Russell Martin - Confirmed as First Team Manager

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

5 hours ago, ClaphamFox said:

I suppose we can assume McFarlane has not impressed so far.

 

Didn't he have a knock? I don't think he's quite fit to start yet.

[StinckleyFox]

32 minutes ago, em9999 said:

Yes and I have many times .. 

they must love you…

[em9999]

1 hour ago, StinckleyFox said:

they must love you…

Obviously I never have but its such a silly comparison those players are not my children .. 

[Blarmy]

On 17/08/2026 at 20:38, StinckleyFox said:

If we had won both games comfortably, I can guarantee that the people who are saying he needs to go after two games would not be saying

that we will win the league comfortably.

 

They would be saying something along the lines of, it’s only been two games it will all go wrong soon etc etc

Utter bollocks. It’s simple - some people have pattern recognition and others don’t. 

[anstey blueboy]

7 hours ago, em9999 said:

If the team play badly they will get booed 

 

Fans ain't a charity organisation we ain't there to make the players feel better about being crap 

 

We pay good money and they get paid obscene money for doing very little 

 

 

 My god you wouldn't go to a West end show watch complete crap and then cheer it unless your a simpleton who's easily pleased 

It's obvious you have never played any type of sport. Booing won't help the players play better; it will make them worse

[Philkeavo]

Martin needs a performance as well as a win on Saturday. The wafer thin optimism of pre-season is slowly draining away. The quick passing, fluid movement and sharp pressing was non-existent in the Northampton and Notts County games. Was this player anxiety, a failure to follow the manager’s instructions or more simply, teams have worked out that if you press, work harder and disrupt Leicester they will eventually falter. The way you counter this is you must work harder than the opposition. This is my biggest criticism, we get outfought by every single friggin team we play. Working as hard or harder than the opposition is a pre-requisite. I will continue to berate RM and his teams until I see matched effort. It’s the bare minimum.

Edited 18 August by Philkeavo

[alex]

RM or in fact any manager with this club in the state it’s in right now needs 10 games before being too harshly judged. 
 

 

[em9999]

31 minutes ago, anstey blueboy said:

It's obvious you have never played any type of sport. Booing won't help the players play better; it will make them worse

What ??? I aint there to make the players play better im there to be entertained and see them give 100% what u talking about .. if they need me to cheer to motivate them they are in the wrong job .. and yes I play multiple sports 

[AyewJoking]

41 minutes ago, anstey blueboy said:

It's obvious you have never played any type of sport. Booing won't help the players play better; it will make them worse

Worse as in lose confidence or...

 

fcuk off peasants, I'm not even gonna try if you boo me....I still get my thousands of pounds while go back to your dismal, low paid job

[Wymsey]

If he gets the results/success despite any lack of entertaining football then so be it.

 

It's literally a results business in the entertainment industry.

Edited 18 August by Wymsey

[CleudoG]

He definitely needs a performance, hope he drops Thomas Skipp and BDCR though I fear Bristric may get sent off. In reality think BDCR and Skipp start, but we win 2-1 scrappy goals

[Silebyfox_89]

Nice to see Brussell popping into the town for a curry last night. Broadway is decent, the bloke has taste 👌 

[LeePhilpottsBaldSpot]

14 hours ago, alex said:

RM or in fact any manager with this club in the state it’s in right now needs 10 games before being too harshly judged. 
 

 

I'd say half a season.

 

If we're as bad in that time as we have been in the first two games, they will get criticism. But it would be mad to change manager until they've had at least six months.

 

I said from his appointment that he'll probably start slow then click into gear as the season goes on. Fingers crossed...

[ALC Fox]

15 hours ago, Philkeavo said:

Martin needs a performance as well as a win on Saturday. The wafer thin optimism of pre-season is slowly draining away. The quick passing, fluid movement and sharp pressing was non-existent in the Northampton and Notts County games. Was this player anxiety, a failure to follow the manager’s instructions or more simply, teams have worked out that if you press, work harder and disrupt Leicester they will eventually falter. The way you counter this is you must work harder than the opposition. This is my biggest criticism, we get outfought by every single friggin team we play. Working as hard or harder than the opposition is a pre-requisite. I will continue to berate RM and his teams until I see matched effort. It’s the bare minimum.

I think the pre-season was aided by having a consistent group of young impressional players for a few weeks.

 

We've since had a lot of players leave both permanently and on loan and a lot of others brought in, and others return from World Cup action behind schedule compared to others.

 

This isn't a settled squad right now, so it's two steps forward and one step back.

 

When the window closes we'll have a run where Martin can coach his squad consistently. August might be a bit tumultuous but by October we could be firing. I hope.

[Jimbo1987]

It's a rebuild. Too many fans are drawing comparisons to previous teams and managers before the bloke has had a chance. Most of the players haven't played together and key connections and relationships will take time. We are essentially playing an entirely new team. The transfer window has been the most positive we've had in a while. I've watched this forum cry out for the like of Alves and Braybrook to get a go and RM is doing it. Be patient and give the bloke and this squad some time. 

[CosbehFox]

No point worrying about him sacked. No selling owner is spending £2-3 million to pay a manager off unless any purchaser has expressed he wishes to do this. 

 

Not withstanding I think this season is going to absolutely ****ing boring - whether we are successful or not 

[Collymore]

Sorry if that has been mentioned but did anyone notice McCarthy kicking it long and going a bit direct V Notts? 

 

Perhaps Brussell's attempt at "mixing it up" a bit. 

 

Only problem was we didn't have any players who could get hold of the ball! 

[Collymore]

On 14/08/2026 at 11:26, ARM1968 said:

Hope I’m wrong, but Brussel is crap. Likely gone by Christmas as we languish mid table. 

He never works Christmas apparently...

 

 

 

Edited 21 August by Collymore

[murphy]

On 19/08/2026 at 13:17, Jimbo1987 said:

It's a rebuild. Too many fans are drawing comparisons to previous teams and managers before the bloke has had a chance. Most of the players haven't played together and key connections and relationships will take time. We are essentially playing an entirely new team. The transfer window has been the most positive we've had in a while. I've watched this forum cry out for the like of Alves and Braybrook to get a go and RM is doing it. Be patient and give the bloke and this squad some time. 

Yes, it's positive that we are playing the likes of braybrooke and alves, but let's not kid ourselves.  This is due to the level we find ourselves and also our lack of transfer budget.

 

It has been a little disheartening that Martin has called for bringing in "players that have done it before" (ie L1 journeymen, not youth) and the club is yet to return to the previously successful model of buying players with any resale value.

[HankMarvin]

On 19/08/2026 at 12:42, Silebyfox_89 said:

Nice to see Brussell popping into the town for a curry last night. Broadway is decent, the bloke has taste 👌 

Prince Naseem lost a bit of timber 

[lcfcbluearmy]

14 hours ago, Collymore said:

Sorry if that has been mentioned but did anyone notice McCarthy kicking it long and going a bit direct V Notts? 

 

Perhaps Brussell's attempt at "mixing it up" a bit. 

 

Only problem was we didn't have any players who could get hold of the ball! 

Could be more to do with everytime he tried to pass it short it went straight to a Notts player and they nearly scored from it. More necessity rather than actual game plan I think

[coolhandfox]

11 minutes ago, lcfcbluearmy said:

Could be more to do with everytime he tried to pass it short it went straight to a Notts player and they nearly scored from it. More necessity rather than actual game plan I think

Spent a good chuck of the warm up practicing it. 

[lcfcbluearmy]

48 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

Spent a good chuck of the warm up practicing it. 

Fair i didn't see the warm up just annoyed with how many times Mccarthy kicked it straight to them and assumed the change was more because it clearly wasn't working rather than a begore game plan

[Claudio Fannieri]

Wonder how frustrated he is getting at our inability to shift out the deadwood and wantaways and expecting him to get a tune out of a squad that is horrifically lacking in centre half’s capable of playing his style and another striker to shoulder the goalscoring burden with Bristric. 
 

Russell has been a breath of fresh air and the change in culture and standards is there for all to see, however I do wonder what impact the likes of Souttar, Faes, Mavididi et al will have on the overall atmosphere at the club and also Martin’s own ability to stamp his authority on the club and playing style if McCarron, Rudkin and Aiyawatt are unable to get outgoing deals done and dusted pronto. Don’t know about anyone else but it’s certainly starting to drain my enthusiasm, I am starting to get last season vibes, where our inability to shift certain players became a millstone to the manager who was trying to change the culture and atmosphere around the place. 

[Iwebema]

31 minutes ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

Russell has been a breath of fresh air and the change in culture and standards is there for all to see,

One of the dads I talk to on the school run works at Seagrave, saw him last week and he said its night and day compared to last season and he said RM is the first manager since Enzo who has tried to build a culture, banning phones, forcing the players to bond. No surprise here, but he said last year everyone just hated each other, always on their phones, no one said a word outside of their little groups.

 

I think weve done alot of good work in the transfer market but we have to see it over the line and finish it off for once and not leave ourselves short like we do every year. 

 

I am no RM lover, but I think hes got a very tough job given the player turn over, leaving him short at the back and theres still a couple of toxic players we simply have to shift. He certainly deserves time to fix it and we need to have patience as a fan base with him I think.