Southampton have sacked manager Russell Martin in the wake of a 5-0 thrashing from Tottenham on Sunday evening.
Spurs took the lead in the very first minute through James Maddison, who added his second and Tottenham’s fifth in added time at the end of a first half that marked a new low for Southampton’s much-discussed defensive tactics. There were also goals for Heung-min Son, Dejan Kulusevski and Pape Sarr as Spurs put their own recent poor form behind them in thrilling style.
Martin has attracted plenty of criticism this season for his rigid adherence to the football philosophy that had got Southampton promoted despite the obvious and gargantuan jump in quality presented by the Premier League.
Martin’s insistence that his team play out from the back had been a major contributor to their eye-watering tally of 10 defensive errors leading to a goal even before this Spurs game. That was as many as any team managed to rack up in the whole of last season.
[**And yet the Spurs defeat was perhaps the most damning of the lot**](https://www.football365.com/news/southampton-are-quite-simply-dreadful-and-have-done-themselves-no-favours-at-all). Not because it was unexpected, necessarily, given Spurs’ clear ability to do this kind of thing to pretty much anyone when they have wind in their sails, but because the goals were not so much down to individual errors as wider, deeper ones of system and personnel. This was not a team punished for giving the ball away in dangerous areas but for never managing to get a hold of that ball in the first place. Spurs simply played through them and around them before taking their foot off the throttle in the second half.
Martin didn’t even see the final goal conceded in his Southampton reign, having returned to the changing rooms early.
The result left Southampton cut even further adrift at the foot of the table, with just five points from their 16 games and nine adrift of safety.
In a statement, Southampton said: “We can confirm that we have taken the difficult decision to part ways with our men’s first team manager, Russell Martin.
“Going into the start of the season, we all knew the challenges that we would face this year as we readjusted to life in the top flight, competing in the best and most competitive league in the world.
“However, the reality of our situation is clear. The board have supported Russell and his staff and been open and transparent regarding our expectations. We have all been on the same page in recognising the urgency of needing results to improve.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank Russell and his staff for all the hard work and dedication they have given the club on and off the pitch over the last 18 months. Everyone connected with Southampton FC will always have fantastic memories of last season, especially the Play-Off Final win in May.”
Under-21s manager Simon Rusk has been placed in interim charge of the first team until a new permanent manager can be sourced.