Leicester City required a flawless and particularly impactful appointment following years of institutional indecision, neglect and systemic administrative failure. Instead, The King Power International Group (under the seemingly out-of-his-depth chairman Aiyawatt "Top" Srivaddhanaprabha) and their chief football officer (Jon Rudkin) have appointed the very figure the fan base was vehemently hoping to avoid.
"I'm very happy to get it done and just really looking forward to getting started properly..."Russell Martin via lcfc.com
Russell Martin now stands at the centre of this gathering storm, his recent tenures at Southampton and Rangers providing gasoline as opposed to comfort for a disillusioned support. Why would any rational fan in LE2 welcome a manager whose trajectory is so heavily defined by failure of late?
"I have to really respect that and respect this Football Club and what it's been about."
The answer, quite frankly, is that they do not, leaving many to wonder if the Foxes' own executive version of the Chuckle Brothers has drastically miscalculated yet again. However, a secondary school of thought is beginning to circulate, demanding that both supporters and critics alike confront the harsh realities of their current standing.
"My job is to bring that energy myself, to convince the players to bring that energy..."
The LE2 club has descended into the third tier of English football, and, consequently, its allure as a destination for managerial talent has diminished immeasurably. This grim reality dictates that the organisation cannot realistically expect elite, or even mid-level gaffers, to consider them viable employers in their current state.
Russell Martin talks the Leicester City talk - but can he walk the walk?!
"That's my job, to give them a team that wins and one they feel they can really go on a journey with."
Nevertheless, Martin has operated at the highest level of the domestic game. For a coach of his apparent profile to lower himself two divisions is, on paper, significant and perhaps even a courageous masterstroke. Steady!
"The only thing I'm ever going to ask from the players and the staff here, and of myself, is to be all in and give everything I possibly can, and for them to do the same when on the training pitch, when on the pitch at the King Power, when we are having to fight and compete for the supporters, for the Football Club, that we give everything, all the time."
The 40-year-old deserves both time and space from the terraces, for now; he must be granted the appropriate backing from the board. He is already whispering the right sentiments into Foxes ears, but the true test of his tenure will ultimately be measured by his capacity to reconcile these lofty words with tangible progress on the pitch.
"...making sure we build a culture at the training ground that is really clear, is really demanding, hopefully in the best way, where we care about what we're doing and the people that are doing it and then work, real hard work, so we're ready for the first game to compete and show what we're going to be about."
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