'Actually watch it' - Harwood-Bellis delivers passionate verdict on Martin style

SAINTS defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis launched a passionate defence of Russell Martin's playstyle, insisting: "It's what we want as footballers."

England scorer Harwood-Bellis, 22, missed Wednesday's 5-1 defeat to Chelsea through suspension but is set to return to the team at Aston Villa.

Manager Martin has come under fire from Saints fans and pundits alike with his side conceding a Premier League-high nine goals directly from errors.

No team have completed more passes in their own third while conceding three goals in a single half than Saints managed in the first half against Chelsea.

But Harwood-Bellis has claimed he does not know "how it doesn't make sense to people" as he defended the philosophy of his manager.

"There will be so many people that say, 'You're doing the same thing and it's not working and it's insane'," said Harwood-Bellis, in the Chelsea match programme.

"But we're doing things that are working if you watch the game back - actually watch it, not just as a fan, but football-wise and tactically in terms of what we should be doing - the results shouldn't have looked how they did, bar a few.

"It's normal for fans to feel like that and that be the narrative. There will be a narrative from the outside, on Match of the Day, that it's insane to play out the back.

"It's not, there's just times to do it. I'm a fan of a club - I know what fans want. It's going to be scary when we're playing the ball around the back, of course.

"Those fans behind the goal, you can hear it. I'm not going to lie and say you don't hear it, the grumbles, but that's normal," he continued.

"There was one when we played Everton and were keeping the ball around the back and I can hear the fans grumbling, and Cam Archer had a chance one v one.

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Taylor Harwood-Bellis made his England debut last month (Image: Bradley Collyer/PA)

"If we do it properly, that's what happens. He doesn't want to make fifty-thousand passes and not go anywhere - that's not the principle of our football."

Harwood-Bellis added: "If it does look like that, that's on us as players - whether it's the fear of losing the ball or playing a ball through.

"It's not the gaffer telling us, 'If you have a chance to run forward, turn back and play'. It's not the message we get and it's important people know that.

"I get people saying to me, 'Is that the way you play? You just keep the ball?' No, it's not. Obviously, it's not. We want to score goals.

"The best way for us to score goals with the players we have is to play. I just don't see how that doesn't make sense to people.

"As a fan, you want to see people running forward, goals. Fans want to see hectic. I'm not talking about Saints fans here, I'm talking about football fans.

"They would rather see a 4-3 win. As players that's not what you want, you want to control it. You want to win 2-0, solid. That's what we want as footballers."