Russell Martin would probably be a decent centre back for a Championship side.
And perhaps that 0.2 seconds less that you get to make a decision in this league is the difference between him making mistakes like that and not making them.
Personally I just don't think he is good enough for this league, perhaps he is "competent", in the sense that being merely competent isn't enough to be one of the 500 players worthy of being registered in a 25 man squad in arguably the worlds best league.
All defenders make game changing mistakes, but Martin is making far too many of them. I don't like to scapegoat individuals and I particularly don't like doing it when its a player who has been so committed to the cause and has done a job for us in the past, but for me he needs to be dropping down a level now just like Elliott Bennett, Anthony Pilkington, Michael Turner, and numerous others who did a good job for us for a period but who's time had just come to a natural end here.
He had a few seasons here where he genuine did a good job for us in this league, where he didn't look out of place, but that time was spent primarily at right back. He never actually proved his mettle at centre back at this level. Now that he has aged moved inside, and is seemingly not as good at right back now, he needs to find the level which befits his ability in his new position and for me that is going to play for Paul Lambert at Blackburn or something.
As for whether he's a "ball playing" centre back, I always feel more confident with Bassong in possession personally, and we haven't really had one of those since Leon Barnett and Elliott Ward who could ping a 50 yard pass to our winger, but they were both a liability defensively at this level too.
As a centre back I don't see how Martin is any better than Barnett or Ward and that partnership didn't last. Those are Championship players too. In fact, the former has just signed for Lambert and the latter is in League One.
