BREAKING NEWS: Southampton sack manager Mark Hughes
By Marc Walker
Southampton have sacked manager Mark Hughes following their 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the Premier League this weekend.
Just one league win, six draws and seven defeats have come in Saints’ first 14 games of the season and this poor form has seen the Welshman relieved of his duties.
The 55-year-old was appointed on a full-time basis at St Mary’s back in May after guiding the club to Premier League safety at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.
Since then though, Saints look to be back in trouble and the club’s hierachy have chosen to make a change.
They waited until March last season to sack former boss Mauricio Pellegrino with things looking bleak, but Hughes was able to string together some results and secure another season in the top-flight.
Saints 2-2 Man United: Three Match Takeaways. dark. Next
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
The club announced in an official statement that first-team assistant coach and former Saints goalkeeper Kelvin Davis will take charge of the team’s clash with Spurs on Wednesday evening.
It will now be interesting to see who emerges as favourite to take the job full-time at St Mary’s.
The club could look for a name such as Sam Allardyce to try and secure safety again, or they could look for another name for a long-term appointment.
Other managers currently out of work include David Moyes, Steve Bruce and Martin O’Neill, but some other candidates may be more pleasing for Saints fans.
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has rebuilt his managerial career in Scotland and will surely return to the Premier League to take another role in the future.
His attractive style of football would be desired on the south coast, but he hasn’t yet been involved in a relegation battle and could be considered a risk for Saints at this stage.
Current favourite is former Watford manager Quique Sanchez-Flores, whilst Birmingham City boss Garry Monk also has favourable odds to take the St Mary’s hotseat.
Another name to be linked with Saints recently is Leonardo Jardim, who was most recently in charge at AS Monaco and oversaw a brilliant Ligue 1 title win there in the 2016/17 campaign.