In a move which has shocked and delighted the Southampton fanbase, the club have today relieved Les Reed of his duties at the club.
Many fans blamed Reed for the Saints’ shortcomings in recent seasons, which had seen the side go from European qualification to relegation fodder in just 24 months.
The club’s insistence on sticking to a stringent ‘sell-to-buy’ transfer policy has seen Southampton fail to replace the talent they have lost, and many have placed this blame on Reed, who until today operated as the vice chairman of football.
The decision has been met with a unanimously positive reaction, as with poor recruitment and underwhelming managerial appointments many were pointing fingers at the board rather than the players and coaches after two seasons of inconsistencies which are worse than ever this time around.
In addition to the removal of Reed from his position with Southampton, the Saints also revealed that they would be having a total review of how the club’s football operations are conducted. This could mean a different managerial policy, more money spent on transfers and more.
More from Saints Marching
- Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 2: Arrivals
- Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 1: Departures
- It’s time to talk about Gavin Bazunu
- Rain clouds on the horizon? Southampton beat Plymouth Argyle
- A lament for Southampton legend James Ward-Prowse
All in all it’s great to see the club finally acknowledging the shortcomings that are from more than just those on a playing level. Three managers have failed to maintain the standards set by the team and each has been worse than the last. It’s clearly more than their responsibility.
Last season the board was seen as being naive after failing to sign a winger in January despite the fact that the team were struggling to stay up under Mauricio Pellegrino. This year they refused to spend more on transfers than they had made back from selling – a crazy move after struggling to stay in the top flight months prior.
Although this kind of change would’ve made more sense over the summer months the fans will just be happy the club are finally looking to amend Reed’s mistakes by finding someone new to lead the club’s football operations. After the dismissal, Ralph Krueger released this statement:
"“I would like to go on record to thank Les for the eight years of hard work and dedication he has given Southampton Football Club. His time at the club will be remembered for the fine work he did in overseeing our progress through the divisions and establishing the club in the Premier League.“The process of recruiting the right individual to head up our football operations is under way, and is a decision that needs to be given the necessary time and attention that reflects what an important position it is within our club.”"
Fans will now eagerly await a replacement, hoping it’ll be someone who can help take the club in the right direction – starting with a review of Hughes’ position before hopefully some interesting moves in the transfer market this January.