Southampton sacked manager Russell Martin on Sunday evening, just over an hour after the side’s 5-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, which extended their stay in last place in the Premier League.
“At the start of the season, we all knew the challenges we would face this year as we readjusted to life in the top flight and competed in the best and most competitive league in the world,” a statement from the club, read in part. “However, the reality of our situation is clear. The board has supported Russell and his staff and has been open and transparent about our expectations. We were all on the same page in recognizing the urgency of needing results to improve .”
The Saints have been the Premier League’s punching bag since being promoted to the English top flight this season with just five points, winning just one of their 16 games and conceding 36 goals while scoring just 11. was their biggest defeat all season and forced a number of supporters to leave St. Mary’s Stadium as early as the 25th minute, when Pape Matar Sarr scored to make it 4–0 to the visitors. It wasn’t the only sign of trouble on Sunday: Martin took off Kamaldeen Sulemana in the 15th minute, shortly after Tottenham took a 3-0 lead thanks to Dejan Kulusevski.
The writing was on the wall for Martin at the final whistle, despite the success he had with the team last season. Southampton finished fourth in the Championship before earning promotion through the play-offs and were one of the top-scoring teams of the second flight with 87 goals during the regular season.
Martin’s dedication to a style of play popularized by many of the sport’s top teams was likely his downfall. While a possession-oriented approach, with Southampton playing at the back, worked in the Championship, the quality of its players compared to the rest of the Premier League was ultimately a recipe for disaster. Primarily, it led to a porous defense, but it also ensured the Saints wouldn’t be able to replicate their high-scoring habits from last season.
The manager defended his approach in his pre-match comments on Friday, even as he admitted their points tally was ’embarrassing’.
“I get criticized for the same thing [as Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou]about being stubborn and all that stuff, but if you believe in something and it has brought you a certain way in life, then it’s crazy to stray too far from that,” Martin said, according to the BBC. “I can’t speak for him, but we are also adapting. We are adapting shape, approach and personnel, but with the same consistency on what is important to us, with the same concept of the game. We cannot deviate too far from that otherwise we won’t get anywhere. Everyone is quick to criticize these days.”
Simon Rusk, the manager of Southampton’s U-21 side, will take over from Martin as the club searches for his permanent successor. Martin was the second manager of the day to be sacked in the Premier League, joining Wolves. Gary O’Neil.