A Big Decision Week For For Southampton FC
Monday, 27th Oct 2025 09:12

After a week that has seen Saints play 3 games, take just a single point from the 9 on offer and drop to 20th in the Championship, not to mention the landmark of just 4 wins in our last 50 League games, Johannes Spors has a decision to make.

Forget last season, that is dead and gone, it can't be changed now, but this season is still there for the taking and whatever your viewpoint on Southampton the performances this season and especially in the last week have been unacceptable, our position in the table at this point in the season is unacceptable.

We knew that Will Still would take time to get his feet under the table, but after seeing the club spend big in the summer and arguably assemble the best squad in the division, we expected to be at least in or around the play offs at this stage and building up a head of steam for a push into the automatic places.

But what we have seen is a manager who even after having been at the club for nearly 5 months has not improved it in any way that I can see.

I see a squad floundering with a lack of leadership both on and off the field, I see players who are hesitant and lacking in confidence and on Saturday when I see a 20 year old who couldn't get in Crawley Town's side on loan last season and whose Saints career so far has been two 3 minute cameo appearances in the FA Cup 2 years ago and did not even have a squad number whilst the likes of Joe Aribo & Sam Edozie don't even travel with the squad, I see a manager who is out of his depth, but worse I see a squad who at best are bemused by his tactics and at worst are not playing for him, in short I think he has lost the dressing room and there is no way back from that.

Will Still may feel that both of those players were disloyal as they wished to leave, but having stayed his job is not to hold grudges but get the best out of his squad and get results.

When I have looked at Will Still stood in the dugout in the past 3 matches I have seen a rabbit in the headlights, not knowing what to do next.

Going on to getting the best out of his squad ! I don't think there is a Saints fan in the land who would claim that, they like me see a manager who chops and changes, has shown little faith in his players, he had bred uncertainty as players know that one bad half could see them dropped the following week.

I could go on for another 5 paragraphs about what I see when I watch Southampton play in the last months, but it is time to draw a line in the sand and stop moaning about the problems and start talking about the solutions.

If Will Still is sacked then we will have another embarrassing stat on the record books, one of having had 5 managers in charge in less than a year, but that is a better stat than what I see in this mornings League table.

It is time for our Sporting Director Johannes Spors to earn his money, yes he was the man who appointed Will Still, but crucially he was not the man that appointed Ivan Juric or Russell Martin, in fairness to him it has not been him who has blundered in the appointment of managers since Ralph Hasenhuttl was sacked 3 years ago, he was not at the club for most of them.

So he needs now to take control of the situation, like a good Labour MP on Sunday morning political TV, blame the people in charge before he came into power and do a bit of spin doctoring and then move forward.

Move Forward is the key here, I don't care about how many managers we have had in the last 3 years, how many mistakes have been made, they cannot be changed now, all I care about is the next manager, I had hoped that this issue would not crop up this season, I had hoped that Will Still was the man to take Southampton FC forward, but it is clear that he is not.

He has been given all the tolls he needs, he has at least two experienced choices for every position, he has bombed out good proven Championship players such as Will Smallbone who now sits 3rd with Millwall and replaced them with those who have no experience in this division.

It is now time for Johannes Spors to show he is decisive, that he can read situations and make decisions.

I don't find any satisfaction in calling for the head of a manager and part of me hopes that Will Still is not sacked and wins against Preston on Saturday and turns the tables, but I cannot see any evidence anywhere that we will do that.

So that leaves Johannes Spors with only once decision and it needs to be done now, If Still is still in charge on Saturday, there will be a lot of empty seats in St Mary's, but those that there will be making their feelings known and the last thing we need is a toxic atmosphere, another defeat could see us out of the drop zone only on goal difference.

If Spors does not have another manager lined up, then better to have Assistant Manager Paul Trollope in charge aided by Adam Lallana than see the current manager do the same things and get us the same results.

The players need a boost, they are playing with a weight on their shoulders, remove that and you will see performances improve.

Then we need to get in a manager who is experienced at this level, preferably with some success, who that man is I have not a clue, many of those who the Saints fans would like to have seen in the club, have now found other employment.

In this respect Spors will have a lot of work to do, but do it he must.

All Photos Via Reuters

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saintpete01 added 18:11 - Oct 27 GARY ONEIL WHY NOT🤔
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ItchenNorth added 13:30 - Oct 28 Not yet, it isn't. The club will give it until the next international break, if that's the direction things are going.
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