One thing that has been deafening from Southampton Fc since the debacle at Blackburn Rovers, is comment. Aside from the highlights, if there were any put up on Sunday, there has been no mention of the game on the club website since Saturday, is this a good or bad thing for the manager ?
Usually at this time when a manager is not getting the results, there is a little spin doctoring going on, players trotted out saying how hard that the man under fires is working and how the squad is totally behind him etc etc, but aside from a few comments from Mads Roerslev straight after the game at Ewood Park, there has been deathly silence.
Not even the dreaded "Vote of Confidence" has been trotted out in defence of the manager.
Perhaps that is a good thing for Will Still, the club are saying nothing, hoping to ride out the storm and that a win over Preston on Saturday will but the manager a bit more time and give hope that the tide is turned.
But it may be something more sinister, the fact the club is saying nothing could be that they are buying themselves a little time, that they are considering what they are going to do now and that having not publicly backed their manager, a sacking could be imminent once they have sounded out a few candidates for the job.
However on that note, if Johannes Spors and those making the decision are of the opinion that Will Still is no longer their man, it surely would have been better to have done the deed swiftly & quickly & let Paul Trollope & Adam Lallana take charge , Trollope has experience both as a manager and as a coach and assistant manager at this Level & the Premier League.
I can only imagine the atmosphere at Staplewood yesterday, there must be a sense of uncertainty in the squad, the manager hasn't been backed or sacked, will he still be there in the dug out on Saturday ? or will things move quickly in the next day or so, either way it is not ideal preparation for a game that if the manager is still in situ, will surely be a make or break game.
Defeat to Preston is unthinkable, that would surely be the end, but some would contest that the point of no return has already been passed and one game isn't going to change much, so better to act now.
Either way this is not good for Saints, we go into the game on Saturday with that feeling of Last Chance Saloon, the mood of the fans has changed, they have had 3 years of calamity at St Mary's, mistake after mistake in managerial appointments and poor recruitment, there will be no leeway for Will Still & his team on Saturday if he is in charge, they have to score early and win well, a goal for Preston will turn the atmosphere from hostile to toxic in the space of seconds.
Johannes Spors has to be seen to acting decisively and from the front this week, he has to show that he and indeed the club are in charge of the situation, of course he cannot come out and say that they are giving Still time to turn things round, he certainly cannot set a timeframe, but he has to be seen talking about Southampton & not Juventus, he has to be showing his commitment to the club & determination to sort things out.
We are sick of a lack of leadership from managers, we are sick of a lack of leadership on the pitch, due to the failure of not only Will Still but previous managers to address this, we are sick of a lack of leadership from the board, we need to see that there is something there that can turn things around.
I am not sure what the silence from St Mary's will ultimately mean for Will Still, what I do know is that it is only fuelling discontent in the supporter base, at least one good thing, a raft of empty seats will not be able to boo & throw abuse at those running Southampton Football Club on Saturday.