The announcement most Saints fans have been waiting for ! Mark Hughes has finally been announced as the new Saints manager.

In typical Saints style it hit the club website at 10pm on Friday evening and the statement read:

Southampton Football Club can today confirm that Mark Hughes has signed a new three-year contract as First Team Manager.

The 54-year-old, who guided Saints to safety in the Premier League earlier this month, has been appointed to lead the club into the new season and beyond.

Mark and his team had a massive impact from the first day on the players, staff and fans alike, and was able to pull together everyone involved with the club to deliver the results needed.

It is important now, under Mark’s leadership, for everyone to move into the new season with a renewed focus and energy alongside the continued and valuable support of our fans.

"IT WAS THE ONLY OPTION WE CONSIDERED, HAVING SPENT THE LAST EIGHT WEEKS WITH THE CLUB."

Assistant First Team Manager Mark Bowen and First Team Coach Eddie Niedzwiecki have also signed long-term contracts.

Hughes said:

“Mark, Eddie and I are thrilled to have signed long-term contracts with the club. It was the only option we considered, having spent the last eight weeks with the club.

“Now it is vital that we take the unbelievable support we received from the fans during the last few games into next season. The staff and the players will work hard every day to deliver the success this club deserves, and with everyone pulling together we will achieve our goals.”

Social media over the past few days has been going into meltdown with Saints fans demanding to know what was going on and questioning why the deal wasn't announced minutes after the final whistle against Manchester City.

If the last four years have taught us anything it is that patience is a virtue, when it comes to signing players and managers it is vital that the club keeps it's dealings private to ensure that things are not compromised, that is the right way to do things, although some fans seem to thing that the club should publicise and make announcements on a daily perhaps hourly basis.

But it now seems that the club has done it's business quietly and efficiently and it has been all done and dusted in only 12 days since the end of the season.

Now comes the real work for Mark Hughes, he has to take the momentum he has built in the final weeks of the season forward, certainly he has the track record to suggest that he can do so, in his four full seasons at Stoke he finished 9th in three consecutive seasons and although in his final full season he finished 13th the Premier League was so condensed he was only 2 points off of Saints in 8th.

Hughes has asked the supporters to get behind him and back the club, this is the appointment that most fans wanted, the club have listened and Hughes is excited about the task in hand, now it is the fans turn to back the club.

It is easy to support a team when it is going well, not so easy when bad times come around, the Saints supporters where amazing in the final five games, we need that support going forward next season.

Photo: Action Images

underweststand added 08:24 - May 26 there you ared - it was no trouble in the end ..I guess thay all went off on a short holiday after the Man City game ..Now that Mark and his crew are on board - let's see how he will revise the sqaud and which Stoke players he'll try to bring in ?
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StEdmund added 08:29 - May 26 Ex-saints player (with the PL record for most yellow cards in a season whilst playing for us), experienced PL manager (incl Man City), what more can we ask? Just need Chairman Mao, sorry Gao, to splash the cash.
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SanMarco added 08:34 - May 26 I thought we were supposed to be waiting on the Fulham bloke?!? I think I am pleased - an interesting summer ahead...
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montecristo added 08:36 - May 26 what really disappoints me about fellow Saints fans is the low priority they put on players with real flair. First it was Ramires, now its Boufal and both have been misused by the club. its shameful really. Played out of position , misunderstood, I m guessing there was a language problem, but really its no excuse.What proves the difference there is between how British people see football lies in what was said in the recent video: Boufal is seen as a failure and the next remark was that Saints were strong in midfield. Trite rubbish if you ask me. The reason Saints performed so badly this season was that we had no one of any account in midfield other than defensive mids and the failure to play Boufal in his favored position.

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helpineedsomebody added 08:40 - May 26 the type of football you will be looking forward to this season well look at the play off game fulham aston villa tonight fulham attacking football for 90mins villa just hit & hope . mark you deserved this chance for what you did for us last season BUT PLEASE TRY TO PLAY ATTACKING FOOTBALL NOT THE DOUR FOOTBALL YOU HAVE PLAYED IN THE PAST THE FANS AT SFC ARE NOT FOOLS THEY WANT WINS NOT EXCUSES

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petedoors1 added 08:58 - May 26 Hopefully the club will give Mark Hughes somewhere near £100 million to spend on new players. They must have something like this stashed under the mattress from past player sales and transfer window inactivity.
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dixiefrog added 09:26 - May 26 For me I think this is good news, MH and his team seem steady and stable rather than hugely exciting, which for me (after the last few years) i’ll take. Stability might be key, they admit they only considered the Saints which also implies they had no other offer, so depending on the opinions of the Board or the fans, we perhaps might have this management trio for sometime.

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Hugh_Jarce added 09:29 - May 26 So you think SFC played another customer relations blinder in saying absolutely nothing for nearly two weeks when STs were put on sale?
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saintjf added 10:36 - May 26 I am very pleased. I think Hughes and his coaches really want to be at Southampton. There seems to be a genuine enthusiasm from them for the club and it is not just another club for them. We are still in the premiership and have a new season to look forward to. It is so much better than where I thought we would be.
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SaintPaulVW added 12:34 - May 26 He deserves a chance. After all most Saints managers only last 2 years so I hope he makes the most of it in his short stint or exceeds expectations and stays for long term success.
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HoustonSaint added 19:14 - May 26 Good signing for this time period at the club, and should help keep some of our valued players, but need some quality signings, and that will take splashing some cash. Hopefully Hughes got some guarantees on that front.
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Croissantbrule added 21:43 - May 26 I may not be your long term saint fan, fair enough... I started following football because I started further studies in the country of football. I liked the S’oton way, I liked the risk and how S’oton was different from others « classic » English clubs. But now what the hell ? How can people be satisfied by HUGHES? Fair enough the « S’oton way » has been désappointing over the last 2 years, but I reckon such risk shall be taken to differentiate from other clubs. Over and above all I will still support S’oton, but how sad is it to support the « classic «  English side that hire Hughes, then Pardew and so on until getting relegated ? Please S’oton, it is my own plea, don’t become that club despite what your supporters seem to be willlikg you to be aiming to !

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BoondockSaint added 00:48 - May 27 The last four years have taught us that patience is NOT virtue in football. You need to act fast before other teams sign managers or players you are after. Also you need to splash the cash to get real talent in instead of patiently twiddling your thumbs thinking the price will go down. Anyway, this is one of two great football news items today: Hughes has restored some pride in the shirt and is not going to keep his trap shut if the board don't get a move-on. The other great news?--Real Madrid 3 - Scouse 1 Seems the greatest manager in the world (in his opinion) thought a former Saints player would guarantee the Champions League Trophy........oh, wait a minute.... one did just that! Remember when he put all 5 of our former players on the field in the closing minutes of the the game? Well, Real Madrid only needed one!!

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kristianJ added 06:01 - May 27 Well done Gareth Bale! What a goal! The look on VVD’s face at the end - priceless!
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WestSussexSaint added 10:37 - May 27 what odds on a Liverpool bid for one of our keepers after last night.
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SanMarco added 19:38 - May 27 If only Van Dick had made the errors - but you can't have everything.! I was happy to give Klopp the benefit of the doubt until his behaviour at St Mary's in January. What he did there was unprofessional - but this is a team that allows the attacking of the opposition's team bus. And WestSussex - I think Forster would look good in a Liverpool GK shirt...
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BoondockSaint added 00:40 - May 28 Ah Hubris! Yep, run jumping up and down the sideline like you just won a penalty shootout when you've only just drawn even with a 25 minutes to go..... The irony is poor Karius (who did make a few good saves) was channeling his inner Joe Hart possibly because his arrogant manager had undermined his confidence by yapping to the press for the past month about how the Scouse would be in the market for a top goalkeeper this summer.... Correct me if I am wrong, but this isn't the first time a Joker got a right arse kicking from someone named Bale is it?

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TeamCortese added 07:51 - May 28 Thank goodness those scouser scums lost! I wouldn't be able to live with myself if sh*t players like Jordan Henderson lifted the UCL--NOT TO MENTION LOVREN & VVD!. My goodness that would really signal how poor the state of football has become. Onto Mark Hughes I'm not excited by his appointment but also not disappointed. I think (like others have mentioned) he'll provide the stability needed for the foreseeable future. What concerns me more is how much backing have the board given him? He need at least £70 million and the funds from players to go back into the transfer kitty too.

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BaselSaint added 07:58 - May 28 Now get Shakiri
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helpineedsomebody added 09:05 - May 28 now get jack grealish sees a forward pass plus can beat players
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highfield49 added 09:37 - May 28 I agree Grealish would be a very, very good signing but I suspect he wont sign for a small club (thank you Ralph) and will be tapped up by Everton, West Ham or possibly Arsenal. However, who knows, sometimes the unexpected happens.
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NBSaint added 22:21 - May 28 Watched the Champions League final in the Echo Arena in Liverpool. Three goals and one assist by Saints players. Very enjoyable.
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AirFlorida added 10:05 - May 29 Many have said the same: the timing/fit is right. I've not been a fan of his style of play BUT we are at a low ebb and need an ego and a motivator to get the best out of our average squad whilst we try and rebuild it. He may be able to attract some better players too. I thought we were down so I owe him a full season of my support.. Unless he signs Crouch of course 😁

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SaintBrock added 23:13 - Jun 3 I was in Tuscany with no internet connection last week so received this news today. This is not good news and fine mark me -1 but no good will come of it mark my words. Appointing one of the many times failed journeymen manager's who seem always to land on their feet only to fail again is a recipe for disaster, negative long ball football and relegation. Check back in December to see it all fall apart

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