Roy Keane has slammed former Southampton manager Russell Martin for refusing to deviate from his footballing philosophy.
The Saints were relegated on Sunday after a 3-1 defeat at Tottenham, giving them the unwanted record of the earliest Premier League exit with seven games remaining. Manager Ivan Juric left the club the following day, although much of the damage had been done during his predecessor’s tenure.
Martin was appointed Southampton boss in June 2023 and led the side to promotion via the Championship play-offs. But he was sacked in December after a 5-0 thrashing by Tottenham, which left them nine points off Premier League safety.
The Englishman was frequently criticised for sticking to the progressive style of play implemented by some of the league’s top clubs and refusing to play more pragmatic football as Southampton won just one game and suffered 13 defeats in 16 games under his watch.
A member of Martin’s struggling squad was defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who is currently engaged to Manchester United legend Keane’s daughter, Leah. And in light of Southampton’s confirmed relegation, the Irishman took aim at his future son-in-law’s former head coach.
Speaking in the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast, Keane said: “We can be critical of managers who stick to their guns – Burnley went down with Vincent Kompany last year. Russell Martin [who was at Southampton] is a good manager.
"They go up to Newcastle United and lose 1-0 [in their first game of the season]. After the game he was interviewed about the goalkeeper giving away the ball – he got caught at the edge of the box.
“The interviewer picked out that mistake and he said, ‘But there were lots of other times we got out’, but you’re thinking, ‘That was the defining moment of the match!’ It doesn’t matter whether you got out 99 times, that was the moment that cost you – and that kept happening over the next few months.”
Harwood-Bellis took to Instagram on Monday to share his pain at dropping down to the Championship, writing: "It's really hard to put into words how heartbroken and frustrated I am by this season. After the highs of last season, I'm so sorry we didn't manage to push on and perform like we know we're capable of.
"I truly believe in this team and I know we'll be back stronger. You fans deserve it. It felt important to come on here and say a huge thank you to those that stood by us all season. You've cheered us on no matter what, and please believe me when I say we've heard, seen and felt the support.
"Thank you, Saints. It's been hard to put into words how disappointing this feels, but we've got to focus on finishing the season as a team, together"
Speaking recently about his sacking for the first time on Sky Sports, Martin revealed: "I'm frustrated I'm not there anymore but now I know the journey must start somewhere else. [You have to] try and make sure that you're in a job long enough to see out your plans. When I signed a new contract in the summer, I was really hoping [to see it out].
"It's always tough when you get promoted to the Premier League, it's tough for any team, but I felt we had a lot of young players and we were trying to grow something. Am I surprised by it in football? No, not at all. Of course, I'm disappointed but it's been so much learning. I've learned so much so I feel we'll definitely be better for it.
"I see so many managers and speak to so many coaches who came in to watch us work. After they lose their job, they feel regretful that they changed too much of what they wanted at the very beginning.
“I don't feel we did that. I have disappointments over maybe making too many changes or adapting too much. The biggest challenge for me was convincing everyone they belonged there and without evidence of winning games, that becomes really difficult."
English (United States) ·