Russell Martin is walking on thin ice after Southampton’s latest capitulation at the hands of Leicester City.
Southampton faced Leicester in an early relegation six-pointer on Saturday afternoon.
The Saints raced into a two-goal lead thanks to goals from Cameron Archer and Joe Aribo.
Supporters were perhaps lulled into a false sense of security, thinking this was going to be their first three points of the season.
However, those hopes crashed to a halt when Ryan Fraser was sent off for dragging Jamie Vardy’s shirt in the box after Facundo Buonanotte halved the deficit.
Vardy converted from 12 yards, slamming the ball past Aaron Ramsdale before Jordan Ayew broke Saints hearts with a dramatic 98th-minute winner.
Southampton should have had a penalty with the score at 2-2 when Ayew dragged Paul Onuachu’s shirt however, the referee was having none of it and Martin suffered his seventh loss in eight matches.
Russell Martin retains backing from the Southampton board
Despite their abject start to the Premier League, Martin still retains the backing of the Southampton board and are not prepared to give up on the man who won them promotion nine games ago.
As reported by Sky Sports, the club are understood to be keen to avoid hasty decision-making based on emotion, instead retaining emphasis on the club’s long-term strategy and how Martin fits into that plan.
Whilst the faith they’ve shown in the 38-year-old is admirable, it could have long-term implications on their top-flight future, with Martin doing nothing to suggest he’s the man to drag the Saints away from danger.
Southampton can either stick with sentimental value, believing in a project that perhaps won’t see them survive in the second tier, or hire someone who is an expert at keeping teams in the Premier League.
Should they choose to sack the Englishman, there is one manager currently available who ticks the second box, and some.
Southampton should replace Martin with David Moyes
Southampton are in a precarious situation at the bottom of the table and there is no confidence from anyone that keeping Martin will see their situation turn around.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Diff | Points |
| 17 |  |
8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 16 | -10 | 4 |
| 18 |  Crystal Palace |
8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 11 | -6 | 3 |
| 19 |  Southampton |
8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 18 | -12 | 1 |
| 20 |  Wolves |
8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 23 | -13 | 1 |
If the Saints don’t appoint a manager with Premier League experience like David Moyes, they might end themselves at the bottom of the standings and facing relegation by Christmastime.
Moyes is now without a club having being let go by West Ham in the summer, possibly regrettably after seeing how Julen Lopetegui has performed in East London.
With 697 games played and 269 victories, the Scotsman has a wealth of experience in the top division.
But more significantly, he has a record that some managers can only hope for, having led West Ham from relegation contenders to Europa Conference League champions in his six years there.
His tactical diligence, ability to build a solid defense, and ability to extract every ounce of quality from his players are all things the present manager lacks.
With the third-most games in Premier League history, behind Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, Moyes was previously called “incredible” by manager Jurgen Klopp.
Although it is unclear if the former Everton manager would be persuaded by the challenging circumstances the Saints are now facing, employing someone like Moyes could be their only chance to turn a dire situation into a positive one in their struggle for survival.
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