Underrated Player of the Season
Ralph Hasenhüttl
Okay, so this is admittedly a bit of a cheat, especially when you consider our gaffer hasn’t played a professional football match since 2004. But given his integral role in rescuing the club from the relegation dogfight, I hope you won’t mind if I take a liberty or two.
Hasenhüttl’s achievement isn’t merely one of narrowly surviving a relegation scrap, but something much more than that. The manager has lifted the club and its fans from nine nil despair, to a team that looks, confident, energised, and exciting.
The brand of football is a compelling one. The players on the pitch, look to take the game to the opposition, force mistakes and scrap for everything. Supporters can surely see the improvement in the way the side now defends, the home tie against Manchester city is proof of that.
Post restart Southampton were one of the best teams in the division only losing one of their final fixtures. Perhaps the Austrian’s greatest achievement is that he has brought back a sense of optimism.
From previously pondering the prospect of relegation it now feels as if anything and everything is possible as a new season looms. That is surely something worthy of an award.