Breaking news on the BBC Saints sack Nathan Jones after 3 months , read on for the club statement.

Saints have finally realised that the situation has to change and have issued this brief statement.

Southampton Football Club can confirm it has parted company with Men’s First Team Manager Nathan Jones.

First Team Coaches Chris Cohen and Alan Sheehan have also left the club.

First Team Lead Coach Rubén Sellés will take charge of training and prepare the team ahead of next weekend’s game against Chelsea.

So we now look for our third manager of the season , former River Plate manager Marcelo Gallardo is the bookies favourite, but a story is building that Steve Bruce is isn the running and will be appointed on a 18 month contract.

Bruce has extensive managerial experience, but on paper it doesn't look a good choice for Saints, since 2015 his only time in the Premier League has been the 2 years and 3 months he did at Newcastle between July 2019 and October 2021.

So farewell Nathan Jones, a sacking after only 3 months is harsh, especially as 6 weeks of that reign saw no football being played due to the World Cup break.

I don't celebrate the sacking of a manager, it is not a crime to fail as a football manager, most who get sacked are decent people, they just don't measure up to the task.

That is the case with Nathan Jones, he tried his best but it was clear he was out of his depth, his management style was abrasive and I think that several members of the squad will be happy to see the back of him.

Photo: Action Images

SanMarco added 10:17 - Feb 12 Probably too late but it had to happen. Should have been done after the Brentford comments. Then who knows we may have 'held on' against 10 men yesterday. He, of course, should never have been appointed in the first place. The most catastrophic managerial appointment in Saints history? Even Pellegrino got 28 pts from 30 games.
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DPeps added 10:19 - Feb 12 Who now? Problem we've got is that most managers with any sense will realise that we're going down so NJ's successor will most likely be drawn from a pool of championship level managers. One thing is for certain: the players need someone calm (like RH) and not a hothead
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mushinexile added 10:19 - Feb 12 OK Reuben, now show us what you can do!
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WestSussexSaint added 10:25 - Feb 12 I predicted that having 30000 call for the manager to go would’ve had a greater impact that the fans forum in the week. So no surprise that the board finally realised they had to act. Leaving Jones in place would have not only damaged the club but the fans anger would have shifted from Jones to them. Now they have to get the next appointment right. Question is to they go for a manager with the aim of trying to stay up or plan for the more likely outcome of relegation and look at someone who can get us back up.

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halftimeorange added 10:27 - Feb 12 As San Marco says, this was inevitable. It was obvious to all of us who regularly watch Saints that the guy was immediately out of his depth in terms of ideas, man management and dealing with the media. I have some sympathy with him as he tried to better himself but, he should never have been appointed. His place remains in the lower divisions. Nevertheless we still have the same problem in that there is nobody in the team capable of marshalling the defence onfield. The board should be looking for an out of contract experienced defender and pdq otherwise we'll still leak soft goals.

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Ali_Diarea added 10:35 - Feb 12 Bit of advice for SR, don’t rely on data alone, it only gets you so far…
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DPeps added 10:36 - Feb 12 Bruce 😂😢
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kenis added 10:39 - Feb 12 In hindsight should have gone all out for Dyche after decision to sack Ralf. Even though Everton didn’t sign any new players still now expect them to stay up. Ralf wasn’t given the striker they all agreed he needed and then not given the World Cup break to further install his tactics into the team. He’s probably the best man to come in to try to keep us up given his knowledge of the club and players but it would never happen and no one can leave on 100% good terms with everyone. Should also have recalled Stephens and Tella in January for different reasons (Stephens to weaken a rival and for leadership in dressing room, Tella to go into side) Bielsa seems wrong choice due to sweeping change and time but would be bold, Marsch would be sensible given plying style (if all memory of it not destroyed) but his record no better than Ralfs. Don’t think Gerard or Lampard are right either….. if only Chelsea would sack Potter! Just hope the comments at the fans forum regarding financial health mean can mount very strong promotion challenge and not see even more mass player turnover as if that happens we’ll be gone for another 5+ years and may never return.

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saintstu1969 added 10:52 - Feb 12 Whether he was a decent man or not, he was an awful manager! We sacked Ralph who again was a decent man but his time was up. Results are what keep you in your job and both of them failed miserably this season. The football we have been provided with at St Marys is boring, uninspiring, frustrating and to be honest not worth watching! I will not shed any tears over Nathan going and no one else should either. For 3 months work he is going to receive a massive amount of money which is more than the vast majority of people will never earn in multiple lifetimes. SR have failed us massively in his appointment. We had a lot more time to sit back and decide but they didn't. I hope they have been doing this in the background this time. But let us not just blame the manager here. Our team have it in them to play and play well but seem happy to fail again and again at home with bad performances and mistake after mistake. They should all acknowledge this and play with proper passion for the team, club & supporters.

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Rossm2006 added 11:09 - Feb 12 Feel for Nathan Jones, seemed a good bloke and no doubt a good coach. For me the sack should have been saved for the person who let our experienced leaders and voices go and replaced them with mute academy players with barely ten professional games between them. Let's face it this team would struggle in the championship, I doubt any manager could have kept the last group up and we have now sacked another manager one game in with a new set.also one who knew the championship inside out , where we will.play next season, probably without all these entitled academy players who will be off like a shot. Shame there is no data on common sense as we have all said on here you can't have a football team with kids , no leaders , no experience and no voices. Overall a real shame more than anything Good luck to the new manager , he will need it. Not sure where we turn now. Will a proven manager stick around if we go down? Will any championship manager touch us after the treatment of Jones? Do we get stuck with a yes man coach worse than all other options ?

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IanRC added 11:11 - Feb 12 SR failed us massively with this last appointment, keeping Ralph would have been a far better call IMHO. They must get this next appointment right and I suspect Bruce would be another disaster. Gallardo sounds talented but a risk, none of the other names mentioned above excite me, unless as commented Chelsea sack Potter next week.
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JoeEgg added 11:13 - Feb 12 Well I've asked the question before - WHO at Saints selected Jones in the first place? We all said it was the wrong choice from Day 1 - so who was responsible for this madness? Having said that Jones cant take all the blame for yesterday's disaster and possibly the result that will see us relegated for sure. We had so many opportunities against Wolves but just TWO shots on target! Well Chelsea next -easy peasy - except that for different reasons they need a win as much as we do! I fear that we may have missed our chance to play Premier League football next season.

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wrathoftazz added 11:16 - Feb 12 He was so Baaaaaaaaad! Sorry couldn't help myself... Join the PL and get £6m for a months work (taking ourlt the WC). Lets see which muppett SR put in next.
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Kenm added 11:23 - Feb 12 probably be better if the Saints board go as well because their wants and needs are not what the fans require !. We required a striker none came, we got a championship manager WHY, because they knew that's were we were going ?. We are the 9th richest club in the premier so can't we spend it on players required ?. If we can finish higher in the league the FA will hand us more money at end of season. We will get more finishing higher that the parachute payment. As for Jones I believe he tried formations that the team knew don't work, he didn't listen to the team !

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ItchenNorth added 11:28 - Feb 12 Whoever comes in they have to prepared to work with us in the Championship. Of course the aim is to keep us up, but in no way would I want to appoint a manager for that alone, for the short term, in a Bruce or Big Sam. This doesn't mean identifying a manager with Championship experience at all either. It means, getting the right manager for a longer term view. We need someone who will unite the fans and play good football, because we have it in this squad. If we go down we go down. I'm not someone who greatly worries about the league we play in, I just want to see a team playing well and winning games. I want to be proud of Saints. . So let's see some positivity, some results in the remaining part of this season, so if we go down, we can see the charge to promotion can start from day one of next season.

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felly1 added 11:38 - Feb 12 I do have some sympathy for Jones. He was never the right fit for us, but it wasn't all his fault either. I'd stick with Selles and see the season out. Why bring someone in now and no doubt continue to lose games and the same pattern starts again. I'd much rather we start afresh in the Championship with a new manager who's not been beaten down and demoralised with the endless defeats. Basically that's what Burnley have done and it's worked.

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underweststand added 11:41 - Feb 12 Managing a Prem. club is like walking in a minefield and trying to avoid the dangers. Even if your best players are fit ..and in form, there are many factors that come into play. A endless list of former international players with credentials far more impressive that GJ's have stumbled and fallen by the wayside.
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Centurion added 11:45 - Feb 12 I am sure that Nathan Jones will have a decent career ahead of him, but perhaps he is made for the lower leagues 1 and 2. I can see him making an impact with the likes of Cambridge United. Doing well in the lower leagues and pulling off a few Cup upsets. He will probably be happy at this level. I am sure he wasn't at Saints as he was well out of his depth. From his point of view, he will see the Saints experiment as a nightmare but at least he should be comfortable financially.

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Gadge60 added 12:20 - Feb 12 Please, please not Steve Bruce. I would be happy with Rafa Benitez
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StRipper added 12:23 - Feb 12 It's an apt irony that the player that you bring back from loan, who has proved in his performances and deeds that he isn't good enough for Saints, is involved in conceding both goals that finally cost you your job. I just hope the board bother to do more in appointing the next manager than looking at his position on a Managers perfoamce league table. Especially when we have bought loads of players that don't even align with our former manager's style of play. We are now carrying loads of dead wood and have successfully blocked any path to the first team for young players. What an enormous screw up and waste of Mr. Solak's money. I so hope we don't appoint a managerial clogger like Dyche. We didn't want that type of football under Jones, so why would we want it with any other manager? If it's about staying up, I'd say reappoint Ralf or Poch who know the club. Leaving a caretaker coach like Sellers in charge will also ensure we are too soft to get results. Other than that, I'm happy just to go to games and be entertained.

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Flamingbankers added 12:33 - Feb 12 The Premiership was too great a leap for Jones but it might have helped if he had relied on common sense and logic rather than God. God didn't help him here but he may eventually be a better person for it, seriously. Clearly out of his depth : choosing failed formation game after game despite a simple, basic formation working wonders against apparently better teams; deselecting some of our best players and bringing players that clearly weren't up to scratch; playing players out of position; confusing the players and not utilising players to their full potential; proving a lightweight when dealing with the media or the fans; or anything else quite frankly. The real tragedy, however, is the failure of the incompetent ownership since it's taken over. It has tried to retrieve the situation recently, which we are pleased about, but I'd plead with them to, this time, appoint a quality, experienced manager who has a genuinely impressive record at the top level.

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Ifonly added 12:43 - Feb 12 There have been 8 instances in PL history of clubs having 3 or more managers in one season. Six of those went down (including us). It is overwhelmingly likely that we go down whatever we do, so I hope we avoid making a long term appointment now just because some washed out manager is available e.g. Bruce. It would be much better to make a short term appointment and then make a long term appointment in the summer when the dust has settled and we have more time to get it right.

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darthvader added 12:44 - Feb 12 The irony that my daughter won a Saints football top signed by Nathan Jones, and it finally turned up yesturday
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ancientbriton added 12:50 - Feb 12 It was obvious to anyone watching the coaches when players came to the technical areas that the players weren't communicating with Nathan Jones, they were only taking notice of some of the other staff. Inexperienced manager for the Premiership trying hard to enthuse a team with 40% inexperienced players. Disastrous move on the part of our owners from start to finish. What will be our next disastrous appointment?

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SaintPaulVW added 13:28 - Feb 12 You can only hope that SR have learnt from this debacle. Appointing the wrong manager at a key point in the season could cost £100s of millions in lost player values, reduced income etc Clearly NJ was out of his depth with elite players, PL tactics and didn't have the media skills to be able to avoid making a bad situation worse for himself. I am presuming that this failure will be parked at Ankersen's door. Trying to be too clever and appoint a key position of a club manager based on data before they have actually achieved anything seems suicidal. This isn't FIFA on the xbox FFS. I'd welcome Benitez, boring is great if it gives us a chance. The crazy thing is Jones seemed to have solved the defence line up a few games ago and then totally screwed it up. I'm actually relieved today. It's now going to be a hard few months tho. COYR

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