The awkward moment Russell Martin vows to fight for his job 12 minutes before being fired

Russell Martin awkwardly vowed to fight for his Southampton job but was sacked 12 minutes later.

The head of the Saints was relieved of duties after the 5-0 at the hands of Tottenham on Sunday.

That result left the south coast side rooted to the bottom of the Premier League with just one win in 16 matches so far.

Martin was forced to listen to a barrage of derogatory chants from his own fans during the 90 minutes at St Mary's, suggesting the writing was on the wall when it came to a possible sacking.

Asked after the game if he thought the fans would get his wish, Martin replied: “No idea, mate. No idea.

“You're asking the wrong person.

“I've done nothing but fight in my life and in my career, so we're going to keep working and we're going to keep fighting until they tell me I'm not going to do it anymore.”

But only 12 minutes later, Southampton issued a statement confirming Martin's fate.

The statement read: “We can confirm that we have made the difficult decision to part ways with men's first team coach Russell Martin.

“At the start of the season, we all knew the challenges we would face this year as we readjusted to life in the top flight, competing in the best and most competitive league in the world.

“However, the reality of our situation is clear. The board has been supportive of Russell and his staff and has been open and transparent about our expectations. We have all been on the same page in recognizing the urgency of needing results to improve.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank Russell and his staff for all the hard work and dedication they have given the club on and off the pitch over the last 18 months.

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“Everyone associated with Southampton FC will always have fantastic memories of last season, especially the play-off final win in May.

“Current U21 coach Simon Rusk will take charge of the team on an interim basis until we announce a permanent replacement.

“Behind the scenes, we are encouraged by the continued development of talent coming through our academy. We are proud of the contributions our young players are making and are confident that this will continue to be a source of strength and pride for everyone associated with the club.

“We are also deeply grateful for the continued support and positivity shown by our fans.

“We witnessed first-hand the significant gap between the Championship and the Premier League, but their understanding and passion, even when the results have not been what we all want, continue to drive our long-term commitment to the club.”

As a result, Southampton's search for a new boss is underway with Sheffield Wednesday Chief Danny Rohl among the contenders.

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However, talkSPORT understands compensation could prove a hurdle in that move, with Southampton likely to turn to an overseas appointment.

Simon Jordan's verdict

Here's what former Crystal Palace owner and talkSPORT presenter Simon Jordan had to say about Russell Martin's sacking.:

Football is not for the faint of heart, not in terms of ownership, not in terms of management and often not in terms of gameplay either.

So with that comes the reality of people not respecting things you've done in the past and having no loyalty to you and ultimately instant gratification.

The media is guilty because they judge everything here and now. Football fans are football fans, or certain football fans are football fans.

I don't think Southampton fans pay attention to those types of people who say get out of our club.

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The approach of the committed and no-nonsense Southampton fans I think is admirable, but I think they will think Russell Martin was on borrowed time. To be honest, I'm surprised it took this long.

I think it was the right decision. I think it's sad that a manager loses his job. I'm a bit philosophical about it because I employed many of them and very few were surprised when they were fired.

Most of the time you pay them to fail. In this case, the line between your success and your failure, that is, five months ago you were successful in dragging this team up, now it is a failure.

I think Russell Martin was a fool. Yes. I know people will make the case and Eddie Howe did that a while ago.

If you have a philosophy and suddenly change it, then you didn't really believe it in the first place. But life is not like that.

If things don't work out, then you are a fool if you keep trying to turn back the sea.

It was obvious that Southampton couldn't play like that in this division. So get through the games, get points, get bad results, get some momentum on your side and stop sending goals. We have achieved five points in 16 games. What are we heading towards? A record low total. Is that our ambition?