Steven Gerrard has suddenly jumped to the top of the favourites list to be the next Saints manager according to the bookies, although they are not ruling out Ruben Selles for the job as he is still up there in the list.
There have been many names already thrown into the hat for the job o Southampton manager, despite the fact that Ruben Selles is still the incumbent until the end of the season, but one has suddenly come into the picture from nowhere.
Ruben Selles is still floating around at 6/1 to be give the job next season on a permanent basis, but I would suggest few Saints fans would be happy with that.
Jesse Mensch who was offered the job in February but turned it down as it was only till the end of the season is still floating around and you can get 16/1 on him.
Chris Wilder, Graham Potter and Blackburn manager John Dahl Tomasson are all hovering at 12/1.
At 6/1 you see Selles joined by Wayne Rooney and Scott Parker, I would say few would want Rooney but there would be a good case for Scott Parker having got both Fulham & Bournemouth promoted from the Championship.
But a clear favourite has come in after not having been mentioned and that is former Liverpool player and Rangers & Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard.
All things Liverpool have been pet hates of Southampton supporters over the past decade and Steve Gerrard has perhaps been the one they have loved to hate the most, so I would hazard a guess he would not be a popular choice with a large section of the supporter base. and we would not be putting out the flags and striking up the band.
There is also the fact that his two managerial posts so far have been about him spending money, at Rangers in relative terms to enable them to win their first Scottish title in almost a decade and at Villa he looked to get in some experienced players at high prices.
This does not seem to fit in the Southampton Way that Sports Republic are keen to continue, Gerrard has little experience as a manager in nurturing young talent, it has all been about buying in ready made players at the level he is looking for.
There is also the fact that he has no experience of the Championship.
However there are some plus points, he would of course want experienced player in key positions and this is something that we desperately needed this season and did not get and was the major factor in our imminent relegation.
Perhaps there would be some good counter balance between Gerrard inheriting a squad with the emphasis on youth and then bringing in experience.
Whether there is any real substance to this rumour hard to determine, for Bookies this is a fun bet, it has the ability to see them catch a cold, so they won't allow big bets being placed on it due to insider knowledge.
So has Gerrard become favourite due to a flurry of little bets which has escalated, or is there some insider knowledge that have led the bookies to slash the odds ?
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There is always the chance that Saints are looking to make a quick high profile appointment before the end of the season to try and convince the fans that they mean business.
There is talk of an imminent mission statement being issued to the fans to outline their strategy and this is a good thing, but what better way to make big splash and show they mean business by a big name appointment with Gerrard perhaps being unveiled before the final home game of the season against his old club Liverpool.
Personally I am on the fence with this one, if we were to stay in the premier league then I might not be in favour of it, but strangely in the Championship it might just work, Sports Republic's emphasis on youth being counterbalanced by Gerrard's preference for experience, not to mention his ability to call on his connections who might not be still able to kick it in the Premier League, but in the Championship would be a revelation.
It might also persuade a couple of players we might want to keep to stay, as they see some ambition in the club.
I can see both sides of the fence on this one, although I am still veering towards John Dahl Tomasson, who has slowly learn't his trade both in Europe and now at Blackburn, he fits the blueprint for both the Southampton Way and Sports Republic.