Premier League boss slams The FA after giving captain extra ban for X-rated blast

Russell Martin says disciplinary hawks have “drawn a line in the sand” over foul language after clobbering captain Jack Stephens with an extra two-match ban.

Stephens was slapped with an additional suspension - in addition to the three games he has already missed after being sent off against last month - and a £50,000 fine for

The Saints boss has accepted his skipper’e extended lay-off and said: “They (FA disciplinary panel) have drawn a line in the sand, and as long as everyone else is treated the same way, we have to accept it.

“Jack asked for a personal hearing to apologise because he’s a very good human being and it will be frustrating not to have him for another two games - but it could have been worse.”

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Martin is under pressure after picking up just a point from Southampton’s first six games, but he insists he has blocked out the “outside noise” - including bookies making him second favourite, behind Erik ten Hag, to be the next manager sacked.

He said: “I don’t own a tin hat, but you have to accept everything as a manager - I don’t pay much attention to all the noise now, and I didn’t when we went 25 games unbeaten last year.

“Everyone will have an opinion, but the only people’s opinions that matter are my bosses and the owners of the club - the people I work with every day. As long as I am aware of them, and we are working together, everything else is really irrelevant to my position.”

Saints face a thankless task at on Saturday, where they have only won twice in the club’s history, with Danny Wallace’s goal at Highbury 37 years ago giving them their last shaft of joy.

But Martin says ’s success in turning the Gunners into title contenders demonstrates the value of loyalty, adding: “I watched Arsenal in the on Tuesday night and they were outstanding.

“What’s Mikel and his coaching staff have done with that team is incredible, the identity of it and the feel of it, and they went through some real pain early on to get there.

“They stuck with it, they gave him time, patience and perseverance. It’s about having conviction in what you do, strength of character to ignore the noise and staying on the right path.

“Even Sir Alex encountered some bumps in the road early in his tenure at Manchester United, but if you have something you believe in, you stick with it.”

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