Southampton might not be at the bottom of the Championship for too long after all

Southampton is currently sat rock bottom of the Championship on minus four points.

Whatever the final result at the end of the opening game against Watford ended up being, Tonda Eckert's men knew that they were resigned to stay in this position at the very foot of the mountain, with the points penalty being activated due to the Saints' involvement in Spygate last campaign.

A win against the Hornets would have clawed back some dignity at least, with games to come against Stoke City and Millwall in the Championship, before August is out, now feeling even more pressurised, as wins are desperately needed to climb up the competitive division.

In a shock turn of events, though, despite their points punishment, they could soon be lifted off the very bottom of the pile...

Why Southampton could soon be lifted off the bottom

Sheffield United look as if they could soon join their South Coast rivals in having to accept a points deduction.

Indeed, it has emerged that the Blades is facing the "real prospect" of recieving a 12-point penalty, if its former parent company is wound up this week.

This has all come about from a statement from the former United owner, Saudi Arabian Prince Abdullah Bin Mosaad Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, with the new owners now at the Bramall Lane, in the form of American businessmen Steve Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy, aiming to throw cold water over his damning assertions, as sources close to the pair claim it is a "publicity stunt."

If these rumours are concrete, suddenly, Southampton's own four point sanction doesn't feel as weighty as it did after the loss to Watford, as Eckert and Co. jump to 23rd.

It remains to be seen whether another deduction will occur, though, or whether this is all just speculative talk.

If recent Championship history is anything to go off of, however, another point penalty looms.

Will this deduction actually happen?

As is the nature of the modern game, more and more clubs seem to be sucked into financial problems.

Of course, Southampton's own penalty was an exception to this rule, as they were docked points for some dark arts, but the second tier has had so many deductions in recent times.

Derby County were docked 21 points during the 2021-22 season due to unstable matters off the pitch, and while the Blades were likely unsympathetic to Sheffield Wednesday's plight last campaign, as they had 18 points deducted from their season tally, they won't be seeing the funny side of another deduction heading to South Yorkshire, potentially, on their soil.

Both West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City also had to suck up a combined eight points being subtracted from their own totals last season, so it really isn't out of the ordinary for teams to be handed such handicaps.

Chris Wilder and Co. were in a similar boat to Southampton, funnily enough, when starting the 2024/25 season, as they reentered the Championship on minus two points, due to defaulting on payments to other clubs during the 2022/23 season.

That didn't cost them that campaign, but a minus 12 points heading their way this time around would be a disaster.

For Southampton, though, they would suddenly not feel so alone in their one-off Spygate predicament.

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