Saints have made a big decision in appointing Ruben Selles as first team manager until the end of the season, this will please most Saints fans, but it is a massive leap of faith given the fact that the Spaniard has little managerial experience other than an assistant.
No Saints supporter who travelled to Stamford Bridge last Saturday can deny that there was a different atmosphere and spirit both in the Saints team itself and also the supporters, it gave that new manager bounce that we had all been hoping for under Nathan Jones, but didn't get.
There is no doubt that both fans and players seem to be behind Selles getting the job, but this is a massive leap of faith from the Saints hierarchy in giving him the end of the job until the end of the season, given that the Chelsea game was the first time that he had actually been the manager of a team in a Professional League.
His career so far has been as an assistant manager, as was his position at St Mary's and his only other experience in the hot seat cam when he took charge of the team in the Carabao Cup against Sheffield Wednesday, a day before Jones was appointed.
That is the big question mark in appointing him and he must be the only manager to be appointed a manager in the Premier League who has never managed before at any professional adult level, hang on a minute though this is Southampton FC and I forgot about Stuart Gray and Steve Wigley !
I'll amend that claim, we must be the only club that has appointed a manager in the Premier League with no previous managerial experience at any level.
Having got the down sides out of the way, we have to look at the positives, It is clear that the players believe in him and Selles has an aura about him, he looks like and talks like a manager who knows what he is doing, is calm & collected and believes in his own ability.
So i think most Saints supporters will welcome this move and see it as a positive, Nathan Jones was clearly not up to the job and more to the point was actually counter productive in his team selections and man management of the squad.
From this point of view literally anyone would be better than Jones.
Selles job is straightforward, he has a squad that is capable of getting us out of trouble, he needs to keep it simple, as he did at Chelsea pick the right players in the right positions, not try to over think thinks and motivate the players.
That is all that is needed, this squad with the January signings now has the quality to pull clear, it just needs leadership.
The feel good factor will also be a big factor in keeping us up, Selles last weekend was the catalyst that suddenly excited the fans again, perception is a big thing in life whether it is football or otherwise, the perception of Ralph Hasenhuttl was a big factor in the atmosphere around St Mary's over the past year or so, the perception of Nathan Jones meant that he was never given a chance by the fans and the atmosphere was toxic by the time he played his first home game in the Premier League.
Selles has already wiped away that toxicity in one foul swoop, the fans perceive he is the man for the job , we all need to get behind him and turn St Mary's into a cauldron and pick up the points at home that will steer us to safety.
It feels like there isn't much time left in the Premier League season, the reality is that we are a month behind due to the World Cup break, there are still 15 games left, a Great Escape is not yet needed, just getting a little over a point a game average will see us home
Saints announcement was short and sweet.
"Southampton Football Club can today confirm that Rubén Sellés has been appointed as Men’s First Team Manager until the end of the 2022/23 season. "
No explanations no excuses, no quotes, just the plain fact of the matter, Ruben Selles is in place, there is a job to do.