Is it still Squeaky Bum time for the Saints?

A manager with little grasp of the language, an inexperienced squad and a tricky fixture list should leave Saints fans worried despite their performance against Liverpool. With only 4 points separating themselves and the bottom three, Southampton’s stay in the premier league is starting to mirror that of Blackpool.

 A few weeks ago in his post interview for MOTD, I noticed that Saints’ Manager Mauricio Pochettino requested a translator to assist him. While I’m certainly no xenophobe, I firmly believe a Premier League manager should be able to converse with his players adequately. I try to position myself in that dressing room by comparing it to my school French lessons. Basically, you try your best to understand, but ultimately, you end up drawing uncompromising pictures in your mates book. While this comparison is sketchy at best, it delivers an ultimate message: Why over-complicate things? Atkins had the confidence of his players, was slowly picking up results in a new league and represented an up and coming contingent of British managers.

 Moreover, he knew his squad, nurturing them from the depths of League 1. For the players, once the thrill of impressing new management has passed, they are faced with the reality of not knowing where they stand. Perhaps this is why the Saints haven’t been picking up the results recently. We as fans often forget that footballers are humans and the job isn’t simply 90 minutes on a pitch. Imagine having to re-establish yourself at work while your workload is at its optimum. (As I write this Southampton have just banged in two against Liverpool…the curses of blog writing).

 I’m not suggesting that the Saints will necessarily go down this season. Rather, I look at the teams around them who boast more experience in a relegation scrap. Firstly, Aston Villa represent a club desperate not to go down because of their stature. They are now picking up results when it matters and boast a formidable frontline. Coupled with this, Wigan have proven over the last couple of seasons that they love a good flirt with relegation but have severe issues when it comes down to commitment. Finally, it is impossible to rule out ‘Arry Houdini pulling off a miracle at big spending QPR. All these points add together to form a mean cocktail against Southampton.

 So, what can I conclude from my ramblings? Well, for one thing, Southampton should watch carefully over their shoulders for the rest of the season. However, perhaps the overall message is that Premier League Owners should trust the skills of English management. How do we expect to encourage football at the grass root level if the “English” Barclays Premier League is dominated by foreign management?