Chants for Russell Martin as Leicester lose 3-1 to Peterborough at King Power
Leicester City were beaten 3-1 by Peterborough United at the King Power Stadium on Saturday in a League One match, and supporters chanted for manager Russell Martin to be sacked while the head coach warned there would be "no quick fix". The defeat left tensions exposed at a club that has opened its day with senior figures speaking publicly about the situation.
Leicester sit 17th in the League One table after eight games following a slow start to life in the division after back-to-back relegations. Chief football officer Jon Rudkin and sporting director James McCarron gave rare interviews before kick-off, with Rudkin refusing to discuss a circulated sale brochure that values the club at more than £200m, saying he "cannot comment on speculation". McCarron spoke positively about the appointment of Martin and the squad rebuild, describing himself as "super excited" and saying he was "totally convinced" Martin was the right manager.
McCarron outlined the recruitment context, saying: "The central reason why we decide to appoint the manager is that we feel he can deliver a control-the-ball, dominate-territory style game with courage and intensity." He added: "But that takes time when you do 30 transfers over the summer. You need to see things settle down before you start to see the consistency," and said the side "should really start to take off" after the international break.
Robbie Savage, in charge of Peterborough for just over a week, saw Owura Edwards open the scoring after 12 minutes, Harry Leonard double the lead and a Warren O'Hora own goal make it 3-0 at half-time against a Leicester side who had made 20 attempts before pulling a goal back. Emil Riis reduced the deficit in the 68th minute, by which time many home supporters had already left the stadium.
Martin defended his position in the technical area, acknowledging the backlash: "The chants are what they are, it is what it is and we have to keep our head down and work really hard," and adding, "I have to accept the personal stuff because I'm in charge of the team ultimately, so it's my responsibility." He also said: "I'm as frustrated as any of them, but if you think changing a manager is a quick fix then I'm not sure that's ever the way," and urged his players to be more physically combative: "You have to weather the storm at some point and you have to suffer in a game of football. Maybe for five or 10 minutes just be ugly, just be horrible and fight. Right now, when we have to suffer, we don't look like a team."
Former Foxes winger Matt Piper questioned Martin's methods and the players' response, saying: "He is saying 'turn the game ugly for 10 minutes' and they have clearly not got that message on the training ground. And that has you question how is he delivering these messages? How is he communicating that to the group? Why are they not listening to him?" Piper contrasted Martin's body language with Savage's sideline presence: "When he wanted something to happen on the football pitch Robbie Savage was on the football pitch and he was driving the team from the sideline, he was delivering those messages."
Midfielder John Lundstram described the mood among players as tentative, saying the team were playing with "anxiety" and that "We're all better players than what we're showing. We really are." Lundstram also called for greater presence and pride: "When you step over the white line you need to have that bit of presence and bit of pride to show you are a top player, and I think at the minute there is a bit of nervousness." The selection included two survivors from the relegation-deciding draw with Hull City, Luke Thomas and Bobby De Cordova-Reid, plus youth starters Will Alves, Louis Page and Olabade Aluko alongside experienced names such as Alex McCarthy, Caleb Okoli and Lundstram.
The defeat is another blow to Martin's record at the club; he has won four of his 12 games in charge across all competitions, and Leicester remain 17th in League One after eight matches. The result increases scrutiny on the manager and the club's short-term prospects in the league table.
