Russell Martin remains positive and statistically driven as Swansea City go in to todays game against Middlesbrough at the riverside stadium. The season hasn’t started well for both sides as they go head to head today, so something will most certainly give.

Talking pre match Russell Martin’s views are the swans are in a false position quoting statistics that indicate (to him) that positive times are just around the corner. “When we look statistically, the team is improving on a performance level, results aren’t quite there yet though. We really believe if we carry on in that fashion, the results will eventually reflect the performance. We’re fixated on working with the players and developing them and the team. Hopefully, all the work and what the players give us every day will be more than enough to keep on improving”

The issue is the supporters don’t see any improvement and even the hardiest of supporters are beginning to get somewhat bored with the style of play and mediocre attempts to win football matches but Martin remains indignant "The aim for us at the start of the season was to improve on last season, and we will. We already have. Every performance metric we look at, the team is improving. Results aren't there yet but we believe if we carry on in that fashion, results will eventually reflect the performance. But if you let that frustration consume everything you feel about the team, the club, the people in charge of it, then it just takes over and becomes negative, toxic and pointless. We're not fixated on it. We're fixated on working with the players, developing them and the team. That's all we can be obsessed about”

For us it doesn’t matter the matrix used today if three points are to be collected in this championship game. One shot, one goal and no responses from the home side is equally as good as any other factors that are taken in to consideration. Especially those that are wheeled out after home losses in some form of reply to justify poor performances.

Middlesbrough v Swansea City kicks off at 3pm at the riverside stadium.

Photographs licensed from Reuters/ Open Source

Swansea City Polls