. If you’d have offered Stoke City fans three good wins out of the first four, particularly that one away at Southampton, they would have taken it. That should give them loads and loads of confidence.

They’ve now had well over 25,000 at both home games, too. There were times last season when they were just nudging 20,000. I think that tells you that the fans are starting to believe In Mark Robins. You’ve got a manager who knows what it takes to be successful at this level. So, I would expect Stoke City to at least beat what they’ve done in previous seasons when you add together all the positive things that are happening at the football club.

It’s early days, four games in, but, from what I’ve seen, it looks like they can be successful in a wide-open league. The Premier League teams are struggling to get going at the moment. Other favourites like Sheffield United are having a bit of a disaster. It’s interesting really because I had a feeling that there was an opportunity for somebody last season other than your obvious teams like Leeds, Burnley, Sheffield United. I felt there was an opportunity for somebody to come from nowhere and that’s what Sunderland did.

This season, I don’t think there’s going to be a Burnley and I don’t think there’s going to be a Leeds. Burnley’s incredible defensive record I don’t think that’ll ever be matched again. I don’t think there’s going to be two teams that run away and get to 100 points. What that means is that there’s a genuine opportunity for other sides. This league this year is probably harder to call than ever, really. 

Certainly Ipswich and Southampton haven’t sort of hit the heights expected of them and even Leicester, although they’ve got the wins on the board, they’ve not been impressive in terms of their performance. So, I do think at the moment that I’m looking at this league and there’s only a handful of teams who I’ve been reasonably impressed by.

I do think that it could be wide open. if that surprise package were to be a Stoke City, they’re certainly set up for it. They’ve certainly got ambitious owners who will spend what they’re allowed to and stay within the financial rules. They’ve also got a manager who knows the league very, very well and certainly has got play-off pedigree. So, the signs are good for them, but it is only four games.

There’s a lot that can happen, but in terms of a start, it’s been excellent for Stoke and they look much better than they probably have done since they came down from the Premier League.

How good of a job is Rob Edwards doing at Middlesbrough?

There have been a lot of changes. Boro will be disappointed to lose Finn Azaz, Rav Van den Berg and Josh Cobourne to a lesser degree. They got really good money for those three but you kind of felt that replacing them might be difficult. Nevertheless, Alfie Jones and Callum Britton have settled in instantly in those defensive areas.

Sverre Halseth Nypan been heralded as one of the best young players in the world, so I’m really looking forward to seeing him. He came on against Sheffield United and I was very, very impressed. 

Matt Targett showed quality in his pass for the winning goal. Sontje Hansen and Kaly Sene looked lively in attack, too. But arguably the most important piece of business that Middlesbrough will do this window is keeping hold of Hayden Hackney because I do think that partnership he has alongside Aidan Morris looks absolutely spectacular. 

Rob Edwards has gone in and addressed those weaker areas that have been spoken about, he’s eradicated defensive errors which were so costly last season. Sol Brynn looks really assured in goal and the system of a back three appears to be working well, having kept three clean sheets in four games, conceding just one goal and not conceding too many clear-cut chances to opponents. 

I would expect that once all those new signings are completely settled in, Middlesbrough will kick on. I must admit, I didn’t have massive hopes coming into the season, but it is always a bit daft to make assessments before the window shuts, because there are lots of things that can happen.

But it’s been a very, very promising start and when you’re a new manager going into a new club, getting off to a good start is absolutely vital, as Ruben Selles would probably tell you from the other end of the scale.

Has Frank Lampard built a promotion-winning machine out of Coventry City this season?

Well, after the opening day 0-0 draw against Hull City, who many, including myself, expect to struggle, it was impossible to see that Coventry City would go and score 14 goals in the next three games.

They’ve been brutally ruthless in their finishing. Their 14 goals in those three games came from an XG of 6.3. So they’ve been absolutely ruthless.

Hadji Wright has four goals, Victor Torp has four goals, Jack Rudoni has two, and Brandon Thomas-Asante has two. He’s got most of his goalscorers scoring early and that will breed confidence and spells danger for Championship defences.

The area which will concern Frank Lampard the most will be defensively. They’ve conceded six goals in four games, and let in 58 goals last season, which was more than any club in the top 11. It kind of seems to be a recurring theme for them. I do think the first port of call when Frank went in last season was to keep a load more clean sheets than they were getting under Mark Robins. It translated into winning results and sometimes they were winning games which maybe they may not have deserved to win. They were getting on the better side of the fine margins. 

Being solid is usually one of the things that you need to be if your aspirations are promotion. You only have to look at last season for that. The best defences prevailed. So, it is an area that will concern him, but I believe that Luke Woolfenden is joining the club. I’m pretty confident that will be a good addition. Despite their defensive frailties, I do expect Coventry City to be one of those teams pushing at the top in what I think is a really wide open Championship this year.

How do you rate Birmingham City’s chances of pushing for promotion to the Premier League this season?

I think the Leicester loss shouldn’t really mask the fact that it’s been a decent start for Birmingham City. They’ve moved up a division, but they’ve proved that they’re more than capable, at the bare minimum, of being a solid top-half team. I thought they really missed the energy of Jay Stansfield on Friday night. Kyogo Furuhashi looked a little bit flat but it was a game where there wasn’t a lot between the two teams.

You wouldn’t have known that the two teams were two divisions apart last season or even just a few months ago. Without doubt, they’re one of the few teams that I’ve been impressed with so far this season. The big area that Chris Davies needs to fix is the final third. They look really solid defensively and I love that midfield pairing of Tomoki Iwata and Paik Seung-ho. But they generate so many final third entries without a consistent end product. They don’t really produce lots and lots of clear goal scoring opportunities.

Patrick Roberts is joining on loan as well. So, it’s obviously an area they’ve identified that they need to fix and find that creative spark. You could argue that, as it’s a new-look forward line, it’s just a case of them taking a little bit of time to find rhythm. Either way, they’ve scored four goals in four games. Only four teams have scored less than that. So if they can fix that area, then I think they’ll be in the promotion race.

Did Jay Stansfield’s absence against Leicester City make clear how important he is to Birmingham this season?

I don’t know exactly what Jay Standfield’s goal tally was. It was something like 19, but nine of them were penalties and people jumped on it and said, ‘Well, that’s not worth £15 million.’ What those people weren’t appreciating is his movement and his pressing ability. When the opposition has the ball, I think he’s as good as anybody in the Championship at pressing.

Pressing is a massive part of modern-day football for certain styles. It certainly is a massive part of Birmingham City’s style and I thought they were a little bit lacking in that area against Leicester..

Plus, there’s his running. When you’re playing against Jannik Vestergaard, for me, you should be running in behind him and stretching him. He’s a good player, but he’s not the most mobile. I didn’t see that from Birmingham City and I’m pretty confident that that would have been something that Jay Stansfield would have looked to exploit. 

So in those areas, that running in behind, plus his brilliant pressing, I think they really missed him, yeah.

What do you make of Finn Azaz and Tom Fellows joining Southampton?

I think both teams are going to be sad seeing their top players leave. There’s no doubt they’ve both been a creative spark. Finn Azaz has done it for slightly longer than Tom Fellows, starting from when he went to Newport County in League Two on loan. The goals and assists haven’t really stopped flowing since, in League One with Plymouth and again in the Championship with Middlesbrough. Last year he had that rare double figures in both goals and assists, which is not to be sniffed at.

Tom Fellows was the highest assist-maker last season. So they’re both very, very impressive Championship operators. I’ve got no doubts that they’re going to be a great success at Southampton, but at this stage, I think it’s hard to say with certainty whether they could make that jump to the Premier League. 

I do wonder about if they’ve got the athleticism as well as the ability to be creative forces in the Premier League, where Defenders are much more savvy, much more dynamic, much quicker and smarter. So the jury’s out. There’s only one way to find out and they’ll both be hoping that before very long that Southampton can make them both Premier League players.

What will Portsmouth being looking to achieve this season after their start to the campaign?

Last season was a tough baptism of fire for Portsmouth. We all flagged up that the fixture computer had been particularly hard on them. When you reflect, they played all three teams that ended up getting promoted to the Premier League and also Sheffield United in their first seven matches. They ended up winning one of their opening 14 games, so what followed was a really outstanding effort as they slowly found their feet at the level.

I think that would have given them confidence at the start of this season and they’ve become a very solid outfit. Two clean sheets in four championship games alongside seven points is absolutely excellent. But I don’t think anybody in the club should be or will be getting carried away that they can be really challenging at the top of the Championship. 

I think 16th last season was mission accomplished in terms of survival and I think this season should be about consolidation and progression, you know. Pompey up against some huge clubs with plenty more resources than what they’ve got. So any improvement on last season would be a positive in my mind.

What are you expecting from Hull City as the season kicks on for them?

I had reservations obviously about Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City and my reservations on both haven’t really changed. Hull, for me, remains the same, really. Nothing more than survival should be their target, I believe. 

I’m not denying that financial mismanagement has played its part in them finding themselves in this position, as they’ve been left a little hamstrung in terms of the transfers, but on the pitch, they’ve conceded nine goals in their four games. Well, they actually started with a clean sheet, as we’ve mentioned already, against Coventry, so then it’s nine goals in the last three games. 

With respect, those games have been against Oxford, Blackburn and Bristol City. And honestly, I do say that with respect. There are only QPR and Derby who have conceded more than City. They’re conceding so many chances in games and the data tells you that only Wrexham have conceded more, a higher XG and more chances. 

It certainly feels like survival should still be their aim.

Have Wrexham come down to earth a bit given the hype around them potentially threatening for immediate promotion this year?

Well, their results have possibly been due to the jump-up in level. The last three games will have the lifted spirits and I’m including the Sheffield Wednesday game in that because, although it’s disappointing to be 2-0 up and draw 2-2, it was their first point in the Championship and you have to start somewhere. So take the positive out of that. Take the positive out of the fact that they went away to Preston in the League Cup and won that. And then they followed that up with Saturday’s 2-0 away win at Millwall. Millwall dominated possession territory in reality, but, for the first time in six games this season, Wrexham were really resilient and they managed to keep a clean sheet. That’s how they’ve progressed through the leagues, by being well-organised, hard to break down and resilient.

If you look at those first five games in competitions, they conceded 12 goals, so I think the clean sheet away at Millwall will please Phil Parkinson. It’s been a baptism of fire. They found it tough. It may surprise some people that they’ve found it difficult because I think some people got a little bit carried away with this rise through the leagues. But I’m really confident it hasn’t surprised Phil Parkinson. He would have understood the big, big gulf for most League One teams between League One and the Championship and that’s why there’s been so many new signings. 

They’ve signed Ben Sheaf and that just tells me there is a recognition that they need to change the way they go about things. Because I think in the Championship, you tend to be in a relegation battle if you’re in the low 40s in terms of possession. That’s where Wrexham are at, there’s only a couple of teams that have had less than them. 

There are positives, too. Kieffer Moore is scoring goals and Lewis O’Brien looks a brilliant addition. I’m looking at the next three games for Wrexham and they play Queens Park Rangers at home, Norwich City away and Derby County at home. I think after those games, it will give us more of a clue as to whether or not it will all be about survival or whether they can have aspirations of aiming a little bit higher.

Are we seeing how big the gap truly is between Birmingham City and Wrexham this season?

I think the Ben Sheaf signing takes Wrexham to about £30 million in spending and that is also a recognition of the difference between themselves and Birmingham City. Birmingham got 111 points last season, whereas Wrexham ended up with 92. That is a chasm. They were playing against the same teams week in, week out, and that is a chasm of a difference. 

I also think the big advantage that Birmingham have got at the start of this season is the fact that their style won’t change. They like to dominate possession, albeit they’re not going to have 66.7 % on average, which is what they averaged last season in League One. They’re currently at around 58%, which is the fifth most in the Championship. What I’m saying is that they’re going to try to dominate the ball in games that they can, they’re going to play with intensity, they’re going to be on the front foot and they’re going to press high. Regardless of whether the division changes. 

Wrexham, on the other hand, you feel are going to have to adapt a little bit more. I think only Derby County and Oxford United at this point have averaged less possession than Wrexham, and neither of those two teams have won a game of football yet. The trend is usually that clubs with super low possession, and high thirties or low forties is super low, usually end up in a relegation fight. That is pretty factual, I would say. So, currently I do think that the gap remains similar because Wrexham have got work to do. 

But when you look at them bringing in likes of Conor Cody, Callum Doyle, Lewis O’Brien and Ben Sheaf, these are players with quality on the ball. I do think that Phil Parkinson will recognise that if his want to win games and get points, they’re going to have to control the ball. I’m not saying they need to have 55% of the ball, I’m saying there are pockets of games. where you’re going to have control things. I think the signings that they’ve made are maybe a slight recognition of that.

What can we read into Derby County’s slow start to the season?

When you look at the four games Derby County have played, it’s been a tough start on paper. They’ve faced Stoke City, Bristol City, Coventry City and Ipswich Town.

To me, that’s tough, that’s quite a tough start. When you chuck into the mix their huge injury list, I kind of understand why they would have found it tough so far. There have been loads of new signings, I think six started against Ipswich and another two came on and they’re going to be gutted that they got pegged back so deep into injury time. I think some of the injured players are due back after the international break, which will help John Eustace.”

But they’ve they’ve got to find a way to stop conceding goals at the same rate, because if they don’t, it’s going to lead to trouble. I don’t think anybody would have ever thought that a John Eustace team would concede 11 goals in the first four games because his strength is organizing teams, making them hard to play against and hard to break down, but we haven’t really seen any evidence of that. 

I think the big problem for Derby last season was scoring goals. They only scored 48. Only three teams in the Championship scored less than that. They’ve clearly aimed to change things by signing Carlton Morris, Patrick Agyemang, who’s injured, Rhian Brewster, Andi Weimann and Ben Brereton Diaz. So, they’ve almost gone heavy on that and you do feel like that they can score goals. But, as a I said, they’ve got to find a way to stem the flow of goals going into their net. 

I took the liberty of seeing who they’ve got to play next, which is West Bromwich Albion, Preston North End, Wrexham and Charlton Athletic, two promoted teams. They’re the next four games. So they need to find some wins from that little run or else it’s going to be a struggle. It was a tough start. Playing away at West Bromwich Albion isn’t going to be easy, obviously, but then you look at the next three games and you think they need to be taking points out of those games.

Should the alarm bells be ringing for QPR given the heavy defeat to Coventry?

A result like 7-1 does raise eyebrows. I heard people touting them as dark horses really and I just never quite saw that, you know. I know people are touting Millwall as dark horses, too, and with respect, I can’t really quite see that. Certainly not as yet, but things can change very, very quickly in the Championship once the window slams shut. Once you get to eight or 10 games, then you can begin to draw a real picture of what the league might look like, really.

But QPR needed that win over Charlton.  It was so much-needed after shipping seven goals. They were mauled by Coventry, let’s have it right. I still think there’s work to be done. I think the new boss, Julien Stephan, will welcome the international break. It’s going to give him a chance to breathe and process the ferocity of the Championship. He’s probably never seen anything quite like it. 

He’s got to come up with a plan to improve QPR because I actually think they have been handed a decent start on paper where you’d kind of go, ‘Okay, we’ll take that.’ They’ve played Preston North End, Watford, Coventry City and Charlton. Next, they’ve got Wrexham, Stoke City, Sheffield Wednesday and Oxford United. 

So the next three of the next four games, Wrexham, Sheffield Wednesday and Oxford, they need to be looking at as opportunities to get points. The next four games take us to eight, and it’s going to tell us an awful lot more about teams. I think it’s a really important four games for Queens Park Rangers. If they don’t get through the next four games with at least another couple of wins, then I think they’re going to have a long, hard winter.

Do Cardiff City have to be the stand out favourites for promotion from League One this season?

I think you’d look at Cardiff City and have had them down as the least stable of the teams to have come down from the Championship and the ones where you go, you wouldn’t quite know how things are going to go with Vincent Tan’s ownership and the new manager coming in. 

But you’ve got to tip your hat to Brian Barry Murphy because it doesn’t really get more impressive than what he’s done. I mean, it’s pretty much the same squad, I think they’ve only signed one or two players and he’s galvanised them after a season of being on the receiving end. He’s injected self-belief and confidence into them, and he’s also completely changed the style of play. So the job he’s done, it really shouldn’t be underestimated. They’re dominating the league in every which way. 

They’re dominating possession, averaging 62.6% from last season, where it was 46.6%. It’s been a complete turnaround. They like to play on the front foot and they’re also a high pressing outfit. Only three teams scored fewer than them last season, yet here they are, joint top scorers with 11 goals. Only Plymouth Argyle conceded more, yet here they are, having kept five clean sheets. I know the level is down a bit, but it’s the same players and it’s a young group.

He’s completely galvanised them so now they’re dominating in most games. I think the only game where I thought they were a little bit fortunate was maybe Port Vale away. What’s also really significant for me is the fact that they went away to a fellow relegated team, Luton Town, and they beat them 1-0 before they smashed the other relegated team, Plymouth Argyle, 4-0 at home. Those two teams were two that are expected to challenge at the top. 

They’ve made a massive statement without spending very much, without spending on the same level as Birmingham City did last season. The early signs remind me a little bit of Birmingham in terms of the way that they’re playing and dominating the ball. 

So maybe, similar to Birmingham, relegation from the championship might turn out to be the best thing that could have happened to Cardiff City.

How do you assess Lee Grant’s work at Huddersfield Town so far?

Lee Grant is not daft enough to think that they were going to win every game. It’s a rollercoaster, you know. Huddersfield Town went very, very early with some impressive recruitment and transfer business, and I instantly thought this is a club that’s going for it. They’ve said, ‘Let’s get back to the Championship’ and they’ve backed him. 

They’ve made a really good start despite the slip-up at Barnsley. They’re sixth and they’re on 12 points. I just look at that and I think it’s two points a game and, if you can maintain two points a game, usually over the course of a season, you’re going to get automatic promotion. They’re the division’s top scorers at home. They’ve played three, won three. They’ve also kept four clean sheets in six League One games. All in all, I’ve got to say, it’s been a pretty good start. 

The only slight concern is that they’ve lost their last two away games and they’ve conceded six goals in the matches against Blackpool and Barnsley. Maybe the international break has come at a good time for Huddersfield, as they can reset. 

But they’re sixth at the minute and I would be very surprised if, come May, they are any lower than that.

How long can Bradford City keep this unbeaten run going for?

I’m thrilled, absolutely thrilled for Bradford City, and Doncaster Rovers for that matter, because I’ve been asked about both of them and I’ve said that they should both focus on consolidating as League One clubs. 

But Bradford have played against a couple of the teams that I certainly would expect to be in the mix at the end of May in Luton, who they beat 2-1 at home, and in Stockport, who they beat 2-1 away. To get through your first six unbeaten after being promoted is really excellent. Ironically, the two games where they’ve dropped points had draws have been against strugglers in the form of Northampton and Peterborough. That’s where it could be even better. 

But he’s done a brilliant job, Graham Alexander. Yorkshire clubs, including Bradford City, occupy third, fourth, fifth and sixth. Funnily enough, Bradford’s next two opponents are away at Doncaster and at home to Huddersfield. After those Yorkshire Derbies, they play Cardiff City, who are obviously top. 

And after that, if Bradford City are still in the top six, I’m going to start to get excited.

Do you see green shoots for Plymouth Argyle at last?

I’m really surprised to see Plymouth Argyle with just one win and just three points from their opening six games. I know that they lost a lot of their key players, we all know that. 

But I was interested in the build-up to the lunchtime games on Sky Sports, when I watched Neil Warnock interviewing Tom Cleverley and Argyle were obviously going away at Cardiff City. Tom was bemoaning his defenders’ lack of ability to defend their own box and how it has proven costly. 

Lo and behold, they go and concede four goals against Cardiff, so I had a good look at the goals and, in Argyle’s defence, Ryan Wintle scored a rocket for the opener, the next two goals were massive deflections and the fourth goal was probably one the goalkeeper should have saved. 

So, lady luck really didn’t smile on Plymouth Argyle at the weekend, but the stats aren’t lying. Their XG against is high, with only three teams having conceded more XG. They’re giving up chances and they’re not really creating many as you’d expect a top team at that level to be creating. 

Tom Cleverley needs to get things changing. He’s a head coach that I like and I’m fairly confident that if given the time, and Argyle are generally a club that will give head coaches a little bit of time, I’m confident he’ll be able to turn it around, but I’m really surprised.

What have you made of Bristol Rovers and their up and down season so far?

Well, they’ve just gone and done what Manchester United couldn’t do and beat Grimsby Town!

I mean, in regards to Bristol Rovers, I’d forgotten how bad they were at the end of last season. They lost nine and drew one of their last 10 games which, obviously, led to relegation. So, I’m not surprised that there was a little bit of a hangover because I don’t think there’d been too many changes in personnel. Their slow start shouldn’t have really been a massive surprise.

But now they’ve won their last two games and, as I said, have done what Man United couldn’t do beat and Grimsby Town. There’s no doubt they’re one of the bigger clubs in League 2 and with that comes an expectation and pressure. 

You would hope that back-to-back wins will give Darrell Clarke and his side confidence to kick on, really. They play Newport County next, who have lost their last four and, after that, they play Barrow, who have lost four of the first six.

If Bristol Rovers can win those two games, then they’re back in business.

How much of a struggle can it be after being relegated the previous year?

It can be, it really can be. I also really admire play-off losing teams. I’ve been there. Sometimes it’s hard to put your finger on why, but that’s why managers will always want to finish a season strong, even if you’ve got nothing to play for, as it can give you a lift going into the next season. 

Of course, the reverse is also true. I mean, it’s not normal, is it, in Bristol Rovers case, to lose nine, draw one of your last 10 games?

Darrell Clark is a very experienced manager. His job through the summer would be to convince the players that they’re the best team in League Two and then forget about the rest of it. But it’s not as straightforward as that. Some lads will be able to write it off. Others won’t. They might be questioning their abilities and so on and so forth. I’ve definitely experienced it, and that’s why you should applaud any team that gets relegated from a division and makes a flying start.

Look at Ipswich Town. We can use a play-off losing team in Sheffield United as an example and now we’re looking at a relegated team in Ipswich Town, who everybody thinks, including me, are going to win the league and certainly have the best squad in the league on paper, yet they haven’t won a game of football yet.

After being relegated, it doesn’t always matter if you’ve got the best player and you think, ‘We’re going to win the league.’ You’ve got to find that rhythm, find that momentum and rebuild confidence. I think that’s probably what went on at Bristol Rovers.”

What do you make of Adam Idah’s move to Swansea City?

I’ve made my opinion on Adam Idah quite clear previously. I don’t think he’s a prolific goalscorer. Obviously, he’s gone up to Scotland and, although he could point to 20 goals in 53 games last season, my counterargument would be, if you’re playing for Celtic, you should definitely be scoring a lot of goals if you’re a striker. 

What I would say about him is that he’s got the attributes to be a potential handful for Championship defenders. He’s a very, very quick player, a strong player, and still young enough to improve, to be fair. 

I do think seven million is a massive amount of money for Adam Idah, though. I suppose we do seem to be in times where fees are hugely inflated. It’s a hugely inflated market. I would point to Wrexham paying £10 million for Nathan Broadhead as an example. 

I guess Celtic could actually argue that he played 10 games in the Champions League last season and scored three goals. He’s got Champions League experience. But, yeah, it’s a huge amount of money, really. It’ll be interesting. Swansea City seem to have found a bit of ambition and they’ve made a good start to the season. He definitely adds to their squad.

I still think that there’s more to come from Adam Idah and maybe Swansea will be the place where he shows that.

Can Russell Martin turn the tide at Rangers after their 0-0 draw with Celtic in the Old Firm derby?

It’s not been an ideal start for Russell Martin. It’s so important that new managers get off to good starts. Look at Rob Edwards, getting off to a brilliant winning start, now he’s got the whole of Middlesbrough’s fan base on board, loving what he’s doing. You’ve got the players buying into his methods and everything. 

On the flip side of that, you’ve got Sheffield United’s new manager, Ruben Selles, losing every game that he’s taken charge of and the Sheffield United fans, or at least sections of them anyway, are calling for his head already.

So, it’s really important. Russell Martin is not daft, he knows that the start he’s made at Rangers is not good enough. It’s the four draws in the Premiership which are really, really putting him on the back foot. If they’d gone and dominated those games and won three and drawn against Celtic, they’d be joint top of the league. If that had happened. I don’t think there’d be clamour there is now. 

But they’re seventh in the league, haven’t won a game yet and were humiliated by Club Brugge in the Champions League. It could hardly have been any worse, really. They’re struggling for goals, having only scored three in the Scottish Premiership. Only the bottom three have scored less. 

It feels like Russ has been on the back foot since day one. I don’t know why that would be. Clearly, he doesn’t like the culture of the club and it’s clear that several players have let him down. There’s no doubt about that. 

But what is clear also, and it’s the most important thing for him, is that he’s got the backing of the board. They’ve just sanctioned an £8 million deal for Youssef Chermiti, the largest fee they’ve paid in 25 years since they bought Tore Andre Flo. I was still playing then, so that’s how long ago it was! 

So, there’s a recognition from above that he’s inherited a bit of a mess, which is going to take time for him to turn around. Having said all of that, it’s okay to have the support from above, but you’ve got to get the support from the fans. They play Hearts at home next and he needs a win really quickly in order to get the fans onside. 

Fan unrest is a very, very powerful thing. Eventually, over the course of time, if it’s week after week after week, and I had it at Wolverhampton Wanderers with Graham Taylor, one of the biggest mistakes they ever made was in modern history was sacking him. Eventually, that pressure tells on the hierarchy and they do what the fans wish.

As I say, Russell Martin is not daft, he knows he needs to start winning games of football.

Have you seen enough from Leeds United to suggest they can stay up this season?

Leeds United have four points in three games and two clean sheets. It’s a good start, regardless of that game at Arsenal. It took Southampton 12 games to get four points, it took Ipswich Town nine games and Leicester City took seven games to get four. It’s been a good and solid start.

In their six games, Bournemouth are the only team Leeds play that finished in last season’s top nine. So, the next six games are the chance for Leeds to not only get off to a decent start but to get off to a really, really good start. There’s an opportunity for points and I think they’ll take confidence from how competitive they’ve looked so far. 

I like the business that they’ve done and they are building from, without a shadow of a doubt, the strongest platform that Daniel Farke has ever had the luxury of in the Premier League when compared to his time with Norwich. So I’m optimistic, as I said, I’m really pleased with the recruitment and the start that they’ve made at Elland Road. So long may that continue.

Most doubters look at the last six teams that got promoted and how feeble an attempt they all made to survive. Luton Town got the most points with 26. Out of the six teams that got promoted, 26 points in the last two seasons is the most. Well, you’ve already got Sunderland on six, already got Leeds on four and Burnley on three. 

I’m optimistic. It’s about your recruitment strategy. It’s about being ruthless. Looking at Sunderland, they have been absolutely ruthless in the decisions that they’ve made. I think eight new players started for them against Brentford.

So, I just think that people have looked at the last six promoted clubs and thought Leeds, Sunderland and Burnley have got no chance. Well, they have a very good chance because they’ve already shown that they can be competitive. I thought Burnley were unlucky at Old Trafford and it’s your home games that are really important. Burnley have had one home game and they’ve won it against Sunderland. Leeds have had two home games and they’ve won one drawn one, and Sunderland have had two home games and they’ve won them both. That home form is just going to be massive in order ti survive. They are all hostile places to go, when the Burnley fans are up and at it, they can make it hard for opponents. 

Scott Parker is no mug. He’s been in this situation many, many times. I think the other thing about these three is if they look like they’re in with a chance of survival, come January, I think they’ll all go again in the transfer market and strengthen again to give themselves even more of a chance. 

I am really optimistic that not all three clubs will get relegated. I probably wasn’t that optimistic last season or the season before, especially when I looked at the recruitment of the clubs.

Do you think Sunderland will survive after their strong results to kick off the season?

The crowd are a massive part for Sunderland. Against Brentford they were losing until the 81st minute and the players get a lift. They then go on and win the game. There is nothing that will give them more confidence than a win like that, where it looks like you’re going to lose at home and you turn the match on its head in the last 10 minutes to win.In addition to that, what it also means is that Sunderland have played two at home and won two at home. It just gives you so much confidence. 

I have spoke about the ruthlessness of the football club. Only Trae Hume, Enzo Le Fee and Eliezer Mayenda started the Bentford game of players who were at the club last season. So the recruitment has been brilliant. Granit Xhaka is just an absolute masterstroke. Lord knows how they persuaded hi to come to Sunderland, and I say that with the greatest of respect. It’s a genius signing and I feel that, honestly, that I do feel they’ve got a genuine chance of surviving.

It’s almost like they’re saying to a lot of their players, ‘Look, you have been amazing in getting us here, but we just need to go with slightly better quality to give ourselves the best chance.’ But they’re obviously making sure these players are still involved and, obviously, Wilson Isidor comes off the bench in both home games and scores. He’ll be feeling disappointed that he’s not starting games of football, but, clearly, he’s not allowing that to affect his mentality. He’s got two goals in the Premier League now, which will provide a massive boost to his personal confidence. 

That’s what I mean when I’m saying they’ve been ruthless. They’ve given Regis Le Bris players that are ready for the start in 11, not squad players. They’re not padding the squad out and sometimes it’s harsh on the players that have got you promoted, but you’ve got to remember, Sunderland finished fourth and a long, long way off Leeds United and Burnley last season. So they had to do this. 

They had to be ruthless and they had to spend big. Credit to them, they’ve done just that.