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Southampton: Journalist slams the mess caused by Sport Republic
Journalist Charlie Wyett has insisted Southampton will put Ruben Selles in charge until the end of the season, while criticising the ongoing mess at St Mary’s.
The Lowdown: Southampton taking a huge risk
Southampton have found themselves in a whole load of trouble this season having sacked long-term boss Ralph Hasenhuttl earlier in the campaign before appointing Nathan Jones, only to hand him 14 league games.
This then saw the Saints approach recently sacked Leeds boss Jesse Marsch, but talks broke down at the final hurdle, which has left assistant coach Selles as the man in the hotseat.
It is indeed yet another huge risk for Sport Republic to be taking if they do leave Selles in charge until the end of the season as he has no experience of being a first-team manager, while the Saints’ Premier League status is at stake.
The Latest: Selles has huge pressure on his shoulders
Speaking on Sky Sports, Wyett was far from thrilled by Southampton’s managerial situation and the mess which occurring on the south coast.
He said: “I think, probably, Southampton will stick with Ruben Selles, who’s the caretaker, who was assistant to Nathan Jones and Ralph Hasenhuttl. But again, this is a big ask.
“He’s 39, he’s only ever been an assistant manager. He only became an assistant manager 13-14 years ago; he was pretty much a fitness coach before that. So this is a big ask.
“Maybe the other option is to bring in an experienced coach to work alongside him, but it is a bit of a mess, that’s for sure.”
The Verdict: Sport Republic taking a huge gamble
The club’s downturn in fortunes was arguably set in motion during the summer, when Southampton made the bold and risky decision to recruit a number of young players with either none or very little Premier League experience which now appears to be backfiring.
Then the merry-go-round of managers followed, and that has done nothing to help their form on the pitch this season, with the Saints sitting rock bottom of the Premier League with just four wins to their name.
Selles will likely be delighted if he’s handed the job on a full-time basis, but it’s a big ask for someone so young and inexperienced to lead a club like Southampton out of the rut they are in and away from relegation trouble.
