It would have been very easy for Martin to have a wobble and abandon his plans at different points, especially during an early, error-strewn run of four successive defeats. Two other spells of consecutive losses – in February and, alarmingly, late April – invited further criticism but all ended well with promotion under the Wembley arch, in the ultimate vindication of Martin’s methods.
Three defeats in three games isn’t the ideal reintroduction to the Premier League, especially given Newcastle, dNottingham Forest an Brentford won’t strike anyone as the most difficult schedule possible.
Comfort will be taken from the fact that the first two were narrow 1-0 losses, but Martin quickly needs to work out where the points, and the goals, are likely to come from if they are to avoid an intense relegation battle.
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