Last season, we experienced a similar drop under Marti Cifuentes, who was kept on until after the January transfer window before being let go. Gary Rowett had no influence over the transfer decisions and had to work with the players he was given. He also got 6 points deduction thrown in his face.
This time around we believe they will not be that patient with Russell Martin and another home defeat against a Doncaster Rovers, picking up more points away than they do at home, we believe the former Rangers and Southampton manager will be sacked, if anything else than a win happens on Saturday.
Information is that a meeting is on as we speak, to value Russell Martin and decide on his future. We do believe he will be in the dugout on Saturday, but with this information out, he could be gone earlier.
To appoint Russell Martin in the first place, was against all odds, and far from a popular decision made. Another move that again made certain parts of the fan base furious. They hate everything that looks like passing around in your own half without trying to push forward as much as possible.
We should remember that the most successful Leicester side ever, based their football on a high tencity counter attacking style, rather than possession. This made Leicester City, Premier League champions. So why the owner and leadership are looking for possession for the sake of possession, and looks totally brain washed, is difficult to understand. Looking at that style from a financial point of view, would be a car crash approach, as it will cost much more money, getting the type of players you need to adapt that style with success.
🦊 Russell Martin's position as Leicester City boss 'hanging by a thread' as sources reveal the under-fire Foxes board are looking seriously at potential successors.
— TEAMtalk (@TEAMtalk) October 12, 2026
The 2016 Premier League champions are 17th in League One 📉 @FrazFletcher | #LCFC https://t.co/rcjrN80aNx
Martin Cifuentes had a better start to the season last term, and being so close to the play-off positions, made the decision makers wait. This time they will not. This could also affect the inner hierarchy at the club, and push people in different directions.
The players added to the squad this season, along with those from previous regimes, are not very suited to this style of football. Emil Riis and Liam Cullen are good examples. Liam Cullen recently played for Wales against Norway and had a great game with the two teams having nearly equal possession. Craig Bellamy’s style of play is different from Russell Martin’s. Emil Riis, who came from Bristol City after playing at Preston North End, is used to a different approach to the game than what he is experiencing now.
Will Smallbone is the type of player used to this style, but last season, managing his job well at Millwall, who are very different. John Lundstram played for Hull City who is far from a ball possession team. The same said about Conor Chaplin, Wes Burns, Admir Bristric and Ilari Kangasniemi, never really playing this style of football in the past.
The three loan players from Brighton are neither suited to play this way, Brighton playing a style of football possibly as far away you can get from what Leicester are doing at the moment.
Jacub Stolarczyk and Alex McCarthy are two goalkeepers who are not brilliant with their feet, and then implementing this approach, looks very odd.
We believe that Russell Martin will get a chance to deliver for one more game, anything else than a win vs. Doncaster will see him gone after that game.
So what will happen next. Assistant manager Conor Hourihane would be a man to ask to take the team for a period of time in an interim role, before a new man is appointed. Hourihane was in charge of Barnsley last season, and he can do this for an interim period. If it works, then he could be given the job permanently.
His background is brilliant, and his approach as a manager is pragmatic and more aggressive, as well as having a background as a midfielder, makes him a person, possibly understanding the picture better than people who have played in the back, up front or in goal.
Conor Hourihane’s managerial style centers on a progressive, aggressive, and high-pressing brand of football combined with a highly pragmatic and flexible approach to tactical systems. Having transitioned directly from an extensive playing career into management, his philosophy blends modern attacking principles with traditional, hard-working standards. His style of football can be broken down into these core tactical and philosophical pillars:High-Pressing and Structured Possession.
Hourihane wants his teams to dictate matches through intensity and organization. He will implement an aggressive, front-foot pressing structure, designed to win the ball back as quickly and as high up the pitch as possible. The Attacking Phase: Once possession is regained, he favors a structured possession model. Rather than keeping possession for the sake of it, his teams use quick, deliberate build-up play to enter high-value areas, creating sharper chance profiles and driving up the team’s expected goals (xG).
This would be a step in the correct direction and it could be a model to follow going forward as it would see a much more pragmatic approach to the style played, possibly giving players much more freedom.
According to GSM there could of course be other candidates out there, suggesting Neil Lennon and Rob Edwards as candidates to consider. Edwards is currently free, Lennon in charge of Dunfirmline.
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