Is the end of Russell Martin’s story at Leicester inevitable? Former Foxes striker urges divisive ex-Rangers manager to change his ways amid supporter angst

Not everybody in the East Midlands was convinced that the right man to address an alarming slump down the divisions had been found when reins were handed to Martin in mid-June. Leicester were still dusting themselves down at that stage after tumbling out of the Premier League and into League One across two forgettable relegation campaigns.

Inspiration was required from somewhere in a bid to halt the slide and re-establish forward momentum. A man with plenty of EFL experience to his name was charged with the task of overseeing that process.

Martin was, however, still stuck under the cloud cast by his disastrous 17-game stint in charge of Scottish Premiership giants Rangers. He had also lost favour among supporters when refusing to tinker with his tactical blueprint at Southampton - with a step up into the Premier League proving difficult to navigate at St Mary's.

Leicester stumbled out of the blocks in 2026-27, picking up just two victories through their opening six games in all competitions. A humbling 4-0 defeat at home to Oxford United saw early pressure mount on Martin.

Inconsistency has remained an issue, with back-to-back victories being enjoyed just once in the third tier, and questions continue to be asked of whether the best candidate is at the helm - with home attendances on the slide as frustrated supporters make their feelings clear.

Asked if Martin is destined to fail, with there usually only one outcome once fans turn, former Foxes striker Beckford - who was speaking in association with FreeBets, home of the best UK betting sites - told GOAL: “That is often the case, unless you're picking up the results. Leicester currently are in a bit of a funny position. I say currently, Leicester over the last couple of years have been in a really bad place.

“The one thing you want to do, and I don't want to speak against Russell Martin, I could only imagine how difficult any management job is, let alone for a huge club like Leicester, especially being dropped down a couple of divisions and lots of things going against you. From the outside looking in, you have to say, keep the fans on side. Listen to the fans, listen to what they're asking for, listen to what they're screaming for.

“The moment you go against them is the moment you're basically saying, ‘I don't care about you, I don't care what you think’. Whether that's what he's thinking or not, that's the perspective that is received from the outside looking in. If you've got a way of playing, and he's definitely got a very specific DNA as to how he wants his teams to play, sometimes it doesn't work.”

Pressed further on whether that is the biggest issue facing Martin - his reluctance to move away from Plan A - Beckford added: “Yes, which to an extent is quite admirable. It's also very damning if you and your fans are watching something that everybody can see is not working and you stick to it. That's the definition of madness, really.

“I would like to see him just completely go against the grain, go against everything he's shown the footballing world the last four or five years, and just completely mix it up. No more playing out from the back, for example. No more tiki-taka football. Just go direct. Or ping it out to the wide boys and get them whipping balls in and just keep it nice and tight at the back and disciplined in midfield.

“That's what the fans want to see. They want to see something different because they know what they've been witnessing hasn't been working. It's so frustrating. Watching the first five minutes of games, just listening to the crowd, the groans and the moans start coming in when the boys are still playing it out from the back. Even though the opposition are on a full-court press, you can read it, you can see what's going to happen. It's inevitable. I would like to see him mix it up just a little bit.

“But again, I reiterate, the role of a manager and the job of a manager is one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult role in football. I completely understand that he's got a specific way of playing and he wants to stick to that. But I do hope for himself and for the football club that he's able to do something different and turn the fortunes around. Because that club is way too big to be languishing in League One.”

Leicester are sat 10th in the third tier table at present, three points adrift of the play-off places through 13 rounds of fixtures. Time is still on their side when it comes to mounting a push for promotion.

They will be in FA Cup first round action on Friday when taking in a trip to National League North minnows Oxford City - with it important to avoid any giant-killing antics there. Martin’s side will not strut their stuff in League One again until heading to Huddersfield on November 21.