Southampton pull the plug on Ralph Hasenhuttl tenure following heavy loss to Newcastle United
Southampton have reportedly parted company with manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, following their heavy defeat to Newcastle United.
Hasenhuttl took charge of the Saints following a season in which they narrowly avoided relegation. Indeed, the St Mary’s outfit finished 17th under Mark Hughes in 2017/18.
Hughes remained in the job until December 2018, when his side’s poor performances saw him sacked in favour of Hasenhuttl.
At that point, the Saints were in the drop zone, and in danger of another relegation fight. While the new boss did not inspire them to a miraculous turnaround, he did avoid relegaton.
Indeed, Southampton finished 16th in Hasenhuttl’s first season at the club.
The following season, though, his impact was clear. Southampton, aided by the signings of Danny Ings and Che Adams, managed an 11th-placed finish.
The snare of Ings was possibly Hasenhuttl’s best piece of business, as the striker bagged 22 league goals that season.
Since that point, there has been a slight drop-off at St Mary’s. The Saints have finished 15th in each of the last two seasons.
Hasenhuttl shown the door
Southampton are in some danger this season. At present, they are within the Premier League’s relegation places, in 18th place, having won just three games so far.
They are also on quite a poor run, having won just once since the start of September. Of their last three games, they have lost two, and have shipped six goals.
The last Southampton match saw them beaten 4-1 at home, at the hands of Newcastle United.
The Athletic are reporting that, as a result, Hasenhuttl has been sacked. It is believed that, should Southampton not find a replacement before they face Liverpool on 12th November, the Austrian will remain in charge for that game.
With the World Cup coming after that round of fixtures, they would then be given ample time to find a replacement.
As such, they might as well stick with him in charge for that game. They could then thoroughly assess the best options to drag them out of the precarious position they find themselves in.
