The awkward moment Russell Martin vows to fight for his job 12 minutes before being sacked - sports news foot

Russell Martin awkwardly vowed to fight for his job with Southampton, only to be sacked 12 minutes later.

The Saints boss was relieved of his duties in the aftermath of the 5-0 thumping at the hands of Tottenham on Sunday.

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That result left the south coast side rooted to the bottom of the Premier League with just one win from 16 matches so far.

Martin was forced to listen to a barrage of derogatory chants from his own fans throughout the 90 minutes at St Mary’s, suggesting that the writing was on the wall as far as a potential sacking was concerned.

Asked post-match if he thought fans would get their wish, Martin responded: “Not a clue, mate. Not a clue.

“You’re asking the wrong person.

“I’ve done nothing but fight in my life and my career, so, we’ll keep working and keep fighting until I am told I am not going to any more.”

But just 12 minutes later, Southampton released a statement confirming Martin’s fate.

The statement said: “We can confirm that we have taken the difficult decision to part ways with our men’s first team manager, Russell Martin.

“Going into the start of the season, we all knew the challenges that we would face this year as we readjusted to life in the top flight, competing in the best and most competitive league in the world.

“However, the reality of our situation is clear. The board have supported Russell and his staff and been open and transparent regarding our expectations. We have all been on the same page in recognising the urgency of needing results to improve.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank Russell and his staff for all the hard work and dedication they have given the club on and off the pitch over the last 18 months.

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“Everyone connected with Southampton FC will always have fantastic memories of last season, especially the play-off final win in May.

“Current Under-21s Manager Simon Rusk will take charge of the team on an interim basis until we announce a permanent replacement.

“Behind the scenes, we are encouraged by the continued development of talent coming through our academy. We are proud of the contributions our young players are making and are confident this will remain a source of strength and pride for everyone associated with the club.

“We are also deeply grateful for the continued support and positivity shown by our fans.

“We are witnessing first-hand the significant gap between the Championship and the Premier League, but your understanding and passion, even when results have not been what we all want, continue to drive our long-term commitment to the club.”

As a result, Southampton’s search for a new boss is underway with Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl among the contenders.

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However talkSPORT understands that compensation could prove to be a stumbling block in that move with Southampton likely to turn to an overseas appointment.

Simon Jordan’s verdict

Here’s what former Crystal Palace owner and talkSPORT host Simon Jordan had to say on Russell Martin’s sacking:

Football isn’t for the faint-hearted, not in ownership terms, not in management terms, and often not in playing terms. 

So with that comes the reality of people that have no respect for things you’ve done in the past and have no loyalty towards you and ultimately the instantaneous gratification.

The media are guilty of it because they judge everything in the here and now. Football fans are football fans, or certain football fans are football fans.

I don’t think the Southampton fan base will look across those sorts of people saying get out of our club. 

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The focus committed, sensible Southampton fans, I think that’s admirable, but I do think they’ll think that Russell Martin was on borrowed time. I’m surprised it took as long as it did, to be honest.

I think it was the right decision. I think it’s sad that a manager loses their job. I’m a little bit philosophical about it because I employed many of them and very few of them were surprised when they got fired.

Most of the time you pay them for failing. In this instance, the line between their success and failure, i.e. five months ago you were a success dragging this team up, now you’re a failure. 

I think Russell Martin was foolish. I do. I know that people will make the case and Eddie Howe made the case a while ago. 

If you’ve got a philosophy and all of a sudden you change from it, then you really didn’t believe it in the first place. But life doesn’t play out that way.

If things aren’t working, then you’re a fool if you keep on trying to be able to push back the sea.

It was evident that Southampton couldn’t play this way in this division. So get through games, get points, get ugly results, get some momentum in your side, stop shipping goals. We’ve got five points out of 16 games. What are we headed for? A record low total. Is that our ambition?