A decade ago in September 2016, Leicester City were getting ready to play in the Champions League. They sit 17th in League One, the lowest position in the club's history since they entered the Football League in 1894. Russell Martin has led the Foxes to just one win in their first five games, and on Saturday they were battered 4-0 at home by Oxford United.
Leicester fans were chanting 'you're getting sacked in the morning' at Martin at the King Power Stadium, who would have been desperate for a good start to turn his reputation around after a dismal end to his time at Southampton, and then a gruelling spell at Rangers. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player But can he turn it around? Former Leicester City assistant manager Michael Appleton believes he can.
"It's a difficult moment, there's no doubt about it," Appleton told The EFL Show on Sky Sports News. "Russell Martin is a very experienced guy now. It was always going to be a difficult job, with big expectations from a club that not too long ago was playing in the Premier League and winning the Premier League.
Russell Martin has managed just three league wins since the start of the 2024/25 season, with Southampton, Rangers and Leicester, in 28 attempts. "With those expectations, you've got to deliver. It's still very early, but losing 4-0 at home, along with the results against Plymouth and Burton, makes it a very difficult start.
They've got to start winning games very quickly to address it. "What I would say is that he's got experience. He's been here before, at a big club with expectations in the league they were in, and he didn't get off to the start he wanted.
"He'll draw on those experiences and maybe use them behind the scenes with the players and staff, speaking about how they dealt with those situations and trying to keep everyone calm. "It's still very early and there are some good games coming up for them. I always say that when you're in a difficult moment and you're losing games, it feels much worse when you're at home.
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