Southampton are a club in turmoil. Already on their second manager of an appalling season, their promotion hopes are in tatters.
Labelled one of the worst Premier League teams of all time, fans may have been expecting a bumpy ride this season in the Championship. What they have seen has been far worse.
Will Still was an interesting choice as manager. A continental coach, sort of, his pedigree was both intriguing and underwhelming. His was the most typical of Sport Republic appointments.
Like Paul Onuachu, who signed from Belgium for £18million plus add-ons and delighted Nathan Jones at the time, fans had little or no idea who Will Still was.
Any information about the flame-haired Belgian was misleading at best, and from the moment his side stumbled to a 2-1 friendly win at Eastleigh to the abject defeat at the hands of Preston North End, he never really stood a chance.
Renewed optimism under Tonda was short-lived
There was renewed optimism as caretaker boss, Tonda Eckert, took the team on a four-match winning spree. Some serious names were being linked with the vacancy. Ole Gunnar-Soskjaer, Carlos Corberan, and Michael Carrick all had a brief headline or two until slowly and predictably the newswires went quiet.
Sport Republic opted for the cheap option and gave Eckert the top job. Almost. First Team Head Coach was always going to be Sport Republic speak for 'yes man', and the likeable German coach was ushered into the boardroom for a quick chat about a short contract and miserly terms.
A couple of home wins against 10-man Leicester and West Bromwich Albion (under Ryan Mason) papered over the cracks. Then, Southampton went on a winless run featuring a Boxing Day defeat at Oxford United and humiliation at Middlesbrough a couple of weeks later.
The Head Coach persisted with a back three for too long despite fan pressure to switch to a back four. Home draws against 10-man Coventry and a well-drilled Millwall side were celebrated by the Head Coach as if they were victories in his post-match interviews.
Oblivious to transfer negotiations, Tonda Eckert may as well not bother with press conferences. His role is purely coaching, and, to be fair, he's very good at it.
Why Tonda Eckert is not the answer is just plain obvious
However, when it comes to making in-game changes and tactical adaptations, Eckert is next to useless. Overly focused on stats and tablet screens, the young coach lacks the experience to make the right calls from the sidelines at the right times.
The January transfer window has already descended into a farce. A young England international central defender with a very high ceiling has left the club for far too little money, while Jack Stephens and Nathan Wood fail to perform on a weekly basis.
Joe Aribo and Samuel Edozie fester at Staplewood instead of being moved on for nominal fees. Aribo was next to useless in the minutes that he has played this season, and doesn't deserve to be retained. Sport Republic has given him no incentive to move on; he is the club's highest-paid player at £70,000 a week. For what?
Edozie's attitude to playing for Southampton is petulant at best. His arrogance is unfounded, and his true ability is as-yet unknown and unfulfilled. Like Bella-Kotchap before him, he is best kept away from the first team.
A defeat at home to Hull today could see the fans turn on Sport Republic again. That would be seven matches without a win; a run of form that would make Will Still blush.
Chris Wilder has got his Sheffield United team firing, so Southampton fans should expect little from that ahead of the derby next Sunday at Fratton Park.
It's fair to say that the club is three matches away from imploding. Southampton are a club on the brink of a crisis.