Opposition fans took great delight in revelling in Southampton's misery on the opening weekend of the new Championship season.
Indeed, Tonda Eckert's men tasted defeat for the first time in the second tier since January, and with everything that has gone down with Spygate since that loss to Hull City at the start of the year, the South Coast club were very much the butt of the joke inside Watford's home stadium, and on social media.
There's no need to panic from a Saints perspective, despite the fact they're rooted to the bottom of the entire division on minus four points, as Russell Martin experienced a slow start himself during the 2023/24 season, before delivering a triumphant promotion from the St Mary's hot-seat.
Martin's slow start
Martin isn't everyone's cup of tea as a manager, with Rangers fans certainly not a fan of the Scotsman, as he lasted only a matter of months at Ibrox, before being dismissed.
Towards the start of his St. Mary's stay, he was also in a spot of bother, as he only collected four wins from his opening ten games in charge of the Championship giants.
The defeats were concerning to watch, too, like Southampton's demoralising collapse to Watford, as Sunderland smashed five past the hapless Saints at the start of September in 2023, before Leicester City - who Martin now manages - beat the South Coast side 4-1, as well.
After suffering four straight league defeats during a miserable September, Martin must have thought his head was going to be on the chopping block at St. Mary's.
But, the powers that be at Southampton stuck by the 40-year-old, and that was a smart and brave call, as he would then steer the Saints to 25 games unbeaten in all competitions.
Eckert will have felt the wrath of an unhappy Southampton fanbase after the game, but he has more than enough credit in his bank to remain put, having masterminded his own long unbeaten run last season.
He will hope he can look back on the Watford defeat as a mini wakeup call that spurred his team onto clinching promotion, as Martin must do when looking back over those shaky opening months of his St Mary's tenure.
He still delivered promotion
The 40-year-old might have ended his Saints managerial career with his sorry team rock bottom of the Premier League, but he will always be remembered for delivering promotion in style.
87 goals would be scored during the regular campaign, as Martin's free-flowing football worked a treat.
When Eckert's side are more up to speed with what is expected of them season, there should be goals galore in the present, with Cyle Larin and Lewis Dobbin - to name just a few - at his command.
The South Coast titans became a machine under the Scotsman when the pressure was ramped up, with the Saints digging deep in the playoff final in 2024 to beat Leeds United 1-0, courtesy of an Adam Armstrong winner.
Larin will hope he has his own unforgettable promotion-winning goal to come, as he's clearly ready to be Eckert's main marksman, having slotted home a chance expertly in the defeat to the Hornets.
Everyone is reading a bit too much into the opening day defeat, as Eckert came into the dug-out last season and transformed fortunes when Will Still had left the club in a right mess.
Of course, it's not ideal that the four point deduction is in play, but Martin is another example of the magic that can happen in football, even if you start poorly, with Eckert praying he can etch himself in the history books as well as another memorable promotion-winning manager who bounced back from testing times.
Add us as a preferred source on Google