Britton: Martinez deal is icing on Swans’ cake

Apr 25 2008 by Blair Wood, Western Mail

MIDFIELD general Leon Britton has insisted extending Roberto Martinez’s deal was the best thing Swansea City could have done as they prepare for life in the Championship.

Britton has been an integral part of Martinez’s title-winning team, either in a central role or on the flanks.

And, with League One soon to be a thing of the past, he now believes Swansea have the ideal manager to lead them into the Championship.

Britton was delighted to see the club had secured Martinez’s future. He sees the new deal as the icing on Swansea’s promotion cake.

Having achieved a similar feat playing alongside the Spaniard in 2005, referring to him as “the gaffer” must be strange for players such as Britton.

That doesn’t stop the combative midfielder still being full of praise for his former roommate though.

Britton was far more cautious than his manager when referring to Swansea’s Premiership dream.

But, as far as he is concerned, if anyone can take the club to England’s elite league, Martinez can.

“Roberto is the man to take us forward,” he claimed. “Every club has got to have ambitions and dreams and he can get us there.

“We are now just one step away from the Premiership. Every team in the Championship has the chance to get there.

“It’s going to be difficult because there are a lot of strong teams in the division. But the manager is definitely the man to hopefully take us to the next step.”

Britton believes the extended deal for Martinez has come at the right time.

“It is a massive boost for the club and the players,” he said. “We’ve all seen the job he has done this season and his record speaks for itself.

“The lads all enjoy playing for him and you can see that on the pitch.

“This just shows how much the club rate him. He was already under contract for a while and they still extended it.

“Improving his deal shows how popular and in-demand he probably would have been. As players we are just delighted he will be here for longer.”

Britton is certainly right to highlight Martinez’s record. His first full season in management has gone beyond all expectations.

In terms of results, it’s up there with the best. In fact, as his first full season draws to a close, he has won a higher percentage of league games than some of the greats of English football did in their debut campaigns.

The Swans have won 57% of their league games this season. That is equal with Sir Alex Ferguson’s first full season with Manchester United and better than Arsene Wenger’s 50% in his debut season at Arsenal and Rafa Benitez’s 45% when he first arrived at Liverpool.

The key to his success? According to Britton it has a lot to do with Martinez’s training techniques.

The Spaniard has Swansea playing his own brand of free-flowing, stylish football which, as well as providing results on match days, has led to plenty of smiles on the training ground.

“It’s been great for us since Roberto arrived,” Britton explained. “He comes in for training with new ideas and, although it takes a while to get used to at first, it’s been really enjoyable.

“Training sessions are great and there is always good variety every day.

“It’s just a great club to be involved in at the moment. There’s a real buzz around the place and that stems from the gaffer and the way he does things.

He continued: “The gaffer knows exactly how he wants us to play. From day one he has made sure training focuses on moving the ball about quickly and passing through teams.

“That shows on the pitch and it is part of the reason we have done so well with him as manager.”

Britton has no doubts that, with Martinez at the helm, Swansea will cope with the step up to the Championship. And he is confident Swansea already play at a good enough standard to compete at that level.

He isn’t the first Swans player to make such claims and he probably won’t be the last.

And, as is the case with most of his team-mates, he believes there is a good reason to expect the Swans to thrive in their new division.

“Roberto has got us playing the sort of football that will help us in the Championship,” he explained. “When we are on top of our game and playing well, the football we play is already of a similar standard.

“I think we are ready for it. The way we play our football and the confidence we have got, it should suit us. There are not many teams that play too much long ball in the Championship. You get better stadiums and pitches so it should all complement the way we play.

“If we maintain our standards we can do well in that league. But if you drop your levels, you will struggle.”

As for his own personal form, Britton has every reason to be happy. He has easily been one of the Swans best players this season, cementing his place as a firm fans’ favourite.

And, while he may have to enter midfield battles nowadays without Martinez by his side, he claimed the Spaniard was still helping his game.

The task now is to finish the season on the right note and make sure he is ready for the new challenges that lie ahead.

He added: “I think I’ve been improving year on year and I’m pretty happy with the way I’ve been playing under Roberto.

“I started the season pretty slowly but then the gaffer moved me to centre midfield.

“It took me a couple of games to get used to it again but since then I’ve really enjoyed it.

“I’m just looking forward to the Championship now. It’s been a long, hard season so I’m just looking forward to a rest and recharging my batteries.

“We’ve just got to get ready for what is going to be a long, hard season. It’s going to be a big challenge but obviously one we are all looking forward to.”