Saints played their last Premier League game of the season on 28th May, but they don't actually officially cease to become a Premier League club until the 14th June and for those that haven't checked their calendar that is today.
This is not news for many, but for others who have spent the last few weeks berating the club for not appointing a new manager, the good news is that this is likely to happen very quickly now.
Saints have been waiting to officially leave the Premier League before appointing Russell Martin due to compensation issues with Swansea City, the Welsh club are entitled to around £1 million if Martin leaves for a Premier League club, but only £400,000 if it is a Championship club.
Saints would have preferred to have done the deal weeks ago, but the Swans wouldn't play ball, they held the contract to the exact wording and refused to let their manager go unless the Premier League compensation was paid.
Understandably with the reduced income next year, £600,000 is a lot of money and Saints made the call to hold out until we are officially in the Championship, though it seems Swansea City will still try to get the full payment after he has left, claiming that the approach was made when Saints were in the Premier League.
This should hold little water, approaching a manger does not mean you appoint him, clubs do not have to pay compensation to a club for merely speaking to a potential manager.
Swansea appear to have cost themselves money by standing firm, if Martin had been appointed 3 weeks ago then they would have saved a six figure amount in wages when the salaries of the coaching staff he will take with him are added to the total.
The truth is that very little would have changed, Martin would be on holiday if he was still Swansea boss, so would all his players and coaching staff, the Swans are paying him to do nothing.
From a Southampton perspective little would have changed either way by appointing him back in May or waiting three weeks, there are no players here to coach at Staplewood, they are all away on holiday or International duty, unofficially Martin will have been speaking to Director of Football Jason Wilcox about what he wants and who will be leaving etc.
The truth is on the face of things nothing much is happening, but behind the scenes things will have been moving, not just on the playing side but also in the boardroom, that shakeup has already begun with many of those who played a part in the various errors that all added up to relegation.
But today is the day that things start to appear to happen, Russell Martin is expected to be announced as the new man fairly quickly followed by his coaching staff, although it will be a fortnight before the squad returns to training and the transfer window also opens, although don't expect too much in that department for a few weeks.
When it does return initially not much will have changed, no one will leave until after July 1st and some will still be here in August and perhaps playing in the initial Championship games and hoping that they are part of the last minute deadline week rush.
So the next few weeks will be sorting the wheat from the chafe, finding out who will actually be leaving and who will have to stay, either by choice or otherwise.
We also then have to look who we bring in to replace them.
So although today is the day things start to change, apart from pictures of Russell Martin holding the obligatory shirt or wearing the training kit etc, on the surface nothing will stir until July 1st when our players receive their loyalty bonus and can finally leave with a bulging bank account.
But for Saints fans at least the appointment of a manager will show that something is happening, within the next few weeks the scope of the changes will be clearer and we will be able to put an end to last season and look to the future.
What has happened cannot be changed, we can drag ourselves down by continuously harking back to it, but there is no point in that, those who say "Sack the manager" Sack the board" well that has has been done, all three managers of last season have left the club and the CEO & Managing director have also gone.
Now is the time we call Sport Republic to account, but not for the past, but for what they do going forward !