Russell Martin

[Chrysalis]

18 hours ago, South Shire Fox said:

This is in context to someone saying they’d rather keep Ruud then Russell Martin. Im not being serious. But he took them from near the relegation zone to promotion tbf to him. Hes a better Championship manager then Russell Martin. Definetley a better Premier league one as well looking at their records

Seems easier for people to claim 2 seasons is luck than to acknowledge it.

How well did Russell martin do a with a non parachute team aka Swansea. 15th and 10th it seems.  So on head to head Cooper is clearly the better manager on paper.  Russell's disastrous season in the EPL is no surprise as playing slow and intricate is suicidal in the EPL.

[foxinsocks]

Southampton did not have the players to play out from the back in the epl... madness.   RM kept doing it until he lost his job.  This blindness is what worries me.  Sure it all worked great in championship but was never going to pass muster in epl

 

[Chelmofox]

1 minute ago, foxinsocks said:

Southampton did not have the players to play out from the back in the epl... madness.   RM kept doing it until he lost his job.  This blindness is what worries me.  Sure it all worked great in championship but was never going to pass muster in epl

 

I don't think any club had the team to play out the back the way he wanted in the PL. The approach was to let the opposition press you like mad and to create opportunities but in the most dangerous ways possible passing about really deep. I've not seen anyone else play this way. Obvs didn't help the whole back line was frail as ***k but i can't imagine any teams succeeding with it week after week.

 

And did it work in the Championship? I still argue they under performed with the squad they had and were bang out of form when they hit the play offs. They were pretty fortunate they met a bruised Leeds team in even worse form.

[UniFox21]

Having a style/philosophy is great, it's applying it correctly and then having the flexibility to adapt it to different challenges. If he's as strict and arrogant as suggested, then it'll likely flop

[ClaphamFox]

14 minutes ago, Chelmofox said:

I don't think any club had the team to play out the back the way he wanted in the PL. The approach was to let the opposition press you like mad and to create opportunities but in the most dangerous ways possible passing about really deep. I've not seen anyone else play this way. Obvs didn't help the whole back line was frail as ***k but i can't imagine any teams succeeding with it week after week.

 

And did it work in the Championship? I still argue they under performed with the squad they had and were bang out of form when they hit the play offs. They were pretty fortunate they met a bruised Leeds team in even worse form.

In Southampton's Championship season under Martin they conceded 63 goals in 46 games—only two less than Birmingham, who were relegated. They came 4th because they scored a lot of goals. Trying to outscore the opposition might work if most teams you face during the season have inferior players, but it absolutely won't work when your players are worse than those of every other club in the division. The fact that Martin either did not realise this, or did realise it but decided not to do anything about it, should automatically disqualify him from even being considered to manage us.

Edited 28 May 2025 by ClaphamFox

[Guest Bilo]

2 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

In Southampton's Championship season under Martin they conceded 63 goals in 46 games—only two less than Birmingham, who were relegated. They came 4th because they scored a lot of goals. Trying to outscore the opposition might work if most teams you face during the season have inferior players, but it absolutely won't work when your players are worse than those of every other club in the division. The fact that Martin either did not realise this, or did realise it but decided not to do anything about it, should automatically disqualify him from even being considered to manage us.

The fact he didn't heed the warnings our very own side gave him is a hell of a red flag too. One of the only teams he faced that season that was even close to PL standard beat his side 9-1 on aggregate, with the first goal coming after 21 seconds. 

 

I honestly thought they were going to come to us later in the season having sussed us out and the 4-1 at theirs would be a lesson. They tried exactly the same style and got a 5-0 spanking for their trouble. And he didn't even learn over the summer either.

 

It all suggests he's either too stubborn, too arrogant, too inflexible or too limited to switch it up. None of which are adjectives I want for our next manager.

[JimmyC74]

4 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

In Southampton's Championship season under Martin they conceded 63 goals in 46 games—only two less than Birmingham, who were relegated. They came 4th because they scored a lot of goals. Trying to outscore the opposition might work if most teams you face during the season have inferior players, but it absolutely won't work when your players are worse than those of every other club in the division. The fact that Martin either did not realise this, or did realise it but decided not to do anything about it, should automatically disqualify him from even being considered to manage us.

Or you have a DofF who during the interview process gets assurances about what would be different - like recruitment of a specific defensive coach, players with correct attributes and makes clear job offer is conditional to working within such a framework.

 

But as we have Rudders none of that would happen.

[Langston]

16 minutes ago, Chelmofox said:

And did it work in the Championship? I still argue they under performed with the squad they had and were bang out of form when they hit the play offs. They were pretty fortunate they met a bruised Leeds team in even worse form.

 

Tbf to Martin, Leeds' 90pts for finishing 3rd and Saints 87pts for finishing 4th are records for their respective positions since the advent of the Championship rebrand in 2004.. I know this year's top 3 amassed a tonne of points but to have that divvied 4 ways like in 23/24 is a real freak..

 

I don't want him, I think his sides are too fragile,  he's too stubborn and they conceded far too many, but I don't think he did an altogether bad job with Saints that season..

[Wortho]

16 minutes ago, Bilo said:

The fact he didn't heed the warnings our very own side gave him is a hell of a red flag too. One of the only teams he faced that season that was even close to PL standard beat his side 9-1 on aggregate, with the first goal coming after 21 seconds. 

 

I honestly thought they were going to come to us later in the season having sussed us out and the 4-1 at theirs would be a lesson. They tried exactly the same style and got a 5-0 spanking for their trouble. And he didn't even learn over the summer either.

 

It all suggests he's either too stubborn, too arrogant, too inflexible or too limited to switch it up. None of which are adjectives I want for our next manager.

Martin has a reputation for being “principled” in his approach to football. He won’t change even if they are getting hammered every week. 
I hope we don’t employ this idiot.

[foxinsocks]

49 minutes ago, Chelmofox said:

I don't think any club had the team to play out the back the way he wanted in the PL. The approach was to let the opposition press you like mad and to create opportunities but in the most dangerous ways possible passing about really deep. I've not seen anyone else play this way. Obvs didn't help the whole back line was frail as ***k but i can't imagine any teams succeeding with it week after week.

 

And did it work in the Championship? I still argue they under performed with the squad they had and were bang out of form when they hit the play offs. They were pretty fortunate they met a bruised Leeds team in even worse form.

You're right.  My point was that he must have been crazy to think he could do it in the epl - and then when all the evidence was that it was failing... he carried on.  Who wants a blinkered leader?

 

 

Edited 28 May 2025 by foxinsocks

[foxinsocks]

7 minutes ago, Wortho said:

Martin has a reputation for being “principled” in his approach to football. He won’t change even if they are getting hammered every week. 
I hope we don’t employ this idiot.

spot on

[foxinsocks]

27 minutes ago, JimmyC74 said:

Or you have a DofF who during the interview process gets assurances about what would be different - like recruitment of a specific defensive coach, players with correct attributes and makes clear job offer is conditional to working within such a framework.

 

But as we have Rudders none of that would happen.

we haven't got such a guy

[JimmyC74]

3 minutes ago, foxinsocks said:

we haven't got such a guy

Exactly, which is why we continue to make so many mistakes and appear to have no strategy.

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

1 hour ago, Fox92 said:

 

Out of the names mentioned I wanted him as my first choice too but also people talk him up massively when Wednesday have generally been inconsistent. I don't think he will be in demand as some like to think, there was a lot of talk on here that he would end up back at Southampton which never happened.

I think that's more because of cost implications. Especially with us and Soton wanting to fit in with psr.  I heard his buyout clause is 3-5m, although could be wrong 

[Happy Fox]

3 minutes ago, peterborofox said:

I think that's more because of cost implications. Especially with us and Soton wanting to fit in with psr.  I heard his buyout clause is 3-5m, although could be wrong 

 

£2m buy out for a championship club which will be official soon once we swap our premier league shares with one of the promoted teams from the championship.

[Guest Bilo]

2 minutes ago, Happy Fox said:

 

£2m buy out for a championship club which will be official soon once we swap our premier league shares with one of the promoted teams from the championship.

The longer this goes on, the more I think that this is what we're waiting for.

[Merchant_Banker]

1 minute ago, Happy Fox said:

 

£2m buy out for a championship club which will be official soon once we swap our premier league shares with one of the promoted teams from the championship.

Maybe this is what we are waiting for, when do we actually become a championship club? 

[Happy Fox]

3 minutes ago, Bilo said:

The longer this goes on, the more I think that this is what we're waiting for.

 

The AGM is next Friday 6th June 2025 when we officially become a championship club.

[Happy Fox]

4 minutes ago, Merchant_Banker said:

Maybe this is what we are waiting for, when do we actually become a championship club? 

 

Fingers crossed, because Martin would be a crap appointment, Rohl alongside Chris Powell plus Andy King would be the dream team.

[Guest Bilo]

19 minutes ago, Happy Fox said:

 

Fingers crossed, because Martin would be a crap appointment, Rohl alongside Chris Powell plus Andy King would be the dream.

According to Grok.

 

Röhl’s remarkable turnaround at Sheffield Wednesday remains intact, as it is independent of Leicester’s squad changes. To recap:

Relegation Avoidance (2023/24): Röhl inherited a Sheffield Wednesday side with three points from 11 Championship games, the joint-worst start in the league’s history. He led them to 50 points in 35 games, securing survival with a 20th-place finish (53 points), three points above relegation.

2024/25 Season Progress: In his first full season, Röhl guided Wednesday to a mid-table finish (12th, 58 points), with brief playoff contention, showcasing significant improvement despite off-field issues like owner Dejphon Chansiri’s financial constraints.

Recognition: Nominated for EFL Championship Manager of the Month in December 2023, April 2024, and December 2024, reflecting consistent excellence.

Fan and Player Support: Röhl’s charismatic leadership earned him fan adoration and strong player buy-in, with players like Josh Windass praising his coaching.

Playing Style

Unchanged: Röhl’s high-pressing, tactically flexible approach (e.g., 4-3-3, wing-back systems) emphasizes intensity, unit cohesion, and creative freedom for players like Barry Bannan. His teams balance possession with quick transitions, dominating central midfield through aggressive pressing and structured build-up play.

Managerial Ability

Unchanged: Röhl’s strengths include:

Man-Management: Inspiring players and fostering unity, as seen in rallying the team after a 4-0 loss to Huddersfield.

Tactical Acumen: Drawing from his Red Bull, Southampton, Bayern Munich, and Germany national team experience, he quickly instilled a clear identity.

Adaptability: Adjusts tactics mid-game and trusts players in multiple roles (e.g., Yan Valery’s versatility).

Player Development: Improved players like Bannan, Liam Palmer, and Shea Charles while nurturing talents like Bailey Cadamarteri.

Challenges

Unchanged: Röhl faced:

A poor squad with limited transfer funds.

Off-field instability (e.g., late HMRC payments, unpaid wages).

Initial tactical missteps (e.g., back-four experiment vs. Huddersfield).

The immense task of overturning a 12-point relegation deficit.

Weaknesses

Unchanged:

Recruitment Overreach: Röhl’s focus on technical players sometimes overlooks broader squad needs, with signings like Max Lowe and Ike Ugbo underperforming.

Inexperience: As a 36-year-old first-time manager, he has made occasional tactical errors and may face scrutiny in high-pressure environments.

Overburdened Role: Handling off-field tasks (e.g., transfers, logistics) may detract from coaching.

Release Clause: A £5m clause (potentially halved for Premier League sides) could complicate a move.

Strengths

Unchanged:

Transformational Impact: Turned around a near-hopeless situation at Wednesday.

Player Development: Maximizes limited squads and improves individual performances.

Tactical Innovation: High-pressing, adaptable style aligns with modern football.

Charisma and Leadership: Inspires fans, players, and staff.

Proven Track Record: Strong CV and Championship success.

Suitability for Leicester City (Adjusted for Departures)

Leicester City, relegated from the Premier League in 2024/25 and preparing for the 2025/26 Championship season, are considering Röhl to replace Ruud van Nistelrooy. The departures of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (2024) and Jamie Vardy (before 2025/26) significantly alter Leicester’s squad dynamics, impacting Röhl’s suitability. Below is an updated assessment:

Impact of Dewsbury-Hall and Vardy Departures

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Left in 2024):

Role: A dynamic, box-to-box midfielder, Dewsbury-Hall was central to Leicester’s midfield, offering creativity, work rate, and goal-scoring threat (12 goals, 12 assists in 2021/22 Championship season). His departure to Chelsea in 2024 (for ~£30m) leaves a gap in midfield creativity and leadership.

Implications for Röhl: Röhl’s system relies on a creative central midfielder, as seen with Barry Bannan at Wednesday. Without Dewsbury-Hall, Leicester lack a natural playmaker, requiring Röhl to either recruit a replacement or adapt his tactics to rely on other midfielders (e.g., Harry Winks or a new signing).

Jamie Vardy (Leaving Before 2025/26):

Role: Leicester’s talismanic striker, Vardy’s pace, pressing, and clinical finishing (18 goals in 2022/23 Championship promotion season) defined their attack. At 38, his exit (likely retirement or a move elsewhere) removes Leicester’s primary goal-scoring threat and dressing-room leader.

Implications for Röhl: Röhl’s high-pressing style suits a mobile, pressing forward like Vardy. His departure necessitates a new striker who can replicate Vardy’s work rate and finishing, a challenge given Vardy’s unique profile. Röhl’s experience with limited attacking options at Wednesday (e.g., relying on Josh Windass and Michael Smith) suggests he can adapt, but Leicester’s higher expectations amplify the pressure.

Adjusted Suitability Analysis

Alignment with Club Needs:

Promotion Push: Leicester remain favorites for promotion in 2025/26 due to their financial resources and infrastructure, despite losing Dewsbury-Hall and Vardy. Röhl’s ability to secure 50 points in 35 games at Wednesday demonstrates he can lead a promotion charge, even with a depleted squad. His success in maximizing limited resources makes him well-suited to navigate Leicester’s transition.

Playing Style Fit: Röhl’s high-pressing, flexible system remains compatible with Leicester’s squad, but adjustments are needed:

Midfield: Without Dewsbury-Hall, Röhl could rely on players like Harry Winks or Wilfred Ndidi (if retained) for midfield control, potentially shifting to a more defensive midfield pivot to compensate for lost creativity. His success with Shea Charles at Wednesday suggests he could develop a loan or new signing to fill the gap.

Attack: Vardy’s exit leaves Leicester reliant on younger forwards like Patson Daka or a new signing. Röhl’s ability to coach pressing and movement (e.g., improving Michael Smith’s output) could maximize Daka or a recruit, but he’ll need a striker who fits his high-intensity system.

Rebuild Expertise: Leicester face a significant rebuild post-relegation, exacerbated by losing two key players. Röhl’s experience managing off-field chaos and a limited squad at Wednesday equips him to handle Leicester’s challenges, including potential financial fair play constraints and further player sales.

Advantages:

Youth and Ambition: At 36, Röhl offers a long-term vision, ideal for Leicester’s post-relegation rebuild. His ambition to manage in the Premier League aligns with Leicester’s goal of a swift return.

Man-Management: Röhl’s ability to inspire unity and confidence, as seen after Wednesday’s Huddersfield defeat, would help Leicester overcome the morale hit of relegation and the loss of leaders like Vardy and Dewsbury-Hall.

Tactical Flexibility: Röhl’s adaptability allows him to tailor systems to a squad lacking Vardy’s pace or Dewsbury-Hall’s creativity, potentially using wing-backs or a false nine to compensate.

Player Development: His track record with young players (e.g., Bailey Cadamarteri) and improving veterans (e.g., Barry Bannan) suggests he can develop Leicester’s younger talents (e.g., Daka, Abdul Fatawu) and integrate new signings.

Fan Appeal: Leicester fans, per pundit Louchlainn Martin, view Röhl as an “exciting” appointment. His dynamic style could re-energize the fanbase post-relegation.

Challenges:

Squad Gaps: The loss of Dewsbury-Hall and Vardy creates significant holes in midfield and attack. Röhl’s recruitment weaknesses (e.g., inconsistent signings like Max Lowe) could be exposed if Leicester’s scouting team fails to deliver suitable replacements. He would need to rely heavily on Leicester’s stronger recruitment infrastructure compared to Wednesday’s.

Step-Up Pressure: Leicester’s higher expectations and larger fanbase, combined with the urgency of immediate promotion, represent a step up from Wednesday. Röhl’s inexperience at this level could be a risk, especially without Vardy’s goals or Dewsbury-Hall’s creativity to lean on.

Leadership Void: Vardy and Dewsbury-Hall were dressing-room leaders. Röhl’s man-management skills are strong, but he’ll need to identify or recruit new leaders to maintain squad cohesion.

Release Clause: The £2.5m-£5m release clause remains a potential hurdle, though Leicester’s financial resources make it less prohibitive than for clubs like Rangers or Werder Bremen.

Mitigation Strategies:

Recruitment Support: Leicester must provide Röhl with a robust scouting and recruitment team to address his weaknesses in this area. Targeting a creative midfielder (e.g., a loan signing like Charles or a Championship-proven playmaker) and a mobile striker (e.g., a younger, high-pressing forward) would align with his system.

Tactical Adjustments: Röhl could shift to a more defensively solid midfield structure (e.g., a double pivot) to compensate for Dewsbury-Hall’s absence, relying on wingers like Fatawu for creativity. In attack, he could adapt his system to use a false nine or collective pressing to offset Vardy’s departure.

Leadership Development: Röhl should identify new leaders within the squad (e.g., Ndidi, Winks, or a senior signing) to fill the void left by Vardy and Dewsbury-Hall.

Verdict: Despite the departures of Dewsbury-Hall and Vardy, Danny Röhl remains highly suitable for Leicester City. His proven ability to transform a struggling Championship side, implement a modern pressing style, and develop players makes him an excellent fit to lead Leicester’s promotion push in 2025/26. The loss of key players increases the challenge, but Röhl’s adaptability and success with limited resources at Wednesday suggest he can navigate these gaps, provided Leicester support him with targeted recruitment. His youth, tactical innovation, and charisma align with Leicester’s need for a fresh, long-term project. If Leicester secure him and bolster the squad with a creative midfielder and a pressing forward, Röhl could achieve promotion and lay the groundwork for Premier League stability.

Conclusion

Danny Röhl’s success at Sheffield Wednesday—turning a relegation-doomed side into a mid-table team—demonstrates his coaching prowess, tactical innovation, and leadership. The departures of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jamie Vardy complicate his potential role at Leicester City, requiring adjustments to his midfield and attacking setups and strong recruitment support. However, his adaptability, player development skills, and experience with adversity make him well-equipped to lead Leicester’s rebuild and promotion push. With the right signings and infrastructure, Röhl could replicate his Sheffield Wednesday success, making him an exciting, forward-thinking choice for Leicester in 2025/26.

[kingfox]

59 minutes ago, Bilo said:

It all suggests he's either too stubborn, too arrogant, too inflexible or too limited to switch it up. None of which are adjectives I want for our next manager.

As you mentioned him earlier, this is exactly why I’ve been very keen on John Mousinho. 
 

Got Pompey promoted using a possession based style, realised he needed to change things, opted for a more direct style this season and of course kept them up. 
 

If we want to actually have a longer term outlook, we need someone who can be versatile, or as I’ve mentioned many times, we actually follow the right trends and move away from trying to be possession heavy. 
 

Martin just believes in his style too much, he basically said on Lineker’s podcast that changing things would undermine the players abilities. 
 

But surely you want to give your team the best chance of surviving? Mousinho did it and it worked. Martin didn’t do it and it led to disaster. 

[Clever Fox]

19 minutes ago, Happy Fox said:

 

Fingers crossed, because Martin would be a crap appointment, Rohl alongside Chris Powell plus Andy King would be the dream team.

Martin has to be flexible if he comes here. You can have principles as to how you want to play. But you have to play within the capabilities of the players at your disposal.

That's not compromising your principles while you work towards recruiting the players to play your system.

 

However Rohl, Powell, King would make a decent Management team,  Even more so when two of them know the Club well.

[Chelmofox]

6 minutes ago, Clever Fox said:

Martin has to be flexible if he comes here. You can have principles as to how you want to play. But you have to play within the capabilities of the players at your disposal.

That's not compromising your principles while you work towards recruiting the players to play your system.

 

However Rohl, Powell, King would make a decent Management team,  Even more so when two of them know the Club well.

He wont be. He will already think he has better tools to make his style work (Winks, Vesty etc). 

[Spudulike]

34 minutes ago, Happy Fox said:

 

The AGM is next Friday 6th June 2025 when we officially become a championship club.

The next Friday is 30th May. The following Friday is the 6th June. Just saying.

[AjcW]

1 minute ago, Spudulike said:

The next Friday is 30th May. The following Friday is the 6th June. Just saying.

What a load of shit