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 MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 17 |  IpswichIpswich | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 16 | -10 | 4 |
| 18 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 11 | -6 | 3 |
| 19 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 18 | -12 | 1 |
| 20 |  WolvesWolves | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 23 | -13 | 1 |
The Saints could enter the Christmas period cut adrift at the bottom and staring down the barrel of relegation unless they hire a Premier League-proven manager such as David Moyes.
Recently let go by West Ham in the summer, perhaps regrettably after watching how Julen Lopetegui has fared in East London, Moyes is currently without a club.
The Scotsman is vastly experienced in the top flight, managing 697 matches in the competition and collecting 269 wins.
Most importantly, though, he possesses a track record that some managers can only dream of, taking West Ham from relegation battlers to Europa Conference League winners during his six years at the club.
He is tactically diligent, great at setting up a strong defence and squeezing every inch of quality out of his players, something the current boss is currently lacking.
Moyes was once dubbed ‘incredible’ by Jurgen Klopp, with the veteran totalling the third most games in Premier League history, behind only Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.
In the Saints’ fight for survival, hiring someone like Moyes could be their only hope of turning a bleak situation into a positive one, although it remains to be seen whether the former Everton boss would be sold by the difficult situation they’re currently in.