Southampton have sacked Ivan Juric as manager following confirmation of their relegation from Premier League to the Championship.
Brennan Johnson’s first-half brace plus Matthys Tel’s penalty saw Tottenham beat Southampton 3-1 at home yesterday (6 April) to confirm the Saints’ relegation to the Championship – after one season back in the top-flight – despite Mateus Fernandes halving the hosts’ deficit in the 90th minute.
The result also meant that Southampton became the first team to suffer the earliest-ever relegation from the Premier League after just 31 games, in-turn breaking an unwanted record which Derby, Huddersfield and Sheffield United shared of having had relegation confirmed after 32 games in 2007-08, 18-19 and 20-21 seasons respectively.
Southampton consequently began to step up preparations for their return to the Championship with Juric no longer part of their plans for next season, after the Croatian boss won just two of his 16 games in charge across all competitions.
His first victory came in the Third Round of this season’s FA Cup as the Saints beat Swansea 3-0 at home in January, before he then led them to a 2-1 win at Ipswich in the Premier League on 1 February which marked their sole league win under his reign.
The club acknowledged supporters for their dedication in a difficult season and vowed to restore pride within the men’s first-team and club.
“We remain incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of our fans. Their continued dedication and passion, despite what has been a very tough season, is remarkable and is appreciated by everyone at the club.
“Despite the challenges that relegation will bring, our goal is to restore a sense of pride for them in their team and club once again.”
First-team coach, Simon Rusk will step into the role of interim manager until the end of this season with Adam Lallana acting as assistant, whilst the club conduct a thorough recruitment process to find Juric’s replacement, just under four months since he succeeded Russell Martin in the role.
