Russell Martin has had a torrid time since taking charge of Leicester City in June and he could already be facing down the barrel of an early sacking.
The former defender's start to life at the King Power Stadium has been far from pretty with his side currently sitting 18th in the League One table, and already knocked out of the Carabao Cup at this stage of the season.
As Martin takes charge of the Foxes for a trip to Stockport County on Saturday, he may only have one game left to save his Leicester job, with results going against him so far.
Russell Martin might have just one game to save his Leicester job
In the 10 years since Leicester defied all odds to win the Premier League, they have endured a turbulent period. A few years of mid-table finishes were put behind the club with qualification for the Europa League in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons and an FA Cup win in the latter, but the 2021/22 campaign brought an eighth-place finish with no European football.
The Foxes suffered a devastating relegation in the 2022/23 season, but bounced right back with promotion from the Championship the following term. However, they could not survive in the top flight, dropping down to the second tier once again.
Last campaign was a total shock for the Leicester players and fans as they became one of the few teams to be relegated back-to-back with a 23rd-place finish seeing them sent down to League One for the first time since the 2008/09 season.
Russell Martin was the manager trusted to take the Foxes back to the second tier, having achieved promotion to the Premier League with Southampton two years prior, but his start to life in the dugout has been far from what fans would have expected.
The former Saints gaffer has managed just one league victory so far this season, taking his tally to three since May 2024, a dismal tally of only 10.7% win percentage from 28 matches for the South Coast side, Rangers and Leicester.
He did pick up a victory in the Carabao Cup, defeating Northampton Town 1-0 in the first round, only to be knocked out by Ipswich Town in the next stage.
Martin started the league campaign with a 1-1 draw away to newly promoted Notts County before suffering a 2-1 defeat at home to Burton Albion. A 0-0 draw at MK Dons followed, ahead of Leicester finally securing three points with a 2-0 win over Plymouth Argyle.
However, those joys were shortlived as the Foxes suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Oxford United at the King Power just days later, putting much more pressure on an already struggling Martin.
The display in the loss to the U's was labelled by former Leicester winger as "a sackable performance" but Martin still retains the backing of his squad. In an interview with BBC East Midlands Today, defender Jayden Joseph acknowledged that he and his teammates support their manager and fully believe in his football philosophy.
While Martin may have the support of his players, the board's patience won't last forever. He is set to take charge of a clash with third-placed Stockport County tomorrow afternoon and will have a great task in beating a side that have won three of their first five league matches.
Another defeat could prove to be the final nail in the coffin for the Foxes manager, or it may just set him on his way to a sacking later down the line, but regardless, he has to get the three points on Saturday. Martin is under immense pressure to deliver at a football club that have struggled so much in recent years, and he won't be given an eternity to fix it.
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