MARTIN HAS TO STAY ON HIS FEET LONGER!
SHOULD Derby cash in on Chris Martin? Six million quid for a bloke who is bang out of form and turns 28 in November must be mighty enticing.
So far, Nigel Pearson and the Rams board are refusing to sell. Fans aren’t so sure. A survey in the Derby Telegraph showed that 67 per cent of voters favoured ditching the big striker.
At face value, that’s pretty remarkable.
Martin, a free transfer from Norwich in 2013, has scored 60 goals in 131 games and finished as the club’s top scorer three seasons running.
He should be a terrace darling, the mere hint of an exit met with riotous disapproval.
Yet Martin finished last season in woeful form, netting just seven times after October.
Frustrated, he spent more and more time flopping around on the turf trying to win freekicks, irritating referees and eventually his own supporters.
Now he has been relegated to the bench, the mobility of Darren Bent and Tom Ince more suited to Pearson’s preferred 4-4-2.
So, is it the end of the road? For Martin’s sake, I hope not. He deserves a chance to regain his form and confidence. He has earned a bit of patience.
Yes, Pearson likes pace and mobility, but Steve Howard’s success at Leicester shows he isn’t averse to a big man, especially twinned with a nippy striker. Martin just needs to run more, fall down less, and remember he’s there to hunt goals, not free-kicks.