The win at Ipswich last weekend, prompted hope that Ivan Juric was finally moving his team in the right direction, but the days following that win have perhaps exposed frictions that seem to lie within the camp.

This weekend will mark two months since Russell Martin was sacked, but have we really moved forward since then ?

We have played 8 Premier League games since that defeat against Tottenham Hotspur that saw Martin removed from his job, in the first of those we got a draw at Fulham in front of the watching Ivan Juric who was awaiting his work permit.

That brought hopes that with a new manager hopefully ditching or at least watering don the 100% possession football game, that we could kick start the season and at least make a fight of trying to stay in the Premier League.

But then followed 6 games prior to the Ipswich win that saw us alternate between good and bad often in the same game, team selections seemed random and puzzling and substitutions even more so, at Manchester United we dominated the game for 80 minutes and then threw it away after some strange changes by the manager, a few days later at Nottingham Forest it was the mirror opposite, a woeful starting XI similar to the team that finished the game at Old Trafford gave away 3 goals by half time and the substitutes came on and almost snatched a draw.

The following game against Newcastle saw us again all at sea for much of the game.

The Ipswich game again saw a puzzling starting line up and to be honest the result glossed over the first 87 minutes of the game, where we lacked leadership on the pitch and were a disjointed side, we could have easily been losing at half time and 3-1 down by the time Tall Paul scored in the 87th minute.

OK we weren't and it was just a relief to have ended a run of 6 straight defeats since Ivan Juric had officially stood in the dug out.

Throughout this run we saw any fleeting chances of avoiding relegation slip out of the window, if we had held on at Old Trafford & won and got a draw at Forest then we would have been in with an outside chance, now it is just about as impossible as it can be without mathematical surety.

Throughout this time we consoled ourself by the fact that we had the foundations of a side who could mount a serious promotion campaign, Adam Armstrong might not be prolific in the Premier League, but in the Championship he certainly was, Flynn Downes likewise, a yard slow in the Premier perhaps, but up to speed in the 2nd tier.

But after the transfer window closed, the veneer of a squad building for next season was scraped away and it appeared that in Ivan Juric we had a manager who was looking to tear apart and completely rebuild rather than evolve the squad.

If the fans thought that we had kept our powder dry in January to spend in the summer when we would build on the foundation of those staying with the proceeds of those leaving for big fee's it seems we were wrong.

It was revealed that Flynn Downes desperately wanted away, so much so that he appears to now be at odds with the manager and Juric is not a man who is known for his diplomatic talents.

Adam Armstrong was also keen to get away and that was even more worrying, given that he is now probably the best striker in the Championship now he is at West Brom for the rest of the season, he might not be Premier League quality, but he is still the best striker that we had.

Likewise others shipped out Sam Amo-Ameyaw is an up and coming talent, but given little chance and it seems we would rather grab £10 million now as the option to buy clause states, than use him.

It seems that Juric sees senior professionals as a threat, why else would he try to ship out Armstrong & Downes & ignore players with experience such as Adam Lallana & Charlie Taylor & put is faith in Sulemana & Paul Onuachu, players who have not cared much for Southampton FC over the last two years.

The side against Burnley seemed to be Juric making a point, Bree, Sulemana, Manning & Onuachu all playing a part, whilst the likes of Lallana, Fraser, Taylor, Downes, & Bella-Kotchap, all players who have experience were either ignored on the bench or not in the squad.

Likewise the team selection, Bella-Kotchap & Nathan Wood on the bench, but we played with only one recognised central defender, but 4 full backs and at times Joe Aribo appearing to play a hybrid role between midfield & central defence..

It was an absolute shambles, but the writing has been on the wall.

What is becoming clear is that all is not well in the Southampton camp, good players want away and those that don't really care for the club are still being picked despite failing to deliver on a consistent basis.

Ivan Juric has a reputation as a manager who has his own way of doing things and if they don't go his way then all hell breaks loose.

Torino aside where he spent 3 years, either side of that is a story of sackings and short times in charge at the club, indeed his last club before St Mary's was only 12 games at Roma.

So are we going backwards under Juric, Russell Martin had to go, he should have gone two months before he did, but under him at least in the main you knew what you were going to see, a side that was underperforming due to his possession football tactics.

The feeling was that change that and we could make a fight of the relegation battle, the Fulham game under a caretaker manager seemed to have backed that theory up, but since then we have moved backwards not forwards.

Russell Martin averaged 0.31 points per game in his 16 games in charge, Ivan Juric's win over Ipswich gives him an average of 0.42, there is little difference at present.

We needed a manager to come in and take the squad and make it better, play to their strengths and bring leadership and organisation to the squad, we have none of that, just chopping and changing and a squad that is now weaker after the transfer window than it was before, given those who have left and those who sit in limbo and in some cases can't even get on the bench.

We now have a side with no identity, with a manager whose entire faith is based on Tall Paul & Sulemana, with the rest of the squad perhaps at best non-plussed by it all.

How has this all come about ? a lack of leadership off it, those on the board who are not tough enough and experienced in football enough to make decisive decisions.

The arrival of Johannes Spors, does not seem to change much, he reports to CEO Phil Parsons, who has been notable by his absence most of the season and he is joint with Mark Bitcon who mysteriously had his title changed to Director of Football Operations.

We are just shuffling the pack here, we need a decisive Director of Football, not a hybrid role split between 2 people, the buck on the footballing side has to stop somewhere and ultimately it has to come down to one man.

So I am afraid that I am not very optimistic from what I am seeing coming out of St Mary's at the moment, I am seeing people in charge with the day to day running of the club without enough experience and more importantly no real demarcation in who is responsible for what.

I see a playing squad that is now fast losing it's spirit, players being marginalised and disgruntled, we are not one squad and manager going forward, a personal opinion, but I feel that the players believe in Ivan Juric even less than they did Russell Martin.

But the thing that scares me most is that I see a squad that was perhaps, better than the one that won promotion last season and with the real foundations to build on next term back in the Championship , being torn apart, ripped to shreds and my real fear is that a major rebuild is not conducive to getting up and running in a promotion push from word go next season.

With the likes of Downes, Armstrong, Fraser, Bednarek & Lallana in the squad we had experience, with the likes of Amo-Ameyaw, Edozie, Archer, Wellington, Edwards & Charles we had potential, and then Bazunu, Suguwara, Wellington, Smallbone, Manning & even Ross Stewart, you never know but they are all proven at Championship level.

There we had a squad who could compete, especially when you consider that we would have money in the bank from transfers to bring in a player or two in key positions .

Now I think a fair chunk of these will be gone in the summer.

So what next, as it stands I can see no progress with Ivan Juric, I hope I am proved wrong in the next few months, but I fear that I won't be, of course some players have to leave, but managers who evolve squads, usually do better than those that rip them apart and try to start from scratch.

As I said I hope I am proven wrong, but I don't think I will be, not from looking at Juric's managerial record and from what I have seen in the last two months.

All Photos Via Reuters

saint901 added 12:16 - Feb 11 A fair if depressing assessment. Juric for me was always an interim appointment to get us to the end of the season but with no mandate to build a squad for next season. I also suspect that he was instructed/advised to play the likes of Tall Paul and Sulemana in order to put them in the shop window in the hope of attracting bids. Most clubs know all about the experienced players we have and given that they are at the end of a career, are unlikely to attract the big bucks. So I think the financial plan of SR is being executed and it would not surprise me in the slightest to see them cash out in the summer once a few fees have been collected. That leaves us with a reduced (numbers and quality) squad, no funds, no manager, player confidence at rock bottom and a struggle to stay in the Championship. I'm afraid that I have lost confidence in SR and as a result have only a very cynical view of their continued involvement in our club.

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Bowlercow added 12:30 - Feb 11 He has lost the dressing room for sure those type of disagreements should never be made public Now the whole squad will be divided into a Downes camp or aJuric camp He has also lost the crowd.Judging by his team selection last Saturday and the booing at the end A heavy defeat to Bournmouth and "Get out of our club " will be ringing around SMS
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Farlow added 12:52 - Feb 11 To say Adam Armstrong is the best striker we have or indeed the best in the Championship is absolute tosh.
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underweststand added 12:54 - Feb 11 Naturally enough there are players who get agitated if they don't get game time, and those who are upset even if they don't start games. Players who arrived under "another" manager may feel unrest when the new manger doesn't see them in the same light. During the summer w brought in half a dozen players on free transfers, and another 3-4 for very small fees. Now w have too many square pegs and it shows. We were obligated to sign THB and RM was insistent on getting Downes who in all honesty didn't seem to have " fitted in in any club he's played for. He was RM's choice and the change of formation doesn't suit him. Bella Kotchap hasn't made the grade with anyone since he was bought in. At the start of the season we had more strikers on the books than at anytime in living memory, yet none of them seems to have been able to score regularly. All in all it's about the worst squad I can recall for many decades. There is certain to be another fire sale in the summer - regardless of whichever league we end up in.

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Centurion added 12:54 - Feb 11 We need to finish this wretched season. We need to clear out a lot of players and start with a new manager in the Championship. I think we will take years to go back up, 5 or even 10. By then, the Premier League may well have been diluted anyway as a new Super League is born and the big 6 or 7 leave domestic football.
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SaintNick added 14:41 - Feb 11 Farlow, statistically Adam Armstrong is the best striker we have on the books at present, of our strikers he has the most goals this season. Last season he was the 2nd best striker in the Championship, only Sammy Szmodics scored more, on his ratio from last season he would be 2nd in the charts again if he kept that ratio
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grumpy added 14:48 - Feb 11 People keep saying he is a Championship striker, that's exactly where we will be next season. Imagine WBA getting promoted with Armstrong scoring to get them there. I know he is on loan but do you think SR will have him back if a good fee is offered?
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LondonSaint76 added 15:50 - Feb 11 Very fair assessment Nick. If Juric is just a temporary fix to see us through to the end of this car crash of a season then my biggest fear for the summer will be who SR will appoint next as I have absolutely zero faith in them making the right appointment - to be honest, I don’t think SR could pick the winner in a two horse race if one of the horses had three legs, no jockey and was blindfolded instead of blinkered…

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Farlow added 15:57 - Feb 11 Saint Nick there are statistics statistics and damn lies
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Colburn added 17:18 - Feb 11 Is the phrase not ‘there’s lies, damned lies and statistics. But I agree, there was no point in Armstrong staying here for the rest of the season if as you say he’s not good enough for this level. If he’s one of the best in level 2 then it makes sense for him to be playing at that level. I don’t see the confusion, you have pointed out the obvious in your article.. The club is a shambles but at the end of the day, Juric is the manager and the players get paid a lot of money. I’m not really too much of a fan of players not buying into this or that.. just do as your ducking told and get on with the job showing passion, hunger, desire and all that in the process, stop throwing your toys out and behaving like anchors. Spill blood for the badge and wear the shirt with pride until told otherwise. Whatever Downes has done it must have been less than ideal. Players shouldn’t sign contracts if they’re gonna behave like that. It’s pathetic. Nothing will change for the good until we get new owners as this lot are clueless. I don’t see why you’re placing blame on Juric, that’s stupid considering what he’s walked into.. There’s definitely bits about him that I like and yes he’s made some strange decisions but he’s been here for 7 games. It will take 3 months at least to change the mentality and get the players as fit as they need to be. Maybe he’s not the man but to judge this now is madness.

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stmichael added 17:18 - Feb 11 Some of us knew what would happen and were ridiculed by some for saying it. This decline hasn’t even started yet..
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A1079 added 17:33 - Feb 11 Overall a fair assessment Nick and would not disagree with much of it. It all feels like it is spiraling out of control now. There are factions in the team and at all levels. The manager instead of uniting the team is adding fuel to the fire of a disgruntled bunch - compare him to the Plymouth Argyle appointment. There is no sense of the club being steered in a sound direction. SR are at best reactive rather than pro-active and just seem to be going from one crisis to the next or by their repeat dreadful decisions creating a crisis after crisis............in fact, you start wondering if they have any honourable intentions when it comes to SFC. I probably won't be going to any more games this season - that feels sad, but I don't see the point - to support what exactly? A bunch of players that gave up when Burnley scored? A manager who seems to be dismantling what little team spirit we had? An owner who has managed to turn our club into an embarrassment on and off the pitch? It takes alot of work to earn a salary - why should I spend it on or continue to fuel this mess? When we got promoted, I knew it would be difficult. I expected relegation. I think most supporters did. But, really, did we expect the name of our club and all it stands for to be reduced to this shambles..........and do you know what?..................for the life of me, I cannot see when or where or how it will end and turn around. I have seen many relegations, the administration, but I have never felt as low about the club I support as I do now.

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felly1 added 17:41 - Feb 11 Nick , you keep saying Adam Armstrong is the top scorer. Please check your facts. A very good Championship striker but a very poor Premier league one. His overall performances disregarding the few goals he has scored have also been very poor...Apart from the Everton game. Cameron Archer 5 goals. 2 league. 3 Cup Joe Aribo. 3 goals . 3 league. Adam Armstrong 3 goals. 2 league . 1 cup.

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JoeEgg added 19:10 - Feb 11 I cant see any likelihood of an imminent change in ownership as a return to the Championship will most probably suit Sports republic. What irks me even more is that I read that Juric knew the Saints players capabilities well as he said he had watched the team many times before arriving here. His previous record as a manager is also nothing to write home about so once again - as with Russell Martin- you need to ask Sports Republic WHY Juric? There were some good home bred managers available at the time so I have to assume the likes of Moyes and Potter were not interested. Lowly Plymouth seem to have come up trumps after disposing of the useless Rooney. I wonder if Steve Cooper would have been a much better bet fit for us to bring in with the season almost half way through.? Lets be honest, Sports Republic have made some terrible decisions and choices and the main protests should be aimed at them.

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DorsetIan added 19:32 - Feb 11 People keep saying that we can't blame the manager because the problems lie higher up. 'No one could get a tune out of this squad' - that type of nonsense. And yes Sports Republic have been a disaster and pretty much every decision they have made has been a shocker. But that includes appointing Juric, who has been pretty hopeless on the pitch and who now seems to have Balkanised the dressing room too. And it probably also includes Spor - a man whose skill set (if he has one) is in managing multi-club structures. I think we will look back on the period since Sports Republich took over as pretty much all error and misery, with a great play-offs and Wembley appearance being the exception to the rule. And it's just going to continue imo. If Sports Republc had anything about them, they would have grabbed the hand off being back in the Premier League so quickly. Instead they allowed our season to be over after 8 games or so. Absolute muppets. Idiots. And Juric is no good.

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Ali_Diarea added 19:38 - Feb 11 Luckily we kept hold of ‘own goals’, one of our most prolific strikers this season.
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Jesus_02 added 19:46 - Feb 11 MARTIN OUT. now we just need to get rid of those idiots paying the bills and we will be sorted. So glad we are not still playning tippy tappy and being robbed by referees. As for the players that got us promoted they can go the same way as the manager that did the same. Have faith, ABK will come back and save us , what a player, badly mistreated.
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Fisk27 added 20:19 - Feb 11 @DorsetIan, totally agree. I was very negative about the appointment and unfortunately it's turning out as bad as I suspected, I'm 110% sure another manager would have managed to get more points than Juric, regardless of the situation—these players are professionals, after all! If we lose the next four games, this project is dead before it has even started, and Juric risks being worse than N. Jones! He might already be! If Juric stays on next season, we’re in serious danger of another relegation.

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davidpeach added 20:24 - Feb 11 Not sure the Plymouth manager deserves the amount of praise he’s getting on here. He’s only been in the job 6 weeks and they did lose 5-0 to Burnley in one of his games. It’s still early days for Juric imho.
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landsdownsaint added 09:31 - Feb 12 Juric ain’t got an easy job , players became almost hypnotized by RM , ov never seen such bad style of football be so defended by players. Even tho we kept losing RM told the to look at their possession stats &!what managers like pep said about us .I don’t think any manager could do any better than Juric , I think he’ll get it right but many players need to go
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DorsetIan added 10:56 - Feb 12 @Fisk27. Exactly that. Juric's points total is so low that, yes, it's not difficult to imagine someone else doing better. Simon Rusk managed to get a point at Fulham, after all. It's possible to point to some players under Juric who have prospered, but equally others have clearly been left behind and have fallen out with him. I would describe his tenure so far as chaotic. This madness might bring the odd good performance or even win, but I don't see it bringing anything like the consistency that will be required to get us promoted again. That said,neither do I see the Club willing or able to recruit the players that will get us promoted again, and certainly not with the quality that can then compete in the PL. I think Sports Republic have taken us from the status of solid (if unspectacular) Premier League to a 'top half' Championship side and joining the ranks of many other Clubs who now have that fate - Stoke, Norwich, Boro, Watford, Blackburn, WBA, Burnley... I can't imagine this was their plan but who knows, they are not just thinking about Saints - there are other clubs in their 'stable' too.

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underweststand added 10:20 - Feb 13 Further to my earlier post (above) Flynn Downes in particular is doing nothing to increase his reputation, or his worth to the club. After this latest spat of throwing his toys out of the pram, he will need to go a long way to showing his worth to Juric, in what is an already depleted squad which has very few names that we can boast about. He is best off out of the club. If he undergoes a period without game time, away from an already shell-shocked dressing room, even his beloved Ipswich may not be interested in him come next season. Saints will want to recover the outlay on his signing, which clearly reflects poorly on Russell Martin, who went from hero to zero in a space of a few months.

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