| Marco Silva Early Favourite To Replace Pellegrino | The bookies wasted no time in opening the books on Mauricio Pellegrino’s replacement, but ho accurate are they going … 12-03-2018 |
| Mauricio Pellegrino Is Gone ! | The news that most Saints fans wanted to hear was delivered earlier this evening with the news that Mauricio … 12-03-2018 |
Southampton have sacked manager Mauricio Pellegrino with the team just one point and one place above the Premier League relegation zone with eight games left this season.
The Saints have won just one of their past 17 league matches and lost 3-0 at Newcastle United on Saturday.
Pellegrino, 46, was appointed in June as the successor to Claude Puel.
Saints hope to have a new manager in place before facing Wigan on Sunday for a place in the FA Cup semi-finals.
They are in their sixth successive season in the Premier League and have not finished lower than 14th in any of the previous five.
Pellegrino said he “observed some players who gave up” during Saturday’s game. Former England midfielder Jermaine Jenas called the performance “abysmal, shocking and borderline disgraceful” on Match of the Day.
Pellegrino, a former Argentina international, secured the equivalent of 0.93 points per game, the third-worst tally of any Southampton manager in the Premier League.
The club said in a statement they want to “appoint a new management team as soon as possible, with the search for a replacement already under way”.
They are the ninth Premier League team to change their manager this season.
Assistant manager Carlos Compagnucci and assistant first-team coach Xavier Tamarit have also left the club.
"It is something that has been bubbling away and has been talked about by Southampton fans for a while.
"I think Pellegrino has had a good opportunity to turn things around. It is late in the season, and he perhaps should have gone some time back but Southampton have stuck with him. There have been a few must-win games that Southampton have not won.
“I think the heavy defeat against Newcastle and the manner of it has sealed his fate. They are thinking hopefully it’s not too late for someone to come in and turn things around.”
"Southampton have given Pellegrino every chance to adapt, grow and learn, but they went to Newcastle and for the first time it looked like the players had chucked one in. The first time it looked like they had not played for him and they let him down.
"I think they probably should have sacked him in January after losing at Crystal Palace. It has been toxic at St Mary’s for a while now but they have resisted.
“With a three-week gap before the next Premier League game, they realised this was their last chance to make a change as it did not seem they were going to get themselves out of danger as nothing was changing on the pitch.”
Mauricio Pellegrino has become the ninth Premier League manager to lose his job this season after being sacked by Southampton.
An emergency meeting was called following Saturday’s 3-0 defeat against Newcastle United and, after a sequence of only one Premier League win in 17 matches since November, the club decided to make a change in a final attempt to galvanise the squad.
Pellegrino was only appointed last summer following the sacking of Claude Puel, who himself lasted only one season despite leading the club to an eighth place Premier League finish and a narrow League Cup final defeat against Manchester United.
Results have however only got worse and Southampton are currently positioned precariously, only one point above the relegation zone. Southampton have not decided on their replacement to Pellegrino but hope to appoint a new manager before Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Wigan Athletic, although they do also now have almost three weeks until their next Premier League game on March 31 away at West Ham United.
There was a sense after Saturday’s defeat against Newcastle that the situation and performances of the players could hardly worsen if they made a change and that it might actually be necessary to preserve the club’s Premier League status. The situation had been considered early in the season but a slight improvement in performances, notably a draw against Tottenham, had won Pellegrino more time.
Saints were beaten 3-0 at Newcastle on Saturday and lie just one place and one point above Crystal Palace and the relegation zone.
Pellegrino had only been appointed at the start of the season after Claude Puel was let go but the former Alaves manager won only eight of 34 games in all competitions.
“Southampton Football Club can today confirm that it has parted company with First Team Manager Mauricio Pellegrino,” said a statement.
“Assistant Manager Carlos Compagnucci and Assistant First Team Coach Xavier Tamarit have also parted company with the club.
“We would like to place on record our thanks to Mauricio, Carlos and Xavier for their efforts during their time with Southampton, and wish them well for the future.
“The club will look to appoint a new management team as soon as possible, with the search for a replacement already underway.”
Southampton last night sensationally sacked Mauricio Pellegrino after just nine months in charge.
Pellegrino paid the price for overseeing a disastrous run of results that left Southampton in huge relegation danger and was given the boot by the south coast club.
Southampton have won just one of their last 17 league games and slid down the table to fourth bottom leaving them just one point outside the drop zone with eight games to go.
And they made the change in a bid to avoid slipping into the bottom three and potentially the Championship.
They hope to have his replacement, who will be their fifth manager in four years, in charge in time for Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final at Wigan.
Rather than look for an interim manager to see them through to the end of the season before reassessing things Pellegrino’s successor will be a permanent appointment.
And the search for suitable and available candidates was well underway last night.
Marco Silva, out of work since being sacked by Watford in January, could be considered again though any approach would be complicated by the fact he was overlooked by Southampton last summer in favour of Pellegrino and interest from Benfica.
There has been a fear around Southampton for some time that they were sleep walking towards relegation under Pellegrino who failed to justify the club’s decision to appoint him as Claude Puel’s successor in June.
Puel was axed despite leading Southampton to eighth and the EFL Cup final last season.
The Frenchman’s uninspiring football failed to impress the fans and in the end he lost the dressing room.
But Southampton’s football has been just as bad under Pellegrino and only one team, rock-bottom West Brom, have won less games than the five Saints have managed this term.
Their only league win since November came against West Brom at the start of February.
Saturday’s humiliating 3-0 defeat at relegation rivals Newcastle was the final straw and prompted talks between members of the Saints hierarchy during the remainder of the weekend and yesterday that ended with him being told he was being dismissed before the squad were informed of the change.
Argentinian Pellegrino admitted some of his players gave up at St James’s Park.
And it was a confession that underlined his biggest problem at St Mary’s –
his failure to get his message across and convince the players to buy into his methods.
And the search for suitable and available candidates was well underway last night.
Marco Silva, out of work since being sacked by Watford in January, could be considered again though any approach would be complicated by the fact he was overlooked by Southampton last summer in favour of Pellegrino and interest from Benfica.
There has been a fear around Southampton for some time that they were sleep walking towards relegation under Pellegrino who failed to justify the club’s decision to appoint him as Claude Puel’s successor in June.
Puel was axed despite leading Southampton to eighth and the EFL Cup final last season.
The Frenchman’s uninspiring football failed to impress the fans and in the end he lost the dressing room.
But Southampton’s football has been just as bad under Pellegrino and only one team, rock-bottom West Brom, have won less games than the five Saints have managed this term.
Their only league win since November came against West Brom at the start of February.
Saturday’s humiliating 3-0 defeat at relegation rivals Newcastle was the final straw and prompted talks between members of the Saints hierarchy during the remainder of the weekend and yesterday that ended with him being told he was being dismissed before the squad were informed of the change.
Argentinian Pellegrino admitted some of his players gave up at St James’s Park.
And it was a confession that underlined his biggest problem at St Mary’s –
his failure to get his message across and convince the players to buy into his methods.
Mauricio Pellegrino was sacked by Southampton on Monday night just six days ahead of an FA Cup quarter-final.
The Saints dismissed Pellegrino after a heavy defeat at Newcastle which left them hovering a point above the Premier League drop zone with eight games remaining.
Pellegrino’s assistant manager Carlos Compagnucci and assistant first-team coach Xavier Tamarit have also left the club.
Southampton released a statement to confirm the search for a replacement was already under way.
Marco Silva is among the candidates available to take over at St Mary’s. He was on the Saints shortlist last year before opting to join Watford when he left Hull after relegation.
Silva fell out of favour at Vicarage Road and was fired in January when form collapsed following his attempts to force a move to Everton, who turned instead to Sam Allardyce.
There is no longer an opening for Silva at Goodison Park and, despite reports linking him with a possible move to Benfica in his native Portugal, he has made it clear his prime ambition is to coach in the Premier League.
Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic is also under consideration from Southampton.
Saints have wielded the axe in an attempt to inject some life into the team and preserve their top-flight status. Their next league game is at West Ham on March 31.
Only three of their remaining eight Premier League games are at home and these include daunting fixtures against champions Chelsea and champions-elect Manchester City.
It was a dismal run of form which hastened Pellegrino towards the exit and he departs having managed to win only five of 30 Premier League games, and only one win in the last 17.
There were protests among the travelling fans as his team slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Newcastle, managed by his mentor Rafa Benitez.
Success in a domestic knock-out competition has done nothing to help the Argentine just as it did nothing to save his predecessor Claude Puel, who is now proving his credentials at Leicester.
Puel, appointed to replace Ronald Koeman in 2016, led Saints to eighth in the Premier League and to the final of the League Cup where his team were beaten by Manchester United and he was sacked after one season at the helm.
Pellegrino was on course for a return to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final if he were able to beat League One promotion chasers Wigan at the DW Stadium on Sunday.
That task is no longer in his hands, fired after nine months in charge as the Saints became the ninth of 20 Premier League clubs to change managers during this campaign.
‘It is something that has been bubbling away and has been talked about by Southampton fans for a while,’ said former Southampton defender Francis Benali on BBC Radio 5 Live.
'Pellegrino has had a good opportunity to turn things around. It is late in the season, and he perhaps should have gone some time back but Southampton have stuck with him. There have been a few must-win games that Southampton have not won.
‘The heavy defeat against Newcastle and the manner of it has sealed his fate. They are thinking hopefully it’s not too late for someone to come in and turn things around.’
The club have axed the Argentinian tonight after a run of just one win in 17 Premier League games, which has left Saints just outside of the relegation zone.
Saints have now begun the search for a successor and are hoping to make an appointment quickly, preferably before Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final at Wigan.
A Saints statement said: “Southampton Football Club can today confirm that it has parted company with First Team Manager Mauricio Pellegrino.
“Assistant Manager Carlos Compagnucci and Assistant First Team Coach Xavier Tamarit have also parted company with the club.
“We would like to place on record our thanks to Mauricio, Carlos and Xavier for their efforts during their time with Southampton, and wish them well for the future.
“The club will look to appoint a new management team as soon as possible, with the search for a replacement already underway.”
Following the Saints’ 3-0 defeat at relegation rivals Newcastle on Saturday, Pellegrino has lost his job after less than a year in charge.
Southampton intend to replace him quickly, with the hunt for his successor likely to be already underway.
A statement on the club’s website reads: "Southampton Football Club can today confirm that it has parted company with First Team Manager Mauricio Pellegrino.
"Assistant Manager Carlos Compagnucci and Assistant First Team Coach Xavier Tamarit have also parted company with the club.
"We would like to place on record our thanks to Mauricio, Carlos and Xavier for their efforts during their time with Southampton, and wish them well for the future.
“The club will look to appoint a new management team as soon as possible, with the search for a replacement already underway.”
SOUTHAMPTON have sacked Mauricio Pellegrino. Who will replace him at St Mary’s?
The Argentinian boss was only appointed at the start of the season, but following a miserable Premier League campaign - which has only seen five wins and 29 goals in 30 games, he has been axed.
Pellegrino was a surprise appointment last summer, after Claude Puel was controversially sacked despite leading the club to an eighth-place finish and a runners-up spot in the EFL Cup.
His previous managerial jobs had been with Valencia and Alaves in Spain, plus Estudiantes and Independiente in his homeland.
Saints are still in the FA Cup - and they face League One Wigan away on Sunday in their quarter-final tie.
However, their next Premier League game is not until Saturday 31 March - and that will be a crucial relegation six-pointer away to fellow strugglers West Ham.
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Assistant Manager Carlos Compagnucci and Assistant First Team Coach Xavier Tamarit have also parted company with the club.
We would like to place on record our thanks to Mauricio, Carlos and Xavier for their efforts during their time with Southampton, and wish them well for the future.
The club will look to appoint a new management team as soon as possible, with the search for a replacement already underway.
Mauricio Pellegrino’s playing style at Southampton was too negative, says Matt Le Tissier after the Argentine was sacked.
Southampton sit 17th in the Premier League, a point above the drop zone with eight games remaining after a run of just one win in 17 games.
Southampton legend Le Tissier could see the sacking coming, and says the fans had expected a certain style of play after success under Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman in previous years.
The Sky Sports pundit said: "It’s probably very similar to last season, the club had become very accustomed under Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman of having a team very much on the front foot, creating lots of chances and scoring lots of goals, being in games and giving the big boys a run for their money.
"Unfortunately in the last couple of seasons, that hasn’t been the case. We’ve been a fairly negative side, not on the front foot that much, and certainly not scoring the amount of goals to take us to a good position in the league.
“Whenever a manager goes that long, winning one game in 17, I think everybody understands in football these days that the guy is under serious pressure.”
Le Tissier added the Virgil van Dijk saga in the summer, where the club refused to sell the defender to Liverpool before a big-money move to Anfield in January, may have disrupted Southampton in the first half of the season.
“I think that was probably something that, looking back with hindsight, the club would probably regret, trying to keep him in the summer,” he said.
"They tried to do the right thing by the fans, in terms of not selling their best player every season, but sadly that did appear to backfire, and that situation probably didn’t help the performances in the first half of the season.
“But that’s life, that’s football, those decisions were made with the best intentions and it didn’t turn out right. It’s now time to move on, appoint a new manager, and get out of the trouble we are in at the moment.”
Le Tissier, who played 443 league games for Southampton over a 17-year stint, added blame should not just lie at the door of the manager, and wants the next boss to bring fresh impetus to the under-performing players.
He said: "It takes character, big personalities in the changing room, to step up to the plate when it’s needed. And hopefully, the new manager will bring fresh impetus to the players.
“Yes, you can lay the blame at the manager’s door at how the team has played and been set but, but at the end of the day the players out on the football pitch have got to do the business.”
Mark Hughes has emerged as the early favourite to replace Mauricio Pellegrino, who was sacked by Southampton on Monday evening.
The former Stoke and Manchester City manager was installed as the front-runner for the post by bookmakers Sky Bet, shortly after the news emerged of Pellegrino’s departure.
Here are the main contenders for the job, according to Sky Bet (all odds correct as of 10.30pm on Monday)…
Hughes played more than 50 games for Southampton between 1998 and 2000 and has plenty of Premier League experience having been in charge of Blackburn, Man City, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers. His five-year spell in charge of Stoke - one of three sides currently below Southampton in the table - ended in January when he was sacked, but he could be ready for a new challenge after two months out of the game.
Silva has been linked with Southampton in the newspapers since mid-January when he left Watford. The Portuguese manager made his name in the Premier League when he took over at Hull in 2017 and even though he was unable to keep them in the Premier League, he earned a move to Watford last summer. Strong links with Everton undermined his work at Vicarage Road and he left under a cloud earlier this season.
Another man who could be keen to take on a fresh challenge is Bilic, who enjoyed just over two years in charge of West Ham before being sacked in November. The former Croatia boss told Monday Night Football in January that clubs that change managers too often may not yield good results in the long term.
Former Swansea and Liverpool boss Rodgers has revitalised his career at Celtic, winning the Scottish Premiership last season and going on a 69-game unbeaten domestic run. He has Premier League experienced both at the top and bottom of the division, and may be tempted into a move back south.
Highly-rated Potter was the last English manager standing in European club competition this season, with Swedish minnows Ostersund going out to Arsenal in the Europa League round of 32. However, a 3-0 home defeat was followed by a stunning 2-1 win at the Emirates, and the former York defender has worked wonders at the club. Potter would be a brave choice but the 42-year-old’s record in Sweden stands up against some of the very best in the business. Since taking charge in 2011, Potter has taken Ostersund from the fourth tier to the Swedish top flight.
The new Netherlands manager left Southampton in 2016 to take over at Everton, but that did not go according to plan. He was sacked in October last year, with the Toffees in 18th place despite spending big in the summer. Saints fans enjoyed Koeman’s positive style of play at St Mary’s, but having not even managed a game for his country yet, it seems unlikely he will be in the Saints hotseat anytime soon.
Frank De Boer (22/1) is in the running, though he was dubbed the Premier League’s “worst manager in history” by Jose Mourinho on Monday. Seventy-one-year-old Harry Redknapp (25/1) would no doubt love a return to the Premier League, and 2012 title winner and Zenit manager Roberto Mancini (25/1) is on the list.
By Jaïdi’s own admission, his side were not at their best, despite taking the lead inside 13 seconds through Michael Obafemi.
The visitors were reduced to ten men when Oluwartimi Odusina was red carded after the half-time whistle was blown, but still found an equaliser before Obafemi struck his second in added time.
“I don’t know whether it was justice or not,” Jaïdi pondered. “I thought it was an ugly win.
“The boys have matured in the last period and started to apply what we have required since the start of the season.
“Today we didn’t impose our game and we didn’t play our football, but we managed to win the game, which is something you sometimes have to accept in football.
“That’s the positive bit – we won the game, we kept going and we didn’t throw in the towel.
“It’s hard to believe when you’re playing against a team with a man down, for them to have such a positive response and score a goal.
“Psychologically and mentally that can be difficult, but credit to the boys, they responded really well and we scored the second goal from a set play.
“I’m pretty convinced that a couple of months ago we would’ve lost that game.”
Former Watford boss Marco Silva is among the candidates for the Southampton manager’s job after they sacked Mauricio Pellegrino on Monday. (Mail)
Chelsea are monitoring AC Milan’s Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, 19, in case Belgium international Thibaut Courtois, 25, leaves Stamford Bridge. (Corriere dello Sport, via Talksport)
Newcastle will try to sign on-loan Chelsea winger Kenedy on a permanent deal but will have to pay up to £15m for the 22-year-old Brazilian. (Mirror)
Newcastle, Leicester and Southampton are all interested in 27-year-old Burnley and Iceland winger Johann Berg Gudmundsson. (Sun)
Barcelona have had a deal in place for months to sign France forward Antoine Griezmann, 26, with Atletico Madrid failing to agree terms on a contract extension. (Le10sport.com - in French)
West Brom want manager Alan Pardew to stay his role, but plan to name a new boss in the summer. (Mirror)
Arsenal are monitoring Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri after being impressed by how he masterminded Tottenham’s Champions League exit. (Star)
Former Arsenal forward Paul Merson believes Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers should succeed Arsene Wenger as Gunners boss. (Sky Sports, via Express)
Arsenal are ready to sell Hector Bellerin to help fund their rebuilding plans, but want £50m for the 22-year-old right-back. Juventus are interested in signing the Spaniard. (Mail)
Philippe Coutinho says he would love 26-year-old Brazil forward Neymar to return to Barcelona. Neymar joined PSG from Barca for £198m last summer, before compatriot Coutinho, 25, moved to the Nou Camp from Liverpool in January. (Mail)
Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri has apologised for “sexist and unacceptable” comments he made to a female journalist after his side’s Serie A match on Sunday. (Mail)
Wales forward Gareth Bale, 28, is set to leave Real Madrid this summer, with a return to the Premier League likely. (Diario Gol)
The La Liga side are interested in Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, 25, as a replacement for Bale but have been told they would have to pay 160m euros (£142m) for the Egypt forward. (El Confidencial)
Manchester United are the favourites to sign Bayern Munich’s Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, 29, this summer. (ESPN)
But RB Leipzig’s 22-year-old Germany forward Timo Werner has told United and Liverpool to forget abut trying to sign him this summer. (Mirror)
England are concerned about the fitness of Tottenham striker Harry Kane, 24, for this summer’s World Cup after he was pictured wearing a protective boot after injuring his ankle against Bournemouth. (Sun)
Chelsea and France midfielder N’Golo Kante, 26, is one of Paris St-Germain’s top summer targets. (Canal + via Goal.com)
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