Southampton’s new manager on being told to join the army rather than play football and preparing for Friday’s Championship opener
At the end of last season Russell Martin headed to Cervinara, an hour outside Naples, with his eldest brother, Jamie, an actor. The town, on the edge of the Partenio mountains, is home to his uncle, great-uncle and great-aunt, and some of his cousins.
“It was an amazing place to be at that point,” Martin says, alluding to the atmosphere in the city after Napoli lifted their first Serie A title for 33 years. “It was only the third time they had won it and the other two were with Diego [Maradona], who is considered a saint there. There are murals of him on every street corner and every 30-year-old guy is called Diego.
