And just like that, after only five months and 13 league games at the Southampton helm, the Will Still experiment at St. Mary’s is over.
There was so much hype surrounding Still’s appointment after he had made quite the name for himself in France when spearheading a 17-game unbeaten run in charge of Stade Reims.
But, with only two Championship wins under his belt from those games mentioned, it did feel like only a matter of time before the underwhelming 33-year-old was put out of his misery.
It will be intriguing to see who the Saints turn to next as they attempt to get out of their second-tier slump and rise back into the promotion reckoning, with interim boss Tonda Eckert even in with an outside shout, having masterminded a 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday night.
Latest on Southampton's manager search
Indeed, Sky Sports’ Lyall Thomas has already confirmed that Eckert will lead Southampton out again on Saturday as crisis-stricken Sheffield Wednesday come to St. Mary’s, as the club continues to weigh up whether he’s a viable candidate for the full-time job.
If he were to guide the Saints to another league win, he would surely be in the conversation. But, there are various other names also being linked to the ongoing EFL opening.
Reports have suggested that EFL veteran Tony Mowbray could be in the running, alongside ex-Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick, with the Saints’ sporting director Johannes Spor also casting his net out to Germany, on the hunt for a successful replacement for Still.
Sky Sports has even boldly suggested that former Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana would be interested in becoming the next head coach, with Lallana assisting Eckert for the time being during his temporary duties.
The same report does state that it is an unlikely option at this moment in time, owing to Lallana’s complete lack of experience as a head coach.
But, it could well be deemed an inspired choice from left-field, all the same, with the second-tier side perhaps gaining their own Frank Lampard-style figure in the process, who continues to take the Championship by storm with Coventry City.
Southampton's own Lampard appointment
Once upon a time, Lampard was in much the same position as Lallana, as he tried to navigate a coaching career post a glittering playing career from midfield.
While it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Lampard during his managerial career to date, with tricky spells at both Everton and Chelsea, he has been largely a hit in the Championship, as evidenced by him steering the Sky Blues to the top of the EFL’s elite division right now.
Games managed
94
104
Wins
46
38
Draws
23
21
Losses
25
45
Goals scored
157
145
Goals conceded
108
153
Off the back of his “fantastic” stint at the CBS Arena to date – as journalist Sam Cunningham has labelled it – Lampard has managed to collect 46 victories from 94 second-tier games, with Lallana now wanting to kickstart his own EFL managerial journey, to try and follow in the ex-Chelsea icon’s footsteps.
After all, Lallana would no doubt command the same respect Lampard clearly holds, with the former St. Mary’s playing icon going on to bag a hefty 60 goals and collect a weighty 47 assists while on the South Coast.
He would surely want to make his own Saints side as entertaining to watch as Lampard’s rampant Sky Blues, therefore.
Moreover, Lallana will be hungry to be a success as a main manager, having played under some of the best in the managerial game in the form of Jurgen Klopp and Roberto De Zerbi, alongside also working closely with Lee Carsley in the England U21 set-up.
Russell Martin also gave a glowing assessment of the 34-year-old when he was still manager at St. Mary’s, with the recently sacked Rangers boss lauding Lallana as a “brilliant” voice to have around the dressing room. He’s also been hailed in the past as “very intelligent” by De Zerbi.
Southampton will know that they need to get this managerial appointment spot on, having been on the receiving end of a litany of blunders in recent years, with Nathan Jones and Ivan Juric also going down as failures, as an outside-of-the-box appointment, such as Lallana, is possibly eyed up.
After all, as a Saints player, the one-time Premier League title winner would once score 11 goals and collect ten assists in league action, to seal promotion to the big time. Can he repeat the same magic as a rookie replacement for Still?
Spors is a fan: Tonda Eckert asked directly about becoming permanent Southampton manager
Tonda Eckert has taken over Southampton as interim boss following their dismissal of Will Still.
ByJames O'Reilly