SANTA’S SACK

Football Daily didn’t get where it is today by sticking rigidly to a certain style. Like Groucho Marx, we’ve always tried to adhere to certain principles but if we get even the slightest sense readers don’t like them … well, we have other ones that might be more to your liking. The same, sadly, cannot be said for Russell Martin, whose fanatical zealotry when it came to making Southampton play football in what he perceived to be The Right Way when almost all available evidence suggested it was the wrong way, has finally cost him his job after his side suffered a humiliating home defeat at the hands of Tottenham at St Mary’s on Monday night.

A goal down before any of their players had even touched the ball, Southampton went in at the break 5-0 behind and if there was any small consolation for their fans, it came in the form of Tottenham’s collective decision not to pile any additional hurt on them in the second half. They were also spared the kind of criticism visited upon them by well-fed pundits sermonising from a warm studio on a famous Friday night back in October 2019; the ones who famously took a dim view of Saints fans who decided to leave the stadium early instead of sitting through the entirety of a 9-0 pasting at the hands of Leicester in torrential sideways rain. “This is a very precarious job,” said Martin after the game, as a club suit hovered nearby holding an envelope containing a copy of the 38-year-old’s P45. “I can’t sit here after losing 5-0, being bottom of the table and pretend I’m feeling confident about my job. I’ve no choice but to work and to fight. That’s all I’ve done in this job and I’ll continue to do that until I am told otherwise.”

Told otherwise immediately after he finished his press conference, Martin leaves having steered Southampton into the Premier League through the Championship playoffs. Anchored to the bottom of the table with just five points from 16 games, the Saints are firmly on course to go marching back into the second tier, unless whichever long-ball hoof-merchant the club hierarchy pick to replace Martin can channel the squad’s inner Wimbledon circa 1989 and get them launched at least three places up the table. Meanwhile at Molineux, the Wolves overlords finally ran out of patience with Gary O’Neil after seeing his side capitulate against Ipswich with barely a whimper until finally showing some fight after the final whistle. Following Mario Lemina’s post-match meltdown against West Ham on Monday, it was the turn of Rayan Aït-Nouri and Matheus Cunha to lose the run of themselves at full-time.

Both players had to be manhandled away from a flashpoint by teammates and backroom staff following incidents which earned the former a second yellow card and the latter a pair of glasses he ripped from the face of an Ipswich security man. With any luck, Cunha’s new bins will at least improve his view of proceedings from the Naughty Step as a lengthy ban is almost certainly imminent. Having masterminded just three victories between them from 32 league matches this season, neither Martin nor O’Neil can have too many complaints about being handed their cards, even if both can legitimately point to the failings of their respective former employers as they look forward to a nice relaxing Christmas unencumbered by the stress and tedium of looking glum on a Premier League touchline.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We feel like Asterix’s village in a world dominated by the Romans. We, too, feel like we have our magic potion – we are a very special club, with a strong tradition – but we keep having to fight these battles to defend ourselves” – José Ángel Sánchez, chief executive at plucky little underdogs … [checks notes] … Real Madrid, tells Harvard Business School about his club’s commitment to a European Super League.

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FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

Many Manchester City fans are seeing their team’s present predicament as virtually the end of the world (or at least the end of an era) while others, clearly in denial, regard the last 10 games as merely a blip. They might both be right; in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Blip was a five-year period of societal collapse on earth so, even before the verdict on all those charges, the fans have been warned” – Adrian Irving.

The fact that Bigger Cup overachievers, Brest, are nicknamed ‘The Pirates’ explains a lot (Wednesday’s Football Daily). The new one-legged format of the group stage was clearly made for them. Arrrr” – James Peebles.

In response to Tony Dunbar’s idea to seed the FA Cup third-round draw (Wednesday’s Football Daily letters), a better idea would be not to. On the day when you revealed that Saudi Arabia would be hosting the Human World Cup II, not meddling with something that is perfectly good as it is would be the best way to ensure we are not following that route ourselves. Maybe putting more cash into the lower leagues so they aren’t so desperate to boost their coffers, and less cash in certain people’s pockets, would be an idea worth further incubation” – Chris Harrison (and others)

Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s letter o’ the day winner is … James Peebles, who wins a copy of the new David Squires book, Chaos in the Box. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.

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