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Southampton have parted company with Nathan Jones just three months and after just 14 games into his first managerial position at a Premier League club.
The former Luton boss took over from Ralph Hasenhuttl in November, shortly before the league paused for the Qatar World Cup.
Jones had guided Southampton to the Carabao Cup semi-finals and the FA Cup fifth round, but lost seven of his eight Premier League games in charge, with his sole victory coming against Everton in January.
Southampton lost 2-1 at home to the Wolves on Saturday after being undone by a sensational second-half comeback from 10-man Wolves at a hostile St Mary’s, with Joao Gomes scoring a late decider to pile more pressure on Jones.
Jones went immediately down the tunnel at the full-time whistle, and later described the comeback from Wolves as a “sucker-punch”.
A Southampton fan was reportedly kicked out of St Mary’s by security on Saturday after waving a giant P45 cut-out at Jones during the dismal loss to Wolves.
Jones, 49, leaves Southampton bottom of the table, with 15 points from 22 games. Nathan Jones retreated immediately down the tunnel at the full-time whistle as Southampton fell to their seventh Premier League defeat in the eight games he had overseen against Wolves on Saturday. His position was simply untenable.
Jones was an unpopular appointment when first announced as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s successor back in November. His name didn’t carry the fashionable reputation that someone like Julen Lopetegui did. The Spaniard was appointed at Wolves five days prior to Jones’ unveiling on the south coast.
Wolves were rock bottom back then, but have since risen from the ashes under Lopetegui’s astute tutelage and are now a comfortable 15th, five points clear of the drop zone.
The Saints, comparatively, have gone backwards. Jones had no such blueprint.
When it became clear that Hasenhuttl’s time at St Mary’s was up, Southampton’s search should have centred on a manager who could provide stability and strong leadership at an elite level with a proven track record in a top-flight division. They went with a manager who was alien to the league, to oversee a group of players with very little Premier League knowhow to illustrate, Saturday’s starting XI vs Wolves included only five players who had featured in the division before this season.
Tactical tinkering, ever-changing personnel and formations, as well as poor game management all led to Jones’ inevitable demise. Of course with hindsight that reasoning, based on metrics and statistics, appears heavily flawed.
Southampton chiefs have a lot to answer for with Rasmus Ankersen, CEO of the club’s owners Sport Republic, responsible for initially identifying Jones as the right man for the job.
Southampton has 16 games to save their season and Ankersen’s next call will undoubtedly be his toughest and most important yet.
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