Southampton

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Southampton won just one Premier League game under Ivan Juric - a 2-1 victory over fellow strugglers Ipswich Town on 1 February.

The Croat replaced Russell Martin on 21 December with Saints bottom of the Premier League table, nine points from safety.

Sunday's defeat at Tottenham left Saints 22 points from safety with just seven games left.

"I think it's a really big challenge but I'm very optimistic because I saw a team that can do better," said Juric when he was appointed.

"It's important to immediately be connected with the fans. I want an aggressive team and I think that fans of Southampton will like that."

Southampton

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This is the second job Ivan Juric has had this season.

He was appointed by Roma in September but was sacked in November after just 12 matches in charge.

Since the 49-year-old was appointed by Southampton on 21 December, Saints have won two games - 3-0 against Swansea in the FA Cup and 2-1 at Ipswich in the Premier League - and lost 13, with two draws.

The reality is that it is harder to stay in the Premier League than it is to get promoted into it. Burnley won the Championship at a canter two seasons ago, but were relegated straight back down. The gulf between Premier League and Championship is now far greater than it was, and the squad needs to be fit for purpose to stand a chance of staying up.

JD

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

The decision to dismiss manager Ivan Juric was very much driven by Southampton rather than the Croatian opting to walk.

In a club statement, the Saints admit a need to "restore a sense of pride" in a season where they were relegated with seven games to go, becoming the earliest side to suffer that fate in the Premier League era.

Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl will be considered the frontrunner to get the job having been considered for the post on two previous occasions.

And the statement also reveals the importance of new Group Technical Director Johannes Spors, who will guide the replacement process.

The German has a relationship with Rohl from their time working together at RB Leipzig.

Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl, who has been linked with the Southampton job, said after Saturday's 1-0 home defeat to Hull City that he “will never forget these players".

Was he indicating he wouldn't be around at Wednesday for much longer?

The Owlsfailed to pay their players' wages for March due to cashflow problems suffered by owner Dejphon Chansiri.

However on Monday, Sheffield Wednesdayconfirmed that the club's players and staff have now been paid.

Southampton

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Southampton have been linked with 35-year-old Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl, who previously worked at the club under former manager Ralph Hasenhuttl.

The German has been in charge of Wednesday - 13th in the Championship - since October 2023.

Strasbourg's England-born manager Liam Rosenior has also been linked., external

Southampton's next game is at home to sixth-placed Aston Villa on Saturday (15:00 BST).

They will then face West Ham, Fulham, Leicester, Manchester City, Everton and Arsenal before dropping back into the second tier.

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Ivan Juric managed Southampton for a total of 14 Premier League matches, which included just one win, 12 losses and one draw.

Juric departs with the lowest win percentage of all permanent Southampton managers in the Premier League era.

Southampton

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Southampton's statement announcing the departure of Ivan Juric thanks supporters for sticking with the club during a "very tough" season.

"We remain incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of our fans," it says., external

"Their continued dedication and passion, despite what has been a very tough season, is remarkable and is appreciated by everyone at the club.

"Despite the challenges that relegation will bring, our goal is to restore a sense of pride for them in their team and club once again."

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Southampton say work has started on finding a replacement for Ivan Juric.

"The process of finding a new manager to lead us as we look to secure an immediate return to the Premier League has now begun and is being led by Group Technical Director Johannes Spors," adds a club statement., external

"In the meantime, Simon Rusk has agreed to take charge of the team as interim manager for the remaining seven fixtures of this season and will be assisted by Adam Lallana.

Southampton

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A Southampton statement on Ivan Juric's depature reads: "Ivan came to Southampton at a tough time and was tasked with trying to improve a squad in a difficult situation.

"Unfortunately, we haven’t seen performances progress the way we had hoped, but we would like to thank Ivan and his staff for their honesty and hard work as they fought against the odds to try and keep us up.

"With relegation to the Championship now confirmed, we believe it is important to give fans, players and staff some clarity on the future as we head into a very important summer."

Southampton

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21 December 2024: Southampton appoint Ivan Juric as their new manager on an 18-month deal.

7 April 2025: Ivan Juric leaves relegated Southampton.

Juric was in charge for 107 days.

Southampton

Relegated Southampton have now confirmed they have reached an agreement with Ivan Juric to end his spell at the club.

Simon Rusk has also been confirmed is the club's interim manager for the rest of the season, with Adam Lallana to assist him.

Jo Tessem
Ex-Southampton midfielder on BBC Radio Solent

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After sacking Russell Martin, we got Ivan Juric in and the same problem has continued. The problem is the players are not good enough.

If the players had shown the effort the supporters have shown, it probably would have been a different story this season.

The most difficult problem we have is that we haven't got players good enough for the Premier League. We have to be that honest now, and I think the players need to be that honest with themselves.

The reason we are in this situation is because we aren't good enough to play the football that would allow us to compete in the Premier League - and that is purely down to the players.

Southampton

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Southampton started the season with Russell Martin in charge.

Martin oversaw last season's promotion via the play-offs as his side overcame Leeds United at Wembley.

But the 39-year-old was dismissed on 15 December after a 5-0 thrashing by Tottenham left them nine points off Premier League safety.

The loss against Spurs was Southampton's 13th in the league this campaign from 16 games.

"We have all been on the same page in recognising the urgency of needing results to improve," said Southampton in a statement announcing Martin's departure.

It is a shame that Southampton have to sack yet another manager. Why is it the manager's fault when things go wrong at a club? Why don't they start cutting wages of players or sack them?

Anon

Southampton

After the defeat at Tottenham which confirmed relegation, Saints fans got in touch with our Southampton club page with their views:

Daz: Absolutely abysmal! They deserve to be relegated after a poor and gutless season, with no fight shown. There has been no organisation from the top to the bottom of the club. The players don't care because they will move on to other clubs. The whole club, from the board downwards, needs rebuilding! It's embarrassing to be a Saints supporter.

Jason: The mistake was not changing formation and playing Championship football. I'm sure they will get promoted again, along with the usual suspects of Leicester and Ipswich - and the loser of the Sheffield United, Burnley and Leeds United automatic promotion race.

Southampton

Ivan Juric described Southampton's relegation as a "difficult day".

Should he depart today as expected, this interview will have been his last to the BBC as Southampton's head coach.

Speaking to MOTD2, he added: "It's a difficult day, tough day but I see the fans, how they love their players and their team. It's something incredible. This experience has to serve to create something stronger than this."

On what progress he is looking to see: "Now it is important to think about the next game and then we will see everything."