Football
Exclusive: Southampton Consider Sacking Will Still After Dismal Championship Start
Southampton bosses are considering sacking Will Still due to the team's poor start in the Championship, just one season after relegation from the Premier League. Despite impressive statistics, the lack of results has put Still under pressure, with fans calling for his dismissal.
Derby County v Southampton - Sky Bet Championship by Matt Watson | Getty Images
Southampton’s football woes continue as Will Still comes under intense scrutiny following a disastrous start to the season, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
The Saints were relegated on their return to the Premier League last season and have slumped to 20th in the Championship following a sorry start to the season.
Still signed a three-year deal at the club in the summer, but things have quickly turned sour on the south coast.
Southampton were booed off after their defeat at fellow strugglers Blackburn Rovers at the weekend.
And our sources have been told the club are considering their options.
Promotion was the target at St Mary’s this season, but just two wins from their opening 12 games has left them a whopping 13 points off the top three.
More worryingly for Still is the fact they are just three points above the dreaded drop zone and look more likely to follow in Luton Town’s footsteps with back-to-back relegation's than making an immediate return to the top flight.
Fans aimed chants of “sacked in the morning” at Still and after the game, he said: “They can be angry and want me out, it is what it is, I know what it looks like, and I know what it feels like.”
“I can understand the fans' frustrations, it's how the world works, when you don't win you become under pressure. It's OK for the fans to be annoyed at me if they want to vent their frustrations at anyone.”
Not Getting Rewards
From a statistical point of view, Still’s Saints are 1st in the league in terms of possession, 2nd in shots on target and expected goals and third in terms of touches in the opposition box.
But management is a results-based industry and results have fallen well below expectations this term.
Still became famous as the ‘Football Manager manager’ after honing his talents on the popular video game.
During his time at Ligue 1 Reims in France, Still became the youngest manager in Europe’s top five leagues but the club were fined €25,000 for every game he managed because he did not hold a UEFA Pro License.
Shane is an experienced sports journalist with over a decade on the front line, covering everything from football to horse racing. A familiar face in the snooker pressroom, his work regularly appears in the Daily Mirror, Daily Express, and Daily Star, alongside SportsBoom.
While snooker is where many readers know him best, cricket is his true sporting passion, though he tends to keep that side of him separate from his professional beat.
A staunch traditionalist, he’s unlikely to share your enthusiasm if you believe The Hundred is the future of Test cricket.