Tonda Eckert Hits The Top Spot In Bookies Favourites List Monday, 10th Nov 2025 09:15 November is Sack The Manager season as those clubs who have started the season badly press the panic button and make a change, Southampton are not alone in that respect with Norwich having sacked their man and Middlesbrough likely to be forced to make a change after Wolves came after Rob Edwards. Last week Gary O'Neil seemed to be favourite for the Saints job, the social media went into overdrive and rumours abounded, mainly driven by the news that he had turned down a return to Wolverhampton Wanderers. The trouble is with the betting on new managers, it is what is known as a fun bet, it is too open to manipulation for the Bookies to allow serious money to be put on it, in the past this has happened, where a manager in the know will tip off his mates to get their money on him joining a certain club as he has been offered the job.
So as they don't want to lose money on it, a candidates odds can go in and out for something innocuous, Ralph Hasenhuttl seems to be high up in the list based only on the fact he was pictured in the stands when Saints played at Bristol City recently. That is perhaps evidence that he is not in the running, if a manager is sounded out about a job, you don't see him in the stands at a game, likewise interviews are not done in Stadiums or training grounds, it is done quietly and without fuss somewhere where the club considering employing him would not be recognised, usually a meeting room booked under another name at a hotel far from the club's home. After this weekend it seems that Gary O'Neil has dropped down from top spot, this has been based on nothing other than speculation, a few stories about Southampton fans verbal protests against him on Saturday, plus the fact that caretaker manager Tonda Eckert has become the first Saints manager to win two games in a row in the League for 19 month. That plus the fact that a few Saints fans would have thrown £20 on him getting the job has seen his odds slashed. I would be surprised if Eckert did get the job, purely because it is a route that Sport Republic has gone down already and it has failed on each occasion, ie a young aspiring coach with a few different ideas gives a good interview and gets the job.
I need not name them all, but the nearest of that exclusive but growing club of Sport Republic ex managers to the situation that we are in now would be the appointment of Ruben Selles, he was initially a caretaker manager but after a couple of good wins early in that tenure, 2 wins out of 3 League games, he was given the job to the end of the season, as we all know we collapsed spectacularly, no further wins and just 4 draws in the last 13 games of the season. So it is a road that you would hope that Sport Republic will not take on this occasion, we need experience to be able to handle a large squad that has some disillusioned players in it. So the good news is that as much as i have been impressed with Tonda Eckert and think he can be a top manager going forward and hopefully at St Mary's, he is not the right man for the job now, but just behind him in the betting are several who fit that bill. We need experience, one man who would be the favourite of many is Michael Carrick, he has hovered in 3rd place for most of the last week, the silent assassin so to speak.
Behind him are Brendan Rodgers & Russell Martin, I would hope that neither will be given any consideration, I have heard from a good source that Sport Republic won't appoint Martin, bridges have been burnt there and there is no coming back. Carlos Corberan has been linked with Saints before and is now, but he is also linked with Middlesbrough. One dark horse could be Daniel Farke, he could be sacked by Leeds today if the rumours are accurate, he is a man experienced at getting clubs promoted from the Championship, so would be a consideration, it would be a very Southampton thing if we were to ring them just as they were going into the meeting to verify his sacking and make an offer, thus saving them the cost of paying him off and getting some compensation as well. Literally everyone else is pure speculation, but I have a feeling there is a dark horse in there somewhere, one name that is sticking out to me is Jesse Marsch, currently coach to the Canadian national team, he is a man who has been linked before to Saints and fiits the Sport Republic blueprint, Leroy Rosenior is a name that some Saints fans will bring up, he too fits the SR Blueprint, but he is at Strasbourg and signed a new 3 year contract in the summer, I can't see him leaving the French club for the Championship, I think if he does leave it will be for a struggling Premier League club.
What we do need though is stability and that means getting the new appointment made this week, that will give the new man a full week to work with the squad before we travel to Charlton Athletic after the International break, a team managed by the man who was Sport Republic's first managerial appointment in Nathan Jones This will be a interesting week for Saints fans, it will also be an important one for Sport Republic, they have to start proving that they have learned lessons from the past, some of them completely their fault and sometimes beyond their control, they can't keep making the wrong managerial appointment. Everyone Southampton supporter could tell them where they have gone wrong, now is not the time for experiment as it was in the appointment of Will Still, now is the time for experience. All Photos Via Reuters Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
You need to login in order to post your comments |
   Blogs 30 bloggersSouthampton Polls[ Vote here ] |
