A decade ago, in September 2016, Leicester City were preparing for a Champions League campaign, a testament to the heights the club had reached just a few years earlier. Fast forward to the present day, and the Foxes find themselves languishing in 17th place in League One – the lowest league position the club has ever occupied since its entry into the Football League in 1894. Under the stewardship of Russell Martin, Leicester have managed only a single victory in their opening five fixtures of the 2024/25 season. The most recent setback came on Saturday when they suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat at home to Oxford United.
The atmosphere at the King Power Stadium was electric with frustration, as supporters chanted, "you're getting sacked in the morning," a clear signal of the mounting pressure on Martin, who was hoping for a positive start to rehabilitate his reputation after a turbulent spell at Southampton and a challenging tenure at Rangers. The question on everyone’s mind is whether Martin can halt the slide and steer the club back toward stability. Former Leicester City assistant manager Michael Appleton believes there is a chance for redemption. Speaking on Sky Sports News' The EFL Show, Appleton acknowledged the severity of the situation: "It’s a difficult moment, there’s no doubt about it.
Russell Martin is a very experienced guy now. It was always going to be a difficult job, with big expectations from a club that not too long ago was playing in the Premier League and winning the Premier League." Appleton highlighted Martin’s modest record this season, noting that the manager has secured just three league wins across his tenures at Southampton, Rangers, and now Leicester, amounting to 28 attempts.
"With those expectations, you’ve got to deliver. It’s still very early, but losing 4-0 at home, along with the results against Plymouth and Burton, makes it a very difficult start. They’ve got to start winning games very quickly to address it," Appleton warned.
Drawing on Martin’s previous experiences at clubs with high expectations, Appleton suggested that the manager could use those lessons to calm his squad and staff. "He’ll draw on those experiences and maybe use them behind the scenes with the players and staff, speaking about how they dealt with those situations and trying to keep everyone calm," he said. Appleton also emphasized the psychological blow of a heavy home defeat: "I always say that when you’re in a difficult moment and you’re losing games, it feels much worse when you’re at home. I’m not saying losing 4-0 at Oxford would have been a good result in any stretch of the imagination, but when it happens at home, it feels so much worse." Appleton concluded with cautious optimism, noting that there are still several promising fixtures ahead.
He believes Martin possesses the composure needed to navigate the club through this turbulent period. Adding another perspective, Reading co‑CEO Joe Jacobson pointed to the inexperience of Leicester’s current squad as a contributing factor to their struggles. "They’ve got a really young team at the minute," Jacobson observed.
"You look at the players they’re bringing off the bench and they’re taking off experienced players and bringing on younger ones." Jacobson explained that the youthful roster faces intense pressure from a fan base still reeling from recent disappointments. "It’s difficult for those young players, who will feel the pressure and feel the atmosphere in the stadium.
The fans are waiting to turn because of what’s happened over the last couple of years. It takes a long time for a fan base to turn and get right behind their team again," he said.
He also noted that Martin’s clear vision for the team’s style of play may sometimes cause friction among supporters, but trusts the manager’s resolve. "He knows exactly what he wants to do and how he wants his team to play.
Sometimes that causes division within the fan base, but I’m sure he’ll be knuckling down on exactly what he wants to do with his team," Jacobson added. Reflecting on Martin’s past, Jacobson recalled a similar turnaround at Southampton: "They lost four games in a row in September and then didn’t lose a league match until February. If he can turn the ship, he might start to get a tune out of some of those players." Jacobson also highlighted the broader context of club ownership turmoil, noting that Leicester’s recent announcement that the club is up for sale has further strained the relationship between the board and the supporters.
Drawing a parallel with Reading’s own ownership issues, he said, "It’s been difficult at Reading because of what happened previously with the ownership there. We’ve felt it as well.
It has taken a long time to get the fans to buy into what you want to do, and the ownership have done amazing things there over the years." He warned that public statements about selling the club can erode fan confidence: "When they recently came out and talked about wanting to sell the club and actively looking for a buyer, straight away the fans almost say, ‘Well, you don’t care now. You just want out. That’s your main focus.’ If the ownership are openly saying they want to sell, it’s really difficult for the fans to buy into that." Despite these challenges, Jacobson remains hopeful for a successful season, believing that increased training time under Martin’s guidance will eventually bear fruit.
"Once these players get time on the training field with the manager, I’m sure they’ll come good. At the minute, there’s that anxiousness and a divided fan base. They want to support their club, but they also want to feel that everyone is pulling in the right direction," he concluded. Looking ahead, Leicester’s next test comes against Stockport County on Saturday.
Stockport, currently sitting third in League One, have risen dramatically from the National League North a decade ago and will host the Foxes at Edgeley Park as favorites. This fixture offers Martin a crucial opportunity to demonstrate whether his tactics and leadership can reverse the club’s fortunes and restore some pride to a fan base that has endured a painful descent from Premier League glory to the depths of English football.