Martin's 'principles cost him his job'
- Published
New York Times Chief Football Correspondent Rory Smith, says the "principles" that got Russell Martin the Southampton job "have now cost him."
Martin, who was sacked Sunday evening following the 5-0 thrashing by Tottenham, had refused to compromise on his possession-based passing style that helped them to win promotion from the Championship last season.
"I think given the results, it's not a surprise that Southampton decided they had to do something," said Smith on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "There's an awful lot of money riding on staying in the Premier League.
"It is hard to make the case that they've acted rashly, or harshly, or unthinkably. Everyone looking at the Premier League table can understand it.
"I do feel bad for Russell Martin on the grounds that he was a manager who had principles and believed in the long-term benefits of standing by those principles. It looks on the outside that he hasn't been willing to bend those principles and that's cost him his job.
"But then if you look at the list of potential replacements for him, they are all managers who play in a very similar way. There is no sort of suggestion that Southampton are going to do something completely different. They will go for a high-pressing, expansive type football manager.
"Maybe it's just that his voice wasn't working, and it was his principles that got him the job that have now cost him."
