Russell Martin exit: Southampton half-time sack claim v Tottenham

Russell Martin is surely heading for the sack at Southampton after their abysmal first-half display against Tottenham, Telegraph journalist John Percy has said.

The Saints were 5-0 down at the break at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday (15 December), with James Maddison’s brace bookending goals from Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski and Pape Matar Sarr.

Percy said Martin’s refusal to tweak his style of play for the Premier League is “disrespectful” and with the money spent at St Mary’s Stadium it is inevitable he will be dismissed.

Posting on X (15 December), he wrote: “Impossible to see how Russell Martin stays as Southampton manager much longer.

“No doubt that the squad is well coached & short of quality players, but the refusal to tweak style of play, especially in the Prem, is madness & disrespectful to fans. Net spend of nearly £70m too.”

Tottenham run riot on sorry Southampton

Ange Postecoglou had seen the pressure grow on his own shoulders prior to kick-off on the South Coast, especially after the hugely underwhelming performance in the 1-1 draw against Rangers in the Europa League.

But you never really know which Spurs side is going to turn up and when they get it right, boy do they get it right.

Spurs were simply sensational in the first half against a Southampton side that just had absolutely no idea how to defend against such a vibrant and quick attack.

If you weren’t a Spurs fan, you might have felt sorry for the hosts who were just embarrassing in a shambolic opening 45 minutes. Having accumulated only five points prior to this game, the inevitable questions will be asked of Martin’s position.

Sure, they only just came back up from the Championship but you have to find a way to compete. In the opening period against Spurs, they simply just could not compete.

In other Tottenham news, one player has been tipped for January exit after what happened this week.

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