Back To Reality For Saints On Wednesday But Sadly Nothing Has Changed Monday, 31st Mar 2025 09:58 Southampton fans will have enjoyed a near 3 week period without the pain of yet another calamitous defeat when we take on Crystal Palace, our best unbeaten run of the season, but against now it is back to reality. They say that if you do the same things that you get the same results and 11 defeats out of 12 Premier League game in charge for Ivan Juric is certainly consistent. Juric's team selections cannot have the same accusations levelled at him, they have been strange, puzzling and with no rhyme or reason behind them, so it seems that we will take on the soaring Eagles on Wednesday with nothing having changed. There is nothing in recent performance to suggest things are getting better, in fact they are deteriorating at a rapid pace. The question here is why has Johannes Spors & Phil Parsons not acted, they have had 16 days to change things, why have they not done so.
It is obvious to the majority of Saints supporters that Ivan Juric has not been the answer this season and will not be the answer next, Juric himself must already realise that he won't be continuing in the job next season, what incentive does he have to keep going. If you have a serious illness you don't wait 3 months to deal with it, you take action in the form of treatment & medicine, you don't sit around hoping that it will get better. But that is what those running the football side of things at St Mary's seem to be doing, they are happy to let things just run as they are until the summer, when it seems they have already lined up Juric's replacement. But the problem is that if you don't treat an illness then it spreads, it starts to infiltrate areas that previously weren't infected and that is no different from what is happening at St Mary's. In the first part of the season, we were well organised, but losing games due to Russell Martin's inability to adapt & change, in the end he had to go, but he truly should have been replaced at least 6 weeks before he actually was.
But back then you could see a squad, that was perhaps not going to finish mid table, but it was perhaps with the right man in charge capable of avoiding relegation or at least putting up a fight, it had organisation, it had spirit, it was just stifled by the possession football tactics and the level to which Martin demanded it had to be played. Under Juric the cancer has spread, the organisation has gone, the team spirit has gone, the leadership has gone, you see a team low on confidence totally unsure of just what they are supposed to be doing out on the pitch. There is nothing there, it is absolutely void of any positive points, so why is it being allowed to continue ? We are going to be relegated, that could actually happen at the weekend if we were to lose to both Palace & Spurs & Wolves get a couple of wins, a bit of a stretch perhaps, but it is only a matter of time. Just what have Spors & Parsons been doing with their time over the past fortnight, surely they can see what we can see, that if things continue then things will be heading back to the point of no return. Simon Rusk aided by a senior player such as Adam Lallana, would perhaps not do that much better in terms of results, although they would certainly stand a better chance of getting those 3 points to save us the ultimate embarrassment of the worst points total ever. But they would at least restore some stability to the squad and start to unite it ahead of the summer and of course next season, they could have had two weeks to work with the squad and get some organisation back, but that chance has been spurned. There is no reason why we should not challenge for promotion next season, even after the inevitable departures, but with each week we do not make the change, the chances reduce.
But perhaps just as importantly is the spirit in the fanbase, Southampton supporters have been superb over the past few years, they put their faith in Sport Republic and continued to turn up in big numbers both home and away, but that loyalty is slowly ebbing away. When we were relegated two years ago, season ticket sales actually went up, the numbers travelling to away games increased, but no many previously loyal supporters are starting to turn, they will not renew season tickets if Ivan Juric is in charge, they are sick of the club taking them for granted, that might not be totally true, but they feel it is and in life perception is a big factor and they perceive that there is a lack of organisation, not just in the footballing side of things, but in the club as a whole. This International break was a good chance to make changes and show the Southampton supporters that the club is seeing what is happening and is in control. Johannes Spors has been on the charm offensive in the media of late and he has said some very good things, but actions are louder than words, we have herd a lot of fine talk, but we have seen absolutely zero actions.
St Mary's will be far from full on Wednesday night for the first time this season, there are around 2,000 tickets unsold and many season ticket holders are likely to also give this one a miss. Likewise there are still tickets left for the trip to West Ham United, which is unheard of, although looking at the seats left, I would say that they are seats that would normally be held back for sponsors etc, even they are now deserting the sinking ship. Whatever, this is a worrying trend, the fans are now starting to vote with their feet and when that happens some just don't return. Sport Republic and the two men charged with running the club on a day to day basis, need to step up to the plate and show that they are up to the task ahead, not in June Now ! All Photos Via Reuters Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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