Southampton has gone from bad to... worse?
Nobody would have made that prediction when Will Still was first announced as manager. Not only because there was plenty of hype attached to his name as a young and upcoming manager, but also because the guy he was tasked with replacing, Ivan Jurić, was comically bad.
And look, we're still conflicted on what to think about Will Still. Yes, Southampton has looked atrocious under his guidance, but he's hardly had any time to imprint what he wants on the club.
He's often touted as many's prediction on the first Championship manager to be sacked. He's certainly not at that stage just yet, but the more time that elapses, the more Southampton is harming its promotion chances.
Southampton has learned a brutal Will Still lesson they won't repeat in a hurry
Let this be a lesson to Southampton: Experience does count for something.
Heading into the season, the lack of experience was Will Still's main criticism. Some overlooked this and believed he could write his own story at Southampton. However, others were firm in their belief that the lack of experience at the highest level could harm the Saints.
And now, Southampton has learned that the hard way. We're still early in the season, but people are writing off Southampton already due to their poor start.
And they'd be right in doing so. After seven matches played, the Saints are 19th in the table. They are even below Portsmouth of all teams.
Before the first Championship ball was kicked, some would've had Southampton as their dead certs to come back up. Finishing above Portsmouth, by that logic, would have been a no-brainer and an unspoken acceptance. However, it's not looking good on that front.
But at this point, all Saints fans can do is rant. The board still backs Will Still, and understandably so, given how early the season is at this point.
One thing can be said for sure: Southampton would have been in a better position after the 7-game mark with Danny Röhl in charge, rather than Will Still. But, at the same time, the Saints might be in a better place after the final game of the season. We're at the "who even knows anymore?" stage.
Long story short, it's a very confusing time to be a Southampton fan right now. Tension is in the air, but a lot of questions remain without answers.
Either way, throwing a relatively inexperienced manager into the deep end (yes, managing Southampton can be described like that) probably wasn't the right thing to do.
Right person, wrong time?