Southampton Sack Will Still
Sunday, 2nd Nov 2025 21:33

Saints have announced that they have parted ways with Will Still, to be honest there was little choice left after the debacle against Preston North End yesterday, in truth it should have been done a week ago,

It does not give me great pleasure to relay the news that Saints have parted company with Will Still, in simple terms he has been sacked and also departing are coaches Rubén Martinez, Clément Lemaitre and Carl Martin, although I heard earlier in the week that Carl Martin was sacked last Monday.

Southampton Football Club announced the news on their official website saying:

Southampton Football Club can confirm that we have this evening parted ways with Men’s First Team Manager Will Still.

Rubén Martinez, Clément Lemaitre and Carl Martin have also left their positions at the club.

Men’s Under-21s Head Coach Tonda Eckert will take charge of the team on an interim basis.

Group Technical Director Johannes Spors said: “Will is a great person who gave everything to try and improve performances and results.

“Ultimately that process has taken longer than any of us would have liked. By making a change now we believe it gives us the best chance of turning things around this season and climbing back up the league table.

“I would like to thank Will, Rubén, Clément and Carl for their efforts and wish them well for the future.”

It is believed that Adam Lallana & Paul Trollope will remain at the club to assist Tonda Eckhert and presumably will be for at least the visit to Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday.

Not many Saints fans will be familiar with Tonda Eckert, he joined the club in the summer as U21 manager, he had previously been assistant manager at Genoa for over 3 years and has also been assistant at Barnsley in the Championship, as well as working in the youth set ups at Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig.

It saddens me to see that Still has been sacked, but to be blunt, he has made a pigs ear of the job, he had too many players in his squad and could never decide who the best XI were for the start of a game and would usually make multiple changes in the second half,.

Hopefully now we can start to make strides forward and utilise the undoubted potential of the squad.

All Photos Via Reuters

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EvertonSaint added 22:00 - Nov 2 Southampton FC 1955 to 1991 36 years 3 managers, 1991 to present day 34 years including interim appointments 36 managers! Here we go again. At least we didn’t wait, unlike last time when we delayed sacking RM. I just hope that Spors and the owner are next. Sports Republic have been a disaster and nothing would please me more than to see Saints put up for sale.
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BigbadBarry8myboat added 22:10 - Nov 2

EvertonSaint, funny you reference Russell Martin, as lot s of Rumours about him coming back. With SR nothing would surprise me but that would be shocking.
Almost as shocking as their constant seeing that we don't score goals, yet constantly failing to bring an experienced striker in, or that we ship goals yet not getting and experienced, quality CB. Before you say they re-signed Stephens, that was the worst decision ever!

sandywelsh added 22:11 - Nov 2 Still has gone at last . Who will be next? Could it be Ralph Hasenhuttl after all he was at a recent Saints game?
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mushinexile added 22:14 - Nov 2 It has been a very good evening. I spent it singing and dancing with an impossibly pretty young woman at the Bataclan where the Psychedelic Furs were quite brilliant and thought it could hardly get any better. I just hope we have somebody ready to do the job who isn't Russell Martin.
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Bowlercow added 22:23 - Nov 2 I've had enough of this management structure Solac has lost his main revenue stream so perhaps he'll put us up for sale to save him using a food bank Many on here will be happy but they will be moaning again in 15 games time Or even earlier if rumours about RM are true As ever be careful what you wish for
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bryanK added 22:25 - Nov 2

Well you have your wish Nick, I am extremely disappointed in what has happened and this manager takes all the blame. Forget the bloated squad who shoulder a good percentage of the blame along with Sports Republic and Spors.
If The club entertain Russell Martin I will be done after 72 years of supporting my one and only club.lets have a good old fashioned guy who throws a few hair dryers in the dressing room to grossly over paid pampered players.

AmericanSaint added 22:35 - Nov 2

Well I have not been able to watch too many of the games, but of the ones I was able too, I think WS tactics were decent. The club has never bought a proven striker and it shows. How many one-on-ones, does AA need to score? How many posts do we hit? How many individual player mistakes cost us goals and games? WS can only do so much and if the players can't produce (like so many of ours) then why change the manager? I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I think we should have stayed with him until the next international break. Look, I know everyone wants to bounce right back to the PL, but let's be honest, the club has so may problems, that it could take 2-3 years to sort this crap out. We need stability, especially in the manager's role. Well it's done, but if they bring back RM, then I am done too. SR have screwed this club up for years to come and even a new owner may not be able to fix it.

saint_jon_74 added 22:57 - Nov 2

Always look forward so Carrick for me. Solid career with Spuds and Manure. 3 years managerial career with the Smoggies. Look where they are now. Can look the players in the eye and say what have you achieved that I haven’t. Still sadly could never have done that. Strong links with Manure and Spuds to bring young loan players in. Academy players would want to stay with him and not leave. Well respected professional. Share the concerns btw of SR and fear that until they have sold out we are in for some tough times ahead. AS supporters it is vital that we reassert ourselves as the 12th man. We have tremendous support at home 27k for a team 21st in the Champ and selling out regularly away. CoYR's and make positive noise on the terraces going forward.

NewburySaint added 22:59 - Nov 2 For all those that wished for the removal of Still…..good luck with Sports Republic’s “next trick”.
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saint22 added 23:30 - Nov 2 Gerrard for me
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cramd1 added 23:43 - Nov 2 Michael Carrick 100%
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highfield49 added 23:45 - Nov 2

Like many supporters I feel sympathy for Will Still, sadly the task was too much for anybody without the experience of dealing with disruptive influences. It certainly seemed at times that he was akin to the new teacher trying to impose himself on a group of hormonal teenagers. A learning experience for Will but probably not the one he anticipated.
AmericanSaint makes the point well but the situation was never going to improve, particularly when probably the best striker and midfielder are facing long recovery from injury. The thought of RM returning to the club and Captain Jack being first on the team sheet doesn't bear thinking about. However, there's no benefit in waiting until the international break to change the coach, whoever it might be needs that time to pick up the pieces before December.
I think we all know that this time it has to be someone with a track record of winning and not pampering the ineffective coasters. I've no fixed idea who that person is but I suspect someone is in the frame already. The only managers filling my thoughts are the ones I don't want anywhere near our club.

amex added 00:01 - Nov 3

Russell Martin for me.
Take emotion out of it, Martin has proved he can get promoted from Championship.
He would almost guarantee we get back to winning ways in Championship which is all we want at the moment.
Hassenhuttlle out of touch, no Championship experience, Carrick does not sound interested.
Get Russell Martin back to do exactly the same as he did for Saints in the Championship last time.
Was he a success at Rangers or in the Premiership ? No. Was he a success for Saints in the Championship ? Yes, plus he knows a lot of the players eg TBH,Downs,Armo. Bottom end of Championship is where we are at the moment. Horses for Courses.
For the rest of this season, why gamble on anyone else if we can get him back ?

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DoctorSleep added 00:59 - Nov 3 You got your wish Nick even without the staged protest. Now tell us all who do you want as manager?
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YosemiteSaint added 05:32 - Nov 3

It's dumb that we've become a managerial carousel; all that wasted work—for the squad and the manager—of relearning the curve each time. Still was very much unproven, especially in the English game, so we have to chalk this up to an experiment that didn't work. At least we didn't wait til the season was well and fully gone to make the change. All i ask is someone who has (1) the b*lls to make commonsense squad decisions that need making, and (2) the patience and belief to really grow something at Soton. [I know some folks won't take this tack, but i wonder if second-time round Ralph may well fit those requirements.]

Peterx added 06:52 - Nov 3 Feel story for Still, would love to see whoever comes in being a real disciplinarian and give these players special forces training for a few weeks to get then all pulling in the same direction. OK a bit tongue in cheek but some players need to see the exit in the window.
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WestSussexSaint added 07:34 - Nov 3

It’s harsh on WS but his post match interview showed he had run out of ideas. He certainly is not totally at fault for the mess but as is usually the case the manager is the most dispensable.

As to who next, while I understand the calls for Martin to return, Sports Republic need to buy time and favour with the fan base. Appointing Martin would require instant positive results which (no guarantee) otherwise the fan revolt will be bigger and more focused on them. A lot of attention was on Danny Rohl in the summer and while that option is now at Rangers it shows the indication of the type of manager Spors was looking for. Ralph would align to that style and would be a popular choice with the fans. The question is would he want to given his previous comments about early retirement which if serious would mean him only being a short term appointment.

We definitely need an experienced manager who is going to whip the players into a functioning team again.

no7saint added 07:40 - Nov 3

I feel bad for Still, he got things wrong but he has been massively let down by a number of players, as was evident in Saturdays gutless display.

Once Ross Stewart got injured we were always going to struggle to score, having still not addressed the need for a proper number 9 since Danny Ings left. This failure to recruit a key position for so long has been the main reason for our decline, and not even a coach of Ralph's calibre could resolve it.

Still's failings have been well documented, but to his credit he wasn't afraid to drop under performers regardless of their stature. You couldn't accuse him of having favourites and everyone had game time, although this left him open to accusations of not knowing his best team.

I wasn't a fan of Martinball, and hoped Still's promise of attacking football and tactical flexibility would change all that. It's a shame it didn't work out. Hopefully we're not repeating this story in February!

pintsizedsaint added 08:30 - Nov 3

Inevitable reaction from Spors and SR - and it’s totally shambolic. Still has taken the hit for years of toxic management. I like WS, i think he’ll go on to be a decent manager, but he took on a massive challenge here and he was rabbit in the headlights at the end. Very likely he lost the dressing room after dropping Jack and Co after Hull.

Let’s be clear - the players and the director of football are mainly at fault here.

Who (anybody decent) will take this shit show on? It has to be someone with experience as it is clear these players are prima donna’s who think they should be playing in the PL. What a joke!

Russell Martin?! You are having a laugh.

Ralph was at Bristol because he’s mates with the manager.

Gary O Neil??!! Actually i wouldn’t put it past SR to appoint an ex-pompey to oversee this shambles!

pintsizedsaint added 08:34 - Nov 3 BTW, Carrick is a good shout.
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Ali_Diarea added 08:41 - Nov 3

Well done SR for acting decisively…I am pleased to be proven wrong!

The focus now needs to be on staying up and clearing out the deadwood over the next two transfer windows. The one thing that Will Still has shown everyone (although most fans already knew this) is that our bloated squad lacks quality in so many key areas. Let’s hope the next manager realises this a bit quicker than Still did.

StRipper added 09:18 - Nov 3

Shame it had to happen. I don’t think anyone was wishing to get rid of Still. Only wheel t became apparent that he wasn’t up to the job, it was always the inevitable outcome. A relief that the club got on with it rather than dragging it out and creating more division.
I just hope whoever we appoint next is not another experiment.

A word for those calling for Carrick. I have a good friend who is a Middlesbrough fan. They lost patience with Carrick after a couple of years because he wasn’t making any progress with what they felt was a a more talented side than their results and league position showed. And seeing as how the change to Rob Edwards has shot them to the top of the table, that view would seem to bear out. So not for me, he’s just another Gerrard like appointment, credited for his football connections over any ability shown as a manager. We’ll likely just end up back where we are more with him.

mascott514 added 11:20 - Nov 3 Ralph. We need a smile back on our faces
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Whatsforpud added 15:53 - Nov 3 No one has mentioned that Will Still did not come over well in interviews. He mumbled all the time, and I had to turn up the sound to hear and understand him. I imagine he found it difficult also, to be forceful enough to impart his thoughts and instructions to the players.
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