Russell Martin (footballer)


Russell Kenneth Alexander Martin is a football coach and former professional player, who is the manager of League One club Milton Keynes Dons.
Martin played as a defender for Wycombe Wanderers, Peterborough United, Norwich City, Rangers and Walsall and Milton Keynes Dons. He played in 29 internationals for Scotland. Starting his career with Brighton, for whom he did not feature in a league match, Martin established himself at Wycombe Wanderers, for whom he made over 100 appearances. Following a brief spell with Peterborough United, Martin joined Norwich City in 2010 and played an important part in the team's rise to the Premier League.

Club career

Early career

Born in Brighton, East Sussex, Martin was educated at Varndean School, Brighton. He played for Woodingdean Youth FC before joining the Brighton and Hove youth set up. He left Brighton & Hove Albion's youth team by mutual consent in early 2004, finishing the season at Isthmian League Division One South side Lewes.

Wycombe Wanderers

Russell attended the Charlton Athletic Development Centre in East Grinstead, run by Academy Coach Aaron Jacob, for two seasons. Following a trial at Charlton Athletic, Martin joined Wycombe Wanderers, initially on a non-contract basis. He made his debut in a 2–1 home victory over Cambridge United on 7 August 2004, then went on to make ten more appearances during the 2004–05 season.
During the 2005–06 season, he made appearances at left-back, right-back, centre-half and in midfield, as well as winning the Goal of the Season award. In the summer of 2006, he signed a new two-year contract with the club, and in 2006–07, he was a regular starter at right-back. In the 2007–08 season, he played every game in Wycombe's League Two campaign as they reached the play-offs. He played in both legs of the semi-final against Stockport County, which Wycombe lost 2–1 on aggregate.

Peterborough United

Martin was out of contract at the end of the 2008–09 season, and on 29 May 2008, he moved to Peterborough United, who had just been promoted to League One. He signed a three-year contract. On 28 September, Martin was announced as the new captain of Peterborough United, taking over from Craig Morgan.
He played every match in his first season with the club as they gained promotion to the Football League Championship.

Norwich City

Following Mark Cooper's appointment as a replacement for Darren Ferguson in November 2009, Martin joined Norwich City on loan. On 4 January 2010, his transfer was made permanent and he joined Norwich on a -year contract. Martin played in the majority of games for Norwich for the remainder of the season at right back. He scored his first goal for Norwich in the 3–1 defeat to Doncaster Rovers, with a diving header on 14 September 2010. He scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Championship league leaders Queens Park Rangers on 1 January 2011, and a last-minute equaliser against Cardiff City, leading fans to dub him "the Cafu of the Championship" or "the Norfolk Cafu", in honour of Cafu. Martin scored his fifth Norwich goal in the 5–1 victory over Ipswich Town on 21 April 2011. On 7 May 2011, he was the runner up for the Norwich City Player of the Year award to winner Grant Holt, in a season where he played every minute of each game. On 29 December 2012, Martin scored two goals against Manchester City in a 4–3 home defeat.
After an impressive first season in the Premier League with Norwich, filling in well at centre back during some games, Martin signed a new three-year deal in June 2012.
In an interview with The Canary Magazine, published April 2013, Martin revealed his desire to take up management after the end of his playing career, stating, "I would eventually love to come and manage Norwich." On 9 July 2013, Martin agreed a new three-year deal with the club. This contract will keep him at the club until 2016. When asked about the new deal he told the club's official website: "in extremely delighted, everybody knows how I feel about playing for this football club. Since I first arrived here it's gone unbelievably well and I feel really settled in the area. I'm happy playing for this club and I've got a great relationship with the players, staff and the supporters, and I'm just delighted to be here for another 3 years." On 10 August 2013, he was officially named the club captain.
On 23 November 2014, Martin made his 200th appearance for Norwich against his hometown club Brighton & Hove Albion. He scored Norwich's second goal in a 3–3 draw. Norwich were promoted to the Premier League in 2014/15 via the playoffs, but were then relegated after just one season back in the top division.
Martin made his 300th appearance for Norwich on 21 April 2017, in a 2–0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion. He signed a new contract with Norwich City in July 2017, but then had few first team appearances during the 2017–18 season. Martin left Norwich City on 31 August 2018 after his contract was terminated by mutual consent. He made 309 appearances for Norwich, placing him 22nd in the club's all-time appearance list.

Rangers (loan)

In January 2018, Martin moved on loan to Scottish Premiership club Rangers. He made his competitive debut for the club on 24 January, in a 2–0 win against Aberdeen. Martin was one of four players to make their first appearance for Rangers in that game. He scored his first goal for Rangers in a 2–0 win against Hearts on 24 February 2018.

Walsall

Martin signed for League One club Walsall in October 2018 in a player-coach role. He left by mutual consent in January 2019, for family reasons, having made twelve appearances for the club.

Milton Keynes Dons

On 15 January 2019, Martin joined League Two club Milton Keynes Dons on a short-term deal until the end of the season, and played a key role in the club clinching promotion on the final day of the season. Following the departure of manager Paul Tisdale on 2 November 2019, Martin was appointed as his successor in his first managerial position the following day and later announced his retirement as a player to concentrate on the role.

International career

Martin, who was born in England, qualifies to play for Scotland through his Scottish father. On 17 May 2011, he was named in the Scotland squad for the Nations Cup games against Wales and the Republic of Ireland, making his debut as a late substitute against Wales. Martin remarked before a game against Croatia in June 2013 that he was not recognised by Scottish taxi drivers transporting him for Scotland matches. Martin made his first competitive appearance for Scotland in that match against Croatia, which Scotland won 1–0 with then Norwich City teammate Robert Snodgrass scoring the only goal.

Managerial career

On 3 November 2019, following the departure of manager Paul Tisdale, Martin was announced as the new permanent first-team manager of League One club Milton Keynes Dons - the club he had joined as a player earlier in the year.

Personal life

Martin has been a vegan since 2014, initially for health reasons as he sought to manage issues with ulcerative colitis. He has established a charitable foundation in his hometown of Brighton, initially set up as a football academy. He is also a part-owner of Erpingham House, the largest vegan restaurant in the UK. In a 2018 interview he stated that he had joined the Green Party of England and Wales.

Career statistics

Club

International

Managerial record

Honours

Club

Peterborough United
Norwich City
Milton Keynes Dons