Inside Southampton’s dire season with sacked boss Nathan Jones sleeping on SOFA and two dressing rooms for bloated squad
SOUTHAMPTON’S dismal Premier League campaign was underlined on Saturday when a 2-0 defeat to Fulham confirmed their relegation.
Just six wins from 36 matches leaves them on 24 points, eight points adrift of safety with two games remaining.
It has been a calamitous season for Saints – who are on their third head coach in six months.
And there have been several embarrassing factors that have compounded the South Coast club’s demise.
One of those was boss Nathan Jones sleeping on a sofa in his office.
Following Ralph Hasenhuttl’s sacking, Jones left Luton to join Southampton.
But he lasted just three months before being dismissed and replaced by Ruben Selles.
And according to The Telegraph, Saints staff felt Jones’ determination to sleep in his office was a “meaningless gimmick”.
He also stunned fans on Sunday when asked whether he would have kept Southampton in the Premier League had he been given the rest of the season.
Jones, who lost seven of his eight league games in charge, told Sky Sports: “That is something that whatever I answer, it is a bit of a loaded question.
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“If I had got the results, then I know I would have kept improving the team.
“I believe in the work we do, but it is very difficult to turn around and say that because the last thing I want is another headline.
“But I enjoyed my time and now looking forward to the next challenge.”
The Telegraph‘s report also revealed a club insider felt Saints’ transfer policy was “insane” as they sold the likes of Oriel Romeu and Jan Bednarek without bringing in replacements.
One member of staff was even said to have described the squad as “basically Prowsey [James Ward-Prowse], Theo [Walcott] and a bunch of children”.
And the atmosphere within the team was not understood to be a positive one.
Due to the size of the squad, they had to divide into two dressing rooms.
As reported by The Athletic, some of the younger players also sat on their phones during team meetings.
Being late for training and failing to realise the serious threat of relegation were also criticisms levelled at the inexperienced stars.
And skipper Ward-Prowse, 28, gave a damning assessment of Saints’ season after Fulham sent them down.
He told BBC Sport: “From the first day of pre-season until right now you can tell the standards at the club have slipped.
“We need to go away individually and as a club and assess if we’ve done everything we possibly could. I don’t think we have and that is a shame.”
He then went on to add: “I think as a team and a club overall we’ll think about the season that has gone by,” Ward-Prowse added.
“Have decisions been right? Have we done everything we could on the pitch? I think we should perform at a better level than we have done.”
Southampton will now begin the 2023/24 campaign in the Championship – their first season outside the top flight since 2012.