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Previously we would have seen Christmas and the New Year out before any focus was on managers and their job security, because by then a good half of the season would have been completed.
The league table would therefore have given a fair picture as to which teams were struggling, but of course this year, amazingly, we saw Frank De Boer sacked after only four games, and now Ronald Koeman after nine.
As I mentioned a while ago, the Reading manager, another famous Dutch player, has also been under pressure.
Forgetting their nationality and generalising, is it right for managers to be finished so early?
Take one of the bookmaker’s favourites to be the next to go, Slaven Bilic, who is not Dutch but has been top of the list for a few weeks now.
He took his team to Wembley, they were 2-0 down at half time to Tottenham, but presumably as a result of his team talk his side came out transformed, won 3-2 and sent the fans home happy.
I suppose this has probably given him more time, and he will have to maintain these results, but that is what management is all about.
You get times when a team plays well but loses, and other times they play not so well and win.
An example, whether anyone agrees with me or not, is Saints’ last game against West Bromwich.
Quite honestly, because of the defensive manner Tony Pulis brought to St Mary’s, the odds were for a boring 0-0 draw, but then a substitution changed everything with a magnificent goal. However, it could easily have been the other way on.
In defence of managers I think that September or October is far too early to make major decisions and Saints fans in particular will be very surprised at the departure of Mr Koeman.
Having had to take over from a successful and popular manager in Mauricio Pochettino, not only did he have to win the fans over but regroup, bringing in new players.
He actually took us to seventh and then sixth position, and of course because of his success he was wanted elsewhere and made the decision to go off to Everton.
The surprise to me is that Everton traditionally under the chairmanship of Mr Bill Kenwright have always been one of the clubs you would look at who would give people more time and loyalty was always a word you would use in conjunction with them.
So what is the reason for these changes?
From a distance I can only conclude the advent of the Premier League and the massive amounts of money rolling in making it more of a business than the old fashion game it used to be.
Also we no longer have the olde worlde type of director who possibly had a business in the area and looked on their role as representing the man on the terrace.
Nowadays it is normally someone who has made lots of money in another country in a business not connected with sport, sees this as an opportunity to increase their income and moves in with little knowledge of the game itself and looks at the league table like a balance sheet.
Thinking about it, it’s not just the foreign coaches coming in who need time to adjust to our different atmosphere, surely it has to be the owners as well.
Another example connected to Saints is the appointment of Mr Claude Puel at Leicester.
I was with Matt Le Tissier at a charity event this week and I told him I had heard his comment when contacted by a radio programme where he had said Saints finished eighth and were unlucky not to win the League Cup at Wembley but the football was not attractive, in fact it could be described as dull and negative, and the supporters were not happy.
So a few eyebrows were lifted when Leicester City, having already finished two managers recently, and having been linked with the usual names - Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe etc – brought in Mr Puel describing him as the ideal appointment.
I suppose this could be scoffed at by our supporters as they get together, but it will be very interesting to see if in fact Mr Puel has learned from not exactly mistakes but more about the English game.
The reason he was appointed at Southampton was that in the previous 20 years he had had success in France, including getting to the Champions League semi-final.
Knowing football people as I do he will be doubly determined to prove people down in this part of the country wrong.
One of his other criticisms over not speaking English and that will have changed as well - he will have certainly learned a few new words from standing on the touchline and had quite a few chats with his bank manager after he left St Mary’s.
Seriously, it will be interesting to see what difference there will be in him at Leicester, and also where Ronald Koeman turns up next after undoubtedly licking his wounds.
This is all taking place for the exhibition about the history of the club which is going to be at the SeaCity Museum next year.
Anyone interested has one more week to get their entries in, and all the details are available on the club’s website, via this link > >
My problem of course is nominating my team, which I should have ready for next week’s column.
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