Could Southampton win a double sweep of awards after an unbeaten October?

Southampton have uncharacteristically stumbled at the start of November.

Tonda Eckert's men have only one picked up one point from a possible six so far this month, with a 1-1 draw away at West Bromwich Albion not the end of the world, as the Baggies are fellow promotion challengers in the very competitive Championship.

But, the 1-0 defeat to bottom-of-the-table Preston North End would've hurt, as the Lilywhites only had one second tier win next to their name heading into the showdown, yet managed to get the better of an off-colour Saints.

It's a shame as Southampton's October was near flawless, with four wins and one draw collected, as the promotion chasers went the entire month unbeaten.

Eckert has won himself a Manager of the Month nomination off the back of steering the Saints ship so effectively, with James Bree also in the Player of the Month discussion, for being a game-changing presence on more than one occasion for the South Coast side across the busy month.

Saints win a double nomination

The German is no stranger to winning the accolade of Manager of the Month.

He won the award back in February, when he guided the Saints to four wins and one draw, which is the exact same run which has won him another nomination this time around.

He would go on to win the Manager of the Month awards for March and April, as well, with his personal trophy cabinet overflowing.

Eckert's numbers in October:

Weirdly, he might not want to pick up another honour, as it can be viewed as a bit of a curse, with Nuno Espirito Santo winning the September Manager of the Month accolade, and now he's unemployed, after being dismissed by West Ham United right at the start of November.

Bree will be over-the-moon he's been recognised, as the right-back spot on the pitch can be somewhat overlooked, next to a more glamorous position such as a striker.

He is very deserving of his nod, as he scored the winner in a feisty South Coast Derby, and then followed up that well-taken finish with a beautifully struck volley against West Ham, as the away side won a hectic contest 3-2 at the London Stadium.

A double sweep could be on the cards, with September also seeing a West Ham figure win the Player of the Month accolade in Konstantinos Mavropanos, who is a defender, no less...

Could they achieve a double sweep of the awards?

It will be a tall order to win both the awards, as their rivals will feel they deserve to take home the honour, as well.

Kim Hellberg oversaw four wins and one draw, himself, in the Middlesbrough dug-out, and Boro - arguably - picked up some more eye-catching results, which included a breathtaking 5-1 win being secured away at Bolton Wanderers.

The Teesside giants would love to complete their own landslide by also winning the Player of the Month award, with Will Lankshear the overwhelming frontrunner, ahead of Bree, as the lethal number seven scored an outrageous seven Championship goals in October, from just five matches.

The in-form Saints full-back will struggle to pick up the award, you imagine, as there's also August Priske, who has five goals in four October clashes for Birmingham, alongside Andri Gudjohnsen who has scored that exact same amount for Blackburn Rovers, albeit from one more game, to be in the running.

The other Manager of the Month shouts are Chris Davies and John Mousinho, who manage Birmingham and Portsmouth respectively, with it being a real sickener if Eckert were to lose out to the Pompey boss, considering the Fratton Park titans lost the South Coast Derby narrowly in October.

It's fascinating to work out what the judging panel will go with, as Eckert, and his trusty number 14, don't have long to wait now, as Friday morning will confirm the winners.

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