Southampton: Chris Sutton warns fans who want Ralph Hasenhuttl sacked

Ex-footballer Chris Sutton has slammed the Southampton supporters who want to see Ralph Hasenhuttl sacked soon, saying they must ‘be careful what they wish for’. 

During a recent Premier League game, a small section of away supporters turned on their manager after he substituted Joe Aribo for Lyanco and sang the words ‘sacked in the morning‘.

The Saints managed to win that game against Bournemouth and then claimed a point at St Mary’s against league leaders Arsenal this weekend.

Despite these recent positive results, some Southampton supporters evidently aren’t keen on the job their manager is doing – but Sutton has come to the defence of the Austrian.

Indeed while speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live show 606, he said: “I actually think Southampton have made some really interesting signings, young signings. They’ve got the head of recruitment in from Manchester City, Joe Shields, and have that link – Bazunu going in, Romeo Lavia I think [a] good signing on the face of it and high hopes for him, and a lot of good young players; Bella-Kotchap has gone in.

“And he [Hasenhuttl] is there to develop them, and if they stay in the Premier League, these players are going to improve.

“They have their own model. I just think Southampton fans, honestly, need to be careful what they wish for.”

TIF Thoughts on Ralph Hasenhuttl and Southampton…

The Saints are now into their fifth season with Hasenhuttl in charge, and have never finished higher than 11th or lower than 16th in the Premier League in that period (via Transfermarkt).

Clearly, the Austrian gives Southampton a fair amount of stability and consistency and this is backed up by the fact that they currently sit 15th in the league with 12 points after 12 games.

Of course, it’s understandable if fans were hoping to hire someone who can see their side break into the top half of the table – this last happened under Claude Puel in 2016/17 – but a change in management could also bring on the risk of relegation.

For now at least, it doesn’t look as though Hasenhuttl will be going anywhere with the club unbeaten in their last three, so fans can wish all they like, but it could be some time before they get what they want.