Jamie O’Hara believes David Moyes has a better chance of keeping Southampton out of the Premier League relegation zone than Russell Martin and has picked the 61-year-old manager to take over at St Mary’s.
Southampton’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City on Saturday extended their dismal start to the season and put further pressure on Martin, with fans and commentators divided regarding his future at the club.
Such disagreements have also happened on TalkSPORT, with presenters Jason Cundy and Jamie O’Hara debating whether the 38-year-old coach should be given additional opportunity to turn the season around.
Cundy stated that a new face in the dugout might not always address the problem:
“I think right now, to be pointing the finger at Russell Martin, if that’s where the Southampton fans want to go, if they genuinely feel that bringing in a David Moyes would change the style of football dramatically, they will play hang-on, cling-on football, so that’s the alternative?”
O’Hara responded by claiming that Moyes could be the key to Southampton’s survival chances:
“If they got David Moyes as a manager, they’ve got a better chance of staying in the Premier League than with Russell Martin.” Last week, Sky Sports News reported that the Southampton management have no imminent intentions to dismiss Martin after his dismal start to the season, but are known to have
Demanding a swift turnaround in results to avoid putting additional pressure on the Brighton-born manager.
The 38-year-old was not anticipated to pull off a surprise victory at Manchester City, but the next two Premier League games against Everton and Wolves are viewed as ‘crucial’ chances to clinch his first win of the season.
After taking the Saints back to the Premier League, Martin was given a new three-year contract at St. Mary’s that runs until 2027.
He has maintained his ball-oriented style this season, as Southampton presently has the division’s sixth-best average possession percentage (54.1%).
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