It’s absolutely imperative that Leicester City gain promotion back to the Championship this season.

Leicester can’t afford to get stuck in League One as it’d be disastrous for the club’s finances, so there is huge pressure on Russell Martin to deliver success.

Martin’s side have started poorly, and there is already a section of the fanbase who have seen enough and want change.

With that said, we decided to speak to Southampton expert Jordan Harris to see if there are any similar trends emerging right now compared to the 2023/24 season – which saw Martin’s Saints side gain promotion to the Premier League.

Harris also offered a word of advice to City fans who are Martin sceptics.

How long did it take for Russell Martin’s style to work at Southampton?

“It definitely wasn’t quick! He lost four games in a row early on in his tenure, which included 5-0 and 4-1 defeats,” Harris explained to Leicester City News.

“However, it was not long after that they started an unbeaten run that lasted several months and put them right in the mix for automatic promotion.”

What were the main positives of Martin’s tenure at Southampton?

“Obviously, the playoff final was an incredible day for the club. In hindsight, they probably went up a year too early and were nowhere near ready to compete in the Premier League, but everyone dreams of celebrating a win at Wembley.

“I also think he deserves credit for helping the club recover from relegation in 2023. The club was in a real mess at that stage, having previously spent decent money on a number of players who offered little and were difficult to offload.”

What were the drawbacks of his tenure?

“There was almost an over-reliance on one or two players within the squad to make his system work. In particular, Saints were nowhere near as good when Flynn Downes was unavailable.

“That puts a lot of pressure on those key players. And once opposition teams worked out how to play against Southampton, you could see almost the entire squad lose all belief in how they were being asked to play.”

Martin is often labelled arrogant and stubborn; is that a fair assessment based on your experience of him at Southampton?

“I don’t know whether he could be labelled arrogant, but I think stubborn is the right word for Martin’s management style.

“Had he kept his job, seen out the season and led Southampton back out of the Championship once again, I have little doubt that he would have taken exactly the same approach back in the Premier League.

“And I have little doubt that it would have gone just as badly. It is baffling to me that he has not adapted his style more at either Rangers or Leicester.”

What advice would you give Leicester fans who are Martin sceptics right now?

“I think Russell Martin is a good person and has given some of the most engaging interviews you will find from a footballer.

“And perhaps Leicester fans should be encouraged by the slow start he made at Southampton before turning it around.

“However, Martin’s stock was a lot higher at Southampton than it is now, and being a good person does not matter one bit at 5pm on a Saturday if he has overseen another defeat, so I completely understand the concern of Leicester fans, particularly when you see the size of some of the clubs that have dropped down to League Two over the years.”

Do you think he will succeed at Leicester?

“I think it’s going to be unbelievably difficult now. Despite all the problems off the pitch, this should have been a season that Leicester fans got to enjoy, watching their team dominate most games and win the title at a canter.

“There is a club somewhere that will appoint Martin at some stage and find that everything clicks, I’m sure.

“And I think he will get more time at Leicester because of the amount of managers the club has had since Brendan Rodgers. But it is hard to see how this tenure ends well, given how toxic everything is around the King Power right now.”