Every word Southampton boss Martin said ahead of West Brom second leg

Well, here it is, it's come down to this, the whole season, how confident are you feeling?

RM: Yeah, I feel excited, anxious, scared of what's to come. I think it's a natural feeling to have, regardless of how many times you've been in this situation or not.

I think the moment I lose that sense of butterflies is probably the time I should stop doing the job that I do.

I can come out here and say, yeah, we're feeling good, there's no nerves and all that, but it'd be a complete lie.

It'd be the same for the players. There'll be some nerves, there'll be some excitement, there'll be some tension in the legs for both teams.

Both coaching staffs, both sets of fans, because it's a huge game. But what a game to look forward to, what a game to be involved in at our place.

So, yeah, that overriding feeling is that I just want the game to come. I feel like the preparations have gone really, really well and the team is in a good place.

But a team that embraces the feeling they have and deals with that the best will win. I really believe that.

Will the team be in a better place with Che Adams? Is he fit to play?

RM: He's in a good place. He's in a much better place than he was. And he's given everything he can to be fit for the game.

Is he fit to start? 

RM: We'll wait and see. 

The club have called for the fans to bring the noise, be early and wear the stripes. How important are the fans going to be in the sold-out stadium tomorrow?

RM: Yeah, they're the most important people in the club. 

They will be here long beyond any of the players and myself. Tomorrow, they need to help the most important people tomorrow, the boys on the pitch. I've got no doubt they will. 

We've had some really, honestly, some amazing moments here. Some amazing feelings this season.

The connection between the team and the supporters has been really, from the start of the season to now, has grown so much.

It's something that I'm really grateful for and the players are really grateful for.

I've got no doubt tomorrow that they will bring a lot of energy and the team has to bring a lot of energy to make sure that they give them something to cheer about and really get behind.

As I said all season, we need to make them proud of the team on the pitch.

A lot of those fans will be expecting you to finish the job tomorrow. Do you agree you have the advantage after the first leg?

RM: We'll wait and see. I just think it's never, never easy.

What about the game here in November?

RM: Yeah, I think we're a very different team to what we were then in terms of when I watched that game back and the people we have in certain positions.

It's a very, very different team, very different mentality. We've played them in three games. They've all been close games.

We had a really brilliant performance away from home in the league at their place and they've all been close and I expect this one to be close again.

So I don't think the game... When was that? What month that was in? November? I don't think that has any real standing.

We've watched it because it's important for us to watch it and see what problems they cause us. But apart from that, I don't think it has any real impact on what happens tomorrow night.

You're training at St Mary's tonight. Will you practice penalties? Do you expect it to go to extra time?

RM: I don't know what to expect. I have no expectation apart from my players to run as hard as they possibly can, to fight as hard as they possibly can and then what will be will be after that.

We have practiced and prepared for every situation and scenario we can think of. But again, you can't ever really replicate an occasion like that and the emotion and feeling that comes with that.

You prepare as best you possibly can and then you give it all up and you trust the work and you trust the detail and hope it comes off.

Will you and the players all be sleeping well tonight?

RM: I haven't slept well for about ten months. But no, to feel the responsibility in this job to take a club like this into this game is huge and is a huge privilege as well. 

I'm extremely grateful for it. It's a big responsibility and I'm sure the players feel some of that as well.

You have to embrace that and accept the sacrifice that comes with that and the stuff that you have to give up a little bit in other areas of your life for sure when you're all in on something.

When you embrace that and accept that to then go and make it all worthwhile, this is a game where you have a chance to go and do that.

So yeah, it's a big challenge but it's one I think the team can definitely do and the challenge is to be ourselves always.

Always, always the team we want to be and to do that on an occasion like this is if we do it, if we're able to do that, we can have a really brilliant night.

On the other game between Leeds and Norwich, are you rooting for your old club?

RM: I'm watching with interest because it's something that we might be involved in beyond tonight, so that's it. We'll wait and see.

You've spoken about how much it meant to you as a player, what can you teach your players or help them with, with regards to handling the occasion tomorrow night?

RM: I think it's really important to feel what they're going to feel and not pretend like I didn't feel nervous and all that stuff is a completely natural thing.

To then not be overcome with that and to then not let that emotion dictate what you do. I remember playing the final at Wembley.

Seeing my family in the crowd in the warm-up, I had tears in my eyes and figured I'd got to play a game in 35 minutes and then find a bit of peace in the dressing room.

It's about understanding actually I've done this hundreds of times, thousands of times since I was a kid.

I think to tell them to not feel things but instead to feel it and to make them really aware and understand what's going to be important around that.

We spoke about it a lot. They have a brilliant understanding of that and they're really honest about how they feel, what they feel on the pitch.

The same way as we tried to learn from Sunday with their input in a huge way because we see a game in a certain way but then to understand how they feel during that game and what's going on around it and to contextualise it emotionally is really important. It's so important.

So we'll try and help them in the best way and I've lived that, I've been there and hopefully in some way, we'll be able to impact and help the players with that.

Do you own that and embrace it and just go with it or do they have to try and control themselves a little bit?

RM: I don't like the word control. There's no pacing yourself in any game of football I don't think.

So then certain things will dictate how games pan out and your performance but I think when we've been at our best here, especially this season, the team has come with energy and aggression from the very first minute.

If that means we have to take five players off and bring five players on to finish the game because they are dead on their feet because they can't run anymore, it's the best way.

So run and run as aggressively and as hard as you can. Attack the game with discipline and structure in our way but attack the game until you can't anymore.

Then your mate will come on and help finish the game off. That's the only message in a game like this really.

Have the players taken comfort from the fact that it felt like West Brom threw everything at you, especially early and you held out? 

RM:  I think the players have taken a lot from going to the two teams with the best home form in the league at Leeds and West Brom in the last two games.

Really the moments we've had to suffer to really suffer together and stick together and fight and defend properly with a brilliant mentality and to stop things coming in the box and when they do come in the box to deal with them.

We don't want to be that team that just sets out to do that but in games like this you have to accept there will be a moment, especially away from home.

That moment came really early at the Hawthorns and the players weathered it brilliantly and came out of it with composure and calmness.

So I want us to make them suffer as much as we possibly can of course but if we have a moment where we have to really dig deep, and we will do, then I think the players have taken a lot from that in the last couple of weeks and it will be good for us.

Just finally, how do you expect them to be against you? Do you expect them to be cagey because they're away from home?

RM: I have no idea what they will do. I could come out here and say we know exactly what Carlos is going to do and be lying to you.

So he's a really excellent coach, we've played against him a lot of times now so you try and take as much from him in games as you possibly can.

It's about us and it's about our approach and making sure the players are ready for whatever approach they have.

It's about making sure that as much as we can, the game is played in the way we want it to be played.

And then if we play that way it will negate their approach in some way anyway and they may have to change. 

So I'm looking forward to it. We will make the best educated guess we possibly can to prepare the players. But it's about us.

We're at home with our fans. We have one game to get to the biggest game and it's an amazing opportunity.

The challenge is to be us, to be the team we want to be, to bring the identity of the team on the pitch.

And that takes a huge amount of courage in any situation but more than ever tomorrow. If we do that I think we'll have a really brilliant night.