Charlie Austin launches brutal Russell Martin rant after Leicester City lose to Oxford | OneFootball

Pundit Charlie Austin has launched a brutal rant about Leicester City manager Russell Martin following the 4-0 defeat to Oxford United...

Charlie Austin has launched a rant about Russell Martin following Leicester City's 4-0 defeat to Oxford United at the King Power Stadium.

It's been a disastrous start to the campaign for Leicester City in the 2026/27 League One season, with home defeats to Oxford United and Burton Albion joined by draws away to Notts County and MK Dons in the first five fixtures.

Leicester's one and only league victory was against Plymouth Argyle, but they are also out of the League Cup after losing to Ipswich Town. There has been a major overhaul of the squad, but that does not excuse their horrific start after relegation from the Championship.

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Following their back-to-back relegations, fan patience is at an all-time low at Leicester. However, pundits and neutrals have been weighing in on the situation and vindicating the thoughts of many supporters currently.

Speaking on Chaz Kicks Off via the Charlie Austin Football Channel on YouTube, he said: "I just go back to my time. Listen, you wanted to play all the time. I remember, I go back to the 13/14 season and up until January, I played every game. I played every game. I was fit and

I played.

"It was a Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday. You don't train anyway because you're on recovery and players want to play games, so that's part and parcel. Russell Martin, wind your neck in, mate. You've actually got nothing to say.

"I have seen he's won three games out of his last God knows how many. He was at Saints, relegation, got binned off. Got the Rangers job, somehow got chased out of there because he was a shambles. He's now gone to Leicester in League One and, once again, what we have seen, he's playing the same old nonsense s--- football.

"One dimensional, and he's got Leicester City, ex-Premier League champions, 17th who have just got stuffed 4-0 against Oxford at home. He should be ashamed of himself and he's lucky he's in the job.

"So, for him to come out and start saying, 'oh about training, there's games here, there's too many games'. You're not the only one. You've

managed in the EFL the majority of your career.

"So just get on with it and maybe just look at that man in the mirror, the one that's reflecting back. Maybe he's got the issue."

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Martin’s career increasingly raises the question of whether his football simply has a ceiling at certain levels. His possession-heavy philosophy can be hugely effective when he has the players capable of executing it, as Southampton showed when they won promotion to the Premier League.

But it can become a problem when opponents have greater quality, or when his squad is expected to dominate every week. His Premier League spell exposed that, while his time at Rangers also suggested he struggled when the pressure to deliver immediately became overwhelming.

Now, Leicester's disastrous start in League One is another warning sign. After the highs of Southampton, the repeated middling or poor spells suggest Martin may need to become more adaptable rather than simply doubling down on his philosophy. The speed of attacks is consistently an issue.

There are reasons for Leicester supporters to remain patient with Russell Martin

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Leicester fans should perhaps remember that Southampton’s successful promotion campaign under Russell Martin did not begin smoothly. The Saints lost four of their first eight Championship matches, including a humiliating 4-1 home defeat, ironically, to Leicester themselves, with Jamie Vardy scoring after just 21 seconds.

Yet Martin’s ideas eventually clicked, producing a club-record unbeaten run and ultimately promotion at the first attempt. That should provide Leicester with at least some perspective during this current teething period.

The concern is understandable given the expectations and the performances so far, but Martin’s football is complex and perhaps needs time to take hold. Writing him off immediately could end up being premature, particularly if Leicester can find some consistency soon.

Away games against Stockport County, Barnsley, and Blackpool in three of the next four should help give a clearer picture of their level, but a midfield with Sammy Braybrooke and John Lundstram should get to grips with things soon enough, while the attacking players at Martin's disposal have no excuses but to eventually shine at League One level.