Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas has stated that he feels Southampton must keep the faith in Ralph Hasenhuttl.
The Austrian’s future at St Mary’s has come into question by some sections of the club’s fan base following a dismal first half of the season, which sees Saints currently languishing in the relegation zone.
However, Nicholas believes that there are deeper problems at Southampton that are having detrimental impacts on the performances on the pitch.
Writing for Sky Sports, the pundit tipped Hasenhuttl to turn things around, and also predicted Saints to defeat West Ham United 2-1 today. He said:
I don’t think Ralph Hasenhuttl is under pressure. I still feel they are trying to solve problems in-house – I think it would be foolish to get rid as I don’t think he has done a bad job, and the timing would be poor too.
Their buying policy in the last three seasons has been poor and players have let them down.
Read Southampton’s verdict
There aren’t many viable alternatives who would come in and do better than Hasenhuttl, so it would make no sense to sack him.
The boss has made his fair share of mistakes throughout the season so far, but he is not solely responsible. He has not been supported by the board sufficiently, and the players must take their share of the blame.
Ultimately, though, football is a results business, and if Hasenhuttl doesn’t clinch all three points against West Ham today, he could be in trouble.
