A national newspaper has claimed that the Saints squad believe that the departure of Danny Rohl has been key in the issues this season.
I mentioned a couple of weeks back that I had suspicions that the problems Saints were having were down to the departure of Danny Rohl to Bayern Munich, I said at the time that although Ralph Hasenhuttl is his own man, every manager needs a good assistant, someone to not only supervise and arrange the training but also to act as a foil.
After the departure of Rohl, Hasenhuttl's coaching staff consisted of three men in Kelvin Davis, Dave Watson & Craig Fleming, all good club men over the past years, but ultimately with little experience of coaching n the Premier League.
The body language between Rohl and Hasenhuttl during games was clear to see, they would confer and discuss, now Hasenhuttl cuts a lone figure these days with his coaching staff sitting impassive.
Even the addition of Richard Kitzbichler doesn't seem to have helped in that the Austrian does not have much more experience than the other members of the coaching staff.
The Daily Mail are carrying a story that backs up my theories, they say;
"Southampton players believe the sudden departure of assistant manager Danny Rohl has been a key factor in the club’s alarming slide into the relegation zone."
"Sportsmail understands a core group of Southampton players feel that the squad, who face a daunting Carabao Cup clash at champions Manchester on Tuesday night, have suffered significantly following Rohl’s exit to Bayern Munich in August. "
"Rohl played a key role following Hasenhuttl’s appointment last December - the pair successfully leading the club to Premier League safety."
"The coach had a hands on role during training, with players largely enjoying his sessions. But his unexpected departure in the summer has impacted significantly on the team’s preparations for games, according to sources."
"Hasenhuttl has been left to shoulder much of the burden during training since Rohl’s departure and there’s a concern among the squad that they are missing their former coach’s influence. "
"Rohl was also considered key as his personality helped balance out Hasenhuttl’s more forthright approach."
"Though some players are understood to have expected more from Austrian Hasenhuttl, an animated manager who arrived dubbed the Alpine Klopp, he remains well-liked by his players who are not pointing the finger at the him for their slide."
This is along the lines of what I had heard although obviously the Daily mail will have better sources than I have.
I have always said that every good manager has a good assistant who can ease the burden in all areas, the manager needs to be aloof, the assistant is the link between players and the manager.
But the real problem I feel is the quality and level of the coaching, at Premier league level it is more than just passing your coaching badges, you have to claim the respect of the players themselves, you have to have proved yourself at the level you are coaching at.
OK you can have the odd coach who are up and coming and not yet proven, but you can't get away with three, four if you include Kitzbchler.
I have the feeling that training sessions have become stale, there is not enough technical knowledge amongst the coaching staff, hence all our defensive problems there is not enough specialist coaching available.
Along the line the club have not kept their eye on the ball, I am all for continuity and bringing through men on the coaching staff who are club stalwarts, but they have to be the exception rather than the rule and there has to be a good balance or respected experienced coaches and those that are learning their trade.
Our playing staff will know this and must be frustrated that they are not getting the level of coaching clearly needed.
The Saints board need to address this very quickly, they need to bring in someone who can work closely with Hasenhuttl and help him rather than add to his problems.