BBC Sport
12 października 2026
Leicester City are 17th in the League One table after eight games
Boos, nervousness, helpless shrugs and another failure to launch.
Leicester City's latest defeat at King Power Stadium by lowly Peterborough United had Foxes boss Russell Martin saying there will be "no quick fix" in sacking him when supporters chanted for his dismissal.
Midfielder John Lundstram spoke of the team playing with "anxiety" at home, which has no doubt been exacerbated by the now regular criticism the Foxes are subjected to after a slow start to life in League One following back-to-back relegations.
That admission came at the end of a day that started with two of the club's hierarchy giving rare interviews, with long under-fire chief football officer Jon Rudkin defending the club's owners while sporting director James McCarron backed head coach Martin – albeit before this latest capitulation.
So how did the highly anticipated meeting with Peterborough, a side led by former Foxes captain Robbie Savage, go from McCarron speaking of being "super excited" to ex-winger and BBC Radio Leicester pundit Matt Piper questioning how much "respect" Leicester players have for Martin?
For years, media outlets had placed formal requests with Rudkin to speak about the club's fortunes – be them good or bad, from Premier League title triumphs to three relegations in four years.
That was, until just over an hour before kick-off at King Power Stadium on Saturday when he sat down with BBC Radio Leicester commentator Owynn Palmer-Atkin for an interview that lasted less than 10 minutes.
For the first time, Rudkin addressed the heavy criticism that he, along with owner Khun 'Top' Srivaddhanaprabha, have been the target of for years – culminating with calls for him to leave the club and for the Foxes to be sold.
And while BBC Sport has seen the sale brochure that has been circulated, in which the club is on the market for more than £200m, Rudkin said he "cannot comment on speculation".
Exclusive interviews with chief football officer Jon Rudkin and sporting director James McCarron
The game was still to kick off when sporting director McCarron also spoke to BBC Radio Leicester, more than seven months after he took the job with the Foxes.
Dominating the discussion was the state of Leicester on the pitch this season, the appointment of Martin and the rebuilding of the squad after a summer clear-out of high-earning under-performers after successive relegations.
Martin, a manager that some Foxes fans chanted their disapproval of when linked with the former Scotland international in years gone by, has endured a torrid few months at the helm with the team languishing in the bottom half of League One.
It was just minutes before they kicked off what would become their third home defeat of the season that McCarron spoke enthusiastically about what he felt the Foxes could look forward to after the extended three-week international break that allowed Martin more time infuse Leicester with the style of play he was hired for.
McCarron said he was "totally convinced" that Martin is the right manager the job.
"The central reason why we decide to appoint the manager is that we feel he can deliver a control-the-ball, dominate-territory style game with courage and intensity," McCarron said.
"But that takes time when you do 30 transfers over the summer. You need to see things settle down before you start to see the consistency."
And what McCarron saw before the defeat by Peterborough was a side he felt "should really start to take off".
Owura Edwards opened the scoring for Peterborough early on
When the clock finally ticked down to kick-off, there was no "take-off".
Owura Edwards put the visitors ahead after just 12 minutes and Harry Leonard doubled the advantage before Warren O'Hora's own goal had Savage's little-fancied Posh 3-0 up at the break.
The former Wales international had only been in charge at Peterborough for just over a week, joining a team who prior to the game at King Power Stadium were winless in six league games.
It took the Foxes 20 attempts on goal to finally pull a goal back in the 68th minute when Emil Riis finally found the back of the net.
Many Leicester supporters had already picked up and left before that goal, and Martin was well aware of it from where he stood in the technical area.
Martin has previously spoken about how he feels criticism he has received has "become really personal".
On Saturday, he accepted the jeers, boos and shouts for him to be sacked as being a hazard of the job after another damaging defeat.
"The chants are what they are. It is what it is and we have to keep our head down and work really hard," he said.
"I have to accept the personal stuff because I'm in charge of the team ultimately, so it's my responsibility."
He did also defend himself by adding: "I'm as frustrated as any of them, but if you think changing a manager is a quick fix then I'm not sure that's ever the way."
The 40-year-old's insistence on playing possession-based, heavy-passing football, which is so often bemoaned when results go against his sides, was again the focus of post-match analysis.
However, he turned attention on to his players by saying he wanted a more aggressive performance.
"You have to weather the storm at some point and you have to suffer in a game of football," Martin said.
"Maybe for five or 10 minutes, just be ugly, just be horrible, and fight. Right now, when we have to suffer, we don't look like a team."
Russell Martin has won four of his 12 games in charge of Leicester, across all competitions
Piper said the performance and lack of reaction from Foxes players reflects poorly on Martin.
"He is saying 'turn the game ugly for 10 minutes' and they have clearly not got that message on the training ground," Piper said.
"And that has you question how is he delivering these messages? How is he communicating that to the group? Why are they not listening to him?"
And with Savage – a player that Piper featured alongside for the Foxes in the Premier League - getting his side performing so well instantly, the big personality and presence of the Welshman only made it look worse for Martin.
"When he wanted something to happen on the football pitch, Robbie Savage was on the football pitch and he was driving the team from the sideline. He was delivering those messages," Piper said.
"And that is when his team was winning. Russell Martin's team were losing and he's saying they are not doing the things he asked them to do, and he is turning around and shrugging at his backroom staff.
"I have to question if he is really giving those messages on the training ground, because if that is what you want from your group and they are not listening to you, then they have no respect for you mate."
Just two players - Luke Thomas and Bobby De Cordova-Reid - that featured in the draw with Hull City that condemned Leicester to relegation last season started against Peterborough.
For years, the clear-out of players on big wages to make way for younger homegrown talent to help rebuild the club is what has been called for by observers and supporters alike.
Martin has turned to youth, with Will Alves and teenagers Louis Page and Olabade Aluko a trio of relatively inexperienced academy graduates that started against the Posh.
Around them, however, was vast experience - includes once-capped England international Alex McCarthy in goal, former Italy Under-21 international Caleb Okoli starting in defence, while the midfield included Lundstram, who ended his loan stint with Hull last season by helping them earn Premier League promotion.
This, however, has done nothing to wipe away the woes of Foxes past.
"With the pressure the club's been under the last couple of years, the players just feel a little bit anxious at times," Lundstram said.
"I think a lot of us just go in our shell a little bit, which is hard because obviously all the supporters just want us to do well. They just want us to make the better decisions more often than not.
"We're all better players than what we're showing. We really are.
"When you step over the white line you need to have that bit of presence and bit of pride to show you are a top player, and I think at the minute there is a bit of nervousness."
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