x

Southampton Football Club Issue Statement After Relegation

With relegation confirmed after the defeat to Fulham on Saturday, Saints oweners Sports Republic have wasted little time in issuing a statement confirming their intentions going forward.

Saints supporters have been expressing their dissatisfaction with all that has happened at St Mary's this season and on Saturday the team went down with a whimper and not a fight.

There are those that say the club is rotten to the core, I am not one of them and I reiterate that the past is now done, it cannot be changed, but the future can be and it is good to see that Sports Republic acted swiftly to put down their intentions for next season.

This is good news and hopefully indicates that they have learned some vital lessons and can make sure that they don't make them again.

Fine words are easy to say, but a lot harder to do, my opinion is that we can pinpoint just where we went wrong and are in a strong position to put right what went wrong.

The first thing is leadership and direction at board level and that is already about to change with the arrival of Jason Wilcox as Director of Football, he will oversee and exodus of players that will bring in around £150-200 million in transfer fees.

He will also be left with a squad that will have a good core of up and coming youngsters, both those brought in and also those that have developed within the club since they were at school.

Add to that some of the experienced players who will still be there and do not need to spend much of those transfer fees, the situation is very much like was last summer, we need experienced leaders through the spint of the team, in the centre of defence, in the centre of midfield and a proven striker.

Here is the statement from the club.

"Today is a hugely disappointing day for everyone associated with Southampton Football Club. We have fought tirelessly as a club throughout the season, but the Premier League is the most competitive league in the world and our results were simply not good enough to stay there.

'"We are particularly saddened and frustrated that our first season as controlling shareholders in Southampton Football Club has ended in relegation. While this outcome is distressing for all of us, now is the time to demonstrate unity. We are grateful to our managers, our players, our staff and above all our fans for battling to the end to keep the Saints in the top tier.

"Our work begins today to return Southampton Football Club — an inaugural member of the Premier League with a rich history — to where it belongs. We want to reassure our supporters, our partners and our staff that we remain fully committed to achieving long-term success for the club at the top level.

"We must now reflect on the lessons to be learned from this season and start preparing for the challenges ahead of us in the Championship. Our goal is to return to the Premier League as soon as possible and ensure that we stay there.

"At the same time, we will continue to focus on the long-term development of the club, both on and off the pitch, to ensure its sustainability at the highest level. We understand that significant improvement is required, and at the end of the season we will announce our immediate next steps and provide details of how the club will operate moving forward.

"We cannot thank our fans enough for the fantastic support they have given the team throughout the season. Your commitment to the club is an inspiration and one of the foundations that will support Southampton’s return to the top flight. Dragan, Henrik & Rasmus"

What to read next:

Will Saints Be Cast Adrift At The Bottom Before They Kick A Ball This Weekend
The Premier League table does not make good viewing unless you turn it upside down, Southampton are rock bottom 2 points adrift from the team above and 4 points off Ipswich 4th from bottom, so will that gap be worse before we kick off on Sunday.
Southampton V Liverpool The Preview
Usually the visit of Liverpool to The Dell & St Mary's was something that Saints fans looked forward to in the calendar, it was a game that often threw up a shock result for the home side, but as we go into the latest clash with the Merseyside men, there seems little hope of that this year.
Return Dates Set For Injured Southampton Duo Ramsdale And Bednarek
If you thought that things couldn't get worse for Russell Martin after the defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, then think again, injuries to two key players in the past fortnight have added to his woes.
Do Southampton Need To Recall Bella-Kotchap For Liverpool Clash
With Jan Bednarek seemingly set to miss his first Premier League game of the season, Saints are struggling for central defenders to take on the League leaders Liverpool at St Mary's, is it time to bring in a player out of the cold.
Does Shea Charles Prove That Russell Martin's Player Judgement is Flawed
There has been a lot of words typed on the internet about Russell Martin and his tactics, but is this just the reason as to why we are doing badly in the Premier League, last season there was a clear evidence that his player selection is not what it should be.
Central Defensive Injury Blow For Southampton
If the next few weeks were going to be tough with the potential absence of goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, then they are now getting much worse with the news that a central defender has been injured in International duty over the weekend.
England England's Number 16
It was a dream England debut for Southampton's Taylor Harwood-Bellis, in front of his future Father in law ex Manchester United & Republic of Ireland legend Roy Keane, not only scoring but also nearly getting an assist.
Nick's Saints Saints Away Travel Lay On 6th Coach For Brighton
Brighton away was the first fixture Southampton fans looked for when they came out back in June so there was great disappointment when the game was switched to a Friday night as it means it's virtually impossible to get back on the train.
Saints Not Afraid Of Sacking Russell Martin Even If They Have To Pay
Recent reports have suggested that Southampton have not dispensed with the services of Russell Martin due to the alleged £12 million compensation cost. However it is now suggested that this is not the case and that if they do lose faith they are willing to pay the price.
Southampton Settle Russell Martin Compensation With Swansea City
Its dragged on a bit, but Saints have finally sorted out the compensation package with the Swans for Russell Martin's switch from South Wales to the South Coast, although the details of the settlement are rather vague.