Saints 11 year tenure in the Premier League will end at approximately 6.30pm this evening after an afternoon at St Mary's which is as bizarre as the entire season has been, for many it is a case of getting the whole shambles over with and starting anew next season.

Today Ruben Selles will take charge of the team against Liverpool, to be blunt he should not be, not just for his performance as manager, no one can say much in defence of that, but because it is just plain stupid to put him in this position as a person.

Selles will not receive a warm welcome, in fact the opposite, whilst he is not hated as Nathan Jones was, he is still seen as the man who took us down.

That will only fan the flames for those that want to be able to vent their feelings this afternoon and I can understand why they would want to do so, I have spent most of this season urging supporters to stay behind the team, but with the season now done and dusted and relegation confirmed, I fully expect it to be a lively afternoon.

So the presence of Selles on the bench will not serve any good purpose, not just from the fans viewpoint,. but also the players, with his departure confirmed what can he say to them that will motivate them, this is a team that will just want to get this game out of the way and scuttle off.

Yes there will be some who will put in a shift, but what can Selles do, who does he pick, it is all change after the game, his presence in the dressing room will add nothing, to be blunt the club would have been better letting one of the coaching staff take charge rather than provide a target for the fans vitriol that could turn the whole atmosphere toxic.

Bizarrely it seems that manager elect Russell Martin will be in the stands , this is slightly better than parading him on the pitch, but only just, I would hope that the club will not place him in view in the Directors box, but keep him hidden from sight in one of the corporate boxes, there is a danger that as much as the fans might turn on the team and club, that they will also turn on Martin before he has been officially appointed.

As for the game, there is absolutely nothing on it for either club, Liverpool start the game on 66 points, they have nothing to play for they have qualified for the Europa League but can't be caught by Brighton one place below, nor catch Manchester United above them.

In a strange twist it could be claimed that they have had a worse decline this season than Saints, last term they finished 2nd with 92 points, some 26 points more than they have this season, they failed to qualify for the Champions League.

As it stands Saints are only a mere 16 points less than they finished last season on.

God only knows what team will run out in the worst ever Saints home kit, a design that had so little red in it, singing "Come on you Reds" could invoke the trade description act, just how Ruben Selles is expected to choose 11 players is beyond me.

He has no incentive either way, he is not building for next season so why should he include youth, but if he goes for those that on paper are the best players, then how much effort will some of them put in, I am not saying they are not trying, but they are just as disillusioned as the fans, yes it could be said they are professionals they should be able to turn up and perform, but football is not like that.

Even good players have to have leadership, they have to have motivation, they have to see direction, but our squad have had none of that and even when they think they have caught a break, VAR intervenes and picks out a toenail offside as has happened three times in the past weeks.

Some will self motivate, want to go out with a bang, but there are those that will not.

Selles dilemma is does he go for those that are now well entrenched in a losing mentality or does he try youth, the problem with the latter is that it might have been a bad season for the visitors, but they have still massacred a few sides on occasion, do we want to see them run rings around our promising players.

I would hope that Ruben Selles would go for an experienced starting line up but have a few youngsters on the bench to try and show the fans there is a way forward.

Personally if I was Ruben Selles I would throw a sicky this afternoon, he may be the name on the door on the day we go down, but the problems started before he was given the job, why he would let Sport republic put him through this afternoon I don't know, why they would do so is even more of a mystery.

Photo: Action Images

obelisk added 11:09 - May 28 I appreciate that Nick will have his ear closer to the fans on the ground than many of us but is there any evidence that large numbers of fans will be turning on either the current or the future manager? A few blokes venting their spleen on internet forums just might not be representative. Anyway, on to the game. The end is nigh at last and I have no idea what to expect beyond yet another Saints defeat. Put this episode to bed and just hope that is was all just a bad dream. Oh yes, and thanks to Nick as well of course.

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WestSussexSaint added 13:17 - May 28 I’m just grateful the weather is good so I can work on my tan if the match is dull. One valid point from Nicks preview (vent?). This seasons kits, home and away, have been awful. I’m a firm believer in looking the part having a psychological boost in performance so I feared the worst at the start of the season when I saw the kits unveiled. Back to proper stripes next season please.

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A1079 added 13:27 - May 28 I cannot think of a time in my lifetime of supporting Saints where a game against Liverpool has meant so little and in which it has been so meaningless and where I have not looked forward to it. I can't imagine that either team are up for this. I cannot wait for the final whistle which will herald the end of this whole sorry farce of a season that started at the back end of last season. I have seen us relegated before, I have seen us in financial trouble before, I have seen bad managers before but for some reason this one has felt worse because it feels so unnecessary and has been brought about because of a long line of bad decisions and bad management which goes all the way back to when Kat Liebherr got into Partnership with Gao and it has steadily got worse culminating in the disastrous stewardship by Sports Republic this season. It is not the playing in the Championship that bothers me it is how we have ended up there and with it, the lack of faith I have in these owners to make us a club to be proud of again. I hope Walcott and JWP gets a dignified reception but quite how the final whistle will be greeted is anyone's guess. It could be awkward or just melt away to nothing like so many of our games. Just thank god from a footballing perspective that it is all but over. Thank you Nick for all your work and coverage this year.

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saintmark1976 added 13:46 - May 28 Just to echo A1079 concerning Nick. Most of the time I think that he watches different games to me and some of his views ( especially considering Ralph ) I find quite bizarre. However I’m minded of the expression “ I disagree with your views but will defend to the death your right to say them”. Keep going Nick and many thanks for expressing your point of view, long may you continue.

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SanMarco added 13:46 - May 28 I agree on the kit. I doubt Selles will get an overly hostile reception - he took the job in good faith and simply wasn't up to it. Personally I don't really see the point of too much hostility: we are stuck with SR and we need them to get their act together - 'toxic' atmospheres probably don't actually help much there. Yes - it was their fault but I doubt we will drive them out with hostility, however 'toxic'. We need to hit the ground running next season and, dare I say it, we need to try to forgive even if we don't forget. As for this afternoon, a gentle stroll that fades away into another comfortable defeat. I hope people are generous to JWP, even if they don't rate him. I suspect that none of those labelled as not trying hard enough will feature this afternoon. The likes of Ely and A. Armstrong have put in a shift - why boo them? Blame the people that thought they were good enough to start regularly. Thanks Nick for such an excellent site - let's hope we can all be more upbeat next season.

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ItchenNorth added 14:44 - May 28 The irony of endlessly mentioning the cancer of social media on this site, yet this drivel is written. You need a lie down. A cold beer. The summer off. COYR, roll on The Championship.
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IanRC added 15:25 - May 28 Just hope JWP breaks Beckham’s record today.
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