‘Russell Martin will be sacked’ by Southampton – expert
Russell Martin is set to be sacked by Southampton as pressure on the manager continues to grow after an abysmal run of form.
This is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that the boss is expected to lose his job as the Saints sit rock bottom of the table.
Southampton’s league position, coupled with the manager’s stubbornness in his refusal to change his style despite weekly errors, will force the club to make a decision.
Brown explained that there have been concerns behind the scenes at St Mary’s about the manager’s style, but after picking up one win in 15 games, their patience has run out.
Southampton are bottom of the league with just five points from their opening 15 games, and have the second-worst defensive record after shipping 31 goals in that time.
A number of those goals have been caused by issues when playing out from the back, and Brown has insisted the manager must take the blame.
Southampton to sack Russell Martin after Aston Villa defeat
Martin’s situation had previously been compared to Vincent Kompany’s spell at Burnley where they stuck with him despite difficulties, but Southampton are now expected to make the call.
Brown, who has worked closely with under-pressure managers in the past including David Moyes at West Ham, insisted that the board will be forced to make a decision as a result of Martin’s refusal to adapt despite their awful form.
“Russell Martin will be sacked,” he told Football Insider.
“It’s not necessarily about individuals or their situation, but if you’re in the bottom five at this stage of the season, you’re always going to be under pressure.
“That’s always been the case and it is again for Southampton.
“But when it comes to Martin specifically, there have always been concerns there about his refusal to adapt.
“Having your style of play and sticking to that is fine, but when it’s costing you results every week, you have got to make changes. It’s madness.
“If you’re bottom of the table, you can’t win a game and you keep conceding goals that are of your own making, something has to change.
“If the manager is unwilling to make those changes, then the board will have to. They’ve been patient up until now but it can’t continue.
“That will be the reason he gets sacked.”
In other news, clubs continue to track Tyler Dibling amid transfer interest.
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