Adam Blackmore
BBC Radio Solent sports editor
Image source, Getty ImagesIvan Juric was always going to be the fall guy this season. He was brought in on a short deal, a low-risk option, knowing he was up against it from the start.
He hasn't helped himself at times, but I think he's a good guy who took a tough gig that was bigger than he thought!
Ivan Juric's Premier League record does not make for happy reading for Southampton fans.
He has overseen 14 matches, losing 12 and winning just once - a 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Ipswich in early February.
Since then, the 1-1 home draw against Crystal Palace on Wednesday is the only time Southampton have avoided defeat - and the earliest relegation in Premier League history was confirmed with defeat at Spurs.
In Juric's 14 games in charge Saints conceded 38 goals and scored just 12.
Image source, Getty ImagesManager Ivan Juric is set to leave Southampton after less than four months in charge.
The 49-year-old was appointed on 21 December following the dismissal of Russell Martin and has only been in charge for 107 days.
The news comes a day after their relegation to the Championship was confirmed by the Saints' 3-1 defeat by Tottenham on Sunday.
Juric has taken charge of 14 Premier League games and picked up just four points in that time.
What do you make of the news, Southampton fans?
Is this best for all parties or should he have taken them into next season?
We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's game between Tottenham and Southampton, which saw the Saints suffer the earliest relegation in Premier League history.
Here are some of your comments:
Steven: That first half was pathetic. There was no fight and no passion, nothing there at all. A slight improvement in the second half but, like most of the season, not good enough at all. The leadership at the top has a lot to answer for, with the appalling recruitment and total inability to right the wrongs.
Russell: Any team that loses to Tottenham deserves to be relegated, end of.
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.
Chris: Southampton are marching into history!
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.
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Southampton player Jo Tessem says the fans have been "incredible" during a "really poor season" which has seen the club set another damning record of suffering the earliest relegation in Premier League history.
He praised them for "still coming and cheering" despite watching their team lose 25 Premier League games so far this season, with the latest defeat coming against Tottenham.
Speaking on BBC Radio Solent's Goin' Home With Adam And Jo podcast, Tessem said: "They have turned up in every game this season. They have supported and done everything they can to help the team.
"It is not down to them that the club has been relegated. If the players had shown the effort the supporters have shown, it probably would have been a different story this season. We could have been in the Champions League next 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.
"We have proven that this season. After sacking Russell Martin, we got Ivan Juric in and the same problem has continued. The problem is the players are not good enough."
Highlights and analysis from Sunday's four Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.
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The latest episode of BBC Radio Solent's 'Goin' Home With Adam And Jo' podcast has landed.
The team discuss Southampton becoming the earliest team in top flight history to be relegated after they were defeated 3-1 by Tottenham.
Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesDefeat to Tottenham not only confirmed Southampton's relegation to the Championship, but broke the record for the earliest relegation in Premier League history.
No team had previously had relegation mathematically confirmed with seven or more games left to play.
If the Saints aren't careful they could end up making more unwanted history - they currently have one point less than the 11 Derby County finished with in 2007-08, the lowest points tally in Premier League history.
Though relegation is never easy to stomach, Southampton's fate was known long before Sunday afternoon.
Ivan Juric's side actually played with a degree of freedom in the second half, and made things interesting when Mateus Fernandes pulled a goal back in the 90th minute.
If they replicate that 45 minutes in at least one of their remaining seven games, they will at least avoid becoming the worst Premier League side in history.
Image source, Getty ImagesSouthampton captain Jack Stephens says the club's relegation from the Premier League is "humiliating", with Ivan Juric's side still rooted to the bottom of the table on 10 points after a 3-1 loss to Tottenham.
Speaking to BBC Radio Solent after the game, Stephens said: "It's obviously still fresh, but this season has been a massive disappointment. We are really disappointed in the dressing room. The lads are obviously really down. We are just gutted that we couldn't give the fans what they deserve, not only today but also this season as a whole."
On what he would say to the club's supporters about this season: "First thing's first, we have to look at ourselves. That is what we will do and what we have spoken about already. We have to look in the mirror and ask ourselves whether we did everything we could and whether we have been good enough.
"Ultimately, the answer to the second question is that we have been nowhere near good enough.
"We can say that the gap between the Championship and the Premier League is getting bigger - which it is - but we shouldn't be relegated with seven games to go."
On what the mood has been like in Southampton's dressing room: "I won't accept anyone not giving 100% and I can stand here and say that hasn't been the case this season.
"This group of lads have given everything, have really worked hard at it and have stuck together. I would be the first person to tell you if the dressing room wasn't in a good place.
"We are low - we have been for a few months - but we have stuck together and stuck at it. I just hope that has reflected on the pitch. The bottom line is that we haven't been good enough, as individuals and as a team.
"I just genuinely believe we have fallen short. We haven't been good enough from day one and, once you get into that rut of losing games and conceding goals, it is very difficult to get out of it."
Image source, Getty ImagesSouthampton centre-back Jan Bednarek has been speaking to Premier League Productions: "Let's be honest, today is just official but we knew for a few weeks that relegation was coming. It was just a matter of time. Next season we will be in the Championship and it is the beginning of something new. We have to build something good around the club.
"We can't change the past, the only thing we can do in the last seven games is to enjoy being in the Premier League. We have to improve as players and as a club. Hopefully we are going to build something great.
"The best thing is that we can learn, we can work hard and we can improve. Hopefully we can perform better in the last seven games. We want to get more points, I don't think 10 is enough. Hopefully we will get more points."
Image source, Getty ImagesSouthampton manager Ivan Juric speaking to Sky Sports: "We know that we are in a bad situation and today was a certain thing. I cannot say anything bad about the players, it was a really tough year for everyone."
On what he wants to see between now and the end of the season: "I want to see the Crystal Palace game like we played the second half here. We have to try and play good games."
On discussions for his future: "No, now we will see everything. We are thinking just about the games now. We will see now what everyone thinks, what I think. The fans deserve much more and we have to understand all of the mistakes we have made and then create something really strong."
On avoiding Derby's 11-point record: "We have to avoid that record. Do our best. It cannot happen."
Image source, Getty ImagesSouthampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale speaking to Sky Sports: "We knew it was probably going to be inevitable at some point, we haven't been good enough all season. We were dominated by the better team. We dug in in the second half but it is a sad day and one that this group of players will learn from.
"We need wins, points, performances. It has to come to a point where the fans are happy and singing. Fair play to those [fans] who came today, have been at Saint Mary's and travelled around the country. We have to build some momentum going in to the Championship season."
On trying to go past Derby's 11-point record: "We want to get as many points as we can until the end of the season. No-one wants that record and we will do what we can to get more points on the board."
On his saves: "Something like that can hopefully spark a period in the game. I'm there to try and save as many as possible but we have fallen short today and during the season."
On the group: "Some are experiencing relegation for the first time so there will be a lot of emotions from them over the next few days. The lads who have been here before, we have to try and pick the young boys up. This group did incredible things last season. Nobody will want to jump ship with seven games to go."
Image source, Getty ImagesSouthampton are the first team in Premier League history to be relegated with as many as seven games of the season remaining.
Having only been relegated two times in their first 45 seasons in the English top-flight between 1966-67 and 2021-22 (1973-74 and 2004-05), Southampton have now been relegated in two successive Premier League campaigns (2022-23 and 2024-25).
Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?
Have your say on Tottenham's performance
What did you make of Southampton's display?
Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies
Four matches make up Sunday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.
Brentford v Chelsea - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Fulham v Liverpool - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live
Tottenham v Southampton
Man Utd v Man City (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 live
All kick-off times 14:00 BST unless stated
It was almost a big week for Southampton, who would have surpassed the Premier League's record-lowest points total, currently held by Robbie Savage's Derby County, if they had held on to beat Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
They came agonisingly close and in many ways I would take a Saints victory here, just so I can enjoy hosting 606 with Robbie between now and the end of the season.
You will probably all have heard him recently, banging on about what a job he has done to take big-budget Macclesfield to promotion from the Northern Premier League, but I'd like to balance things a little bit with him hanging on to his record.
I can't see Southampton taking three points here, though, even if the two other teams in the bottom three have already gone to Tottenham and won.
Spurs won 5-0 at St Mary's before Christmas, in Russell Martin's final game as Saints boss.
Ange Postecoglou's side are not playing well, so they won't score as many this time, but it should still be very comfortable for them and they might even keep a clean sheet.
Sutton's prediction: 3-0
Image source, Getty ImagesEarlier, we asked which player has appeared in the most Premier League wins for Southampton.
The answer is James Ward-Prowse, who was involved in 106 victories.
Image source, Getty ImagesSouthampton have won just one of their past seven Premier League games against Tottenham, beating them 3-2 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in February 2022.
None of Tottenham's past 15 Premier League home games against Southampton have finished level (W12 L3). Tottenham have scored in all of those games, while the Saints have also found the net in each of the past eight games.
Son Heung-min has had a hand in 18 goals in 16 Premier League appearances against Southampton (11 goals, seven assists). The only current Premier League player with more goals and assists against a single opponent is Mohamed Salah against Manchester United (13 goals, six assists).
Holly Bacon
BBC Sport journalist
Ivan Juric has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Tottenham (kick-off 14:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Juric said Paul Onuachu has missed training with an "ankle problem" but added: "[Ryan] Manning is OK, Lesley [Ugochukwu] is OK. I think Will Smallbone will come back into training tomorrow."
On the progress of Cameron Archer: "I think he's a really emotional guy, a really quiet guy and in the past few weeks and months, he's been completely different and very good in training. If he plays, I think he will be really good."
Juric was also asked how he thinks Tyler Dibling has been playing since his injury: "I think that he is a really young guy. They start to know him, what he's doing - he's not like a new player where nobody knows him. It became a little bit more difficult for him but I have to say he is working really hard and getting better."
On the prospect of being relegated this weekend if results go against them: "I don't think about that anymore. Our goal has to be not be the worst team."
On whether he thinks he will keep his job if they are relegated: "At this moment I don't know. I have to speak with the club and see. Every coach has his vision and I think the club has to do everything they can to agree with the coach and then they go the same way."
On his game plan for the trip to Spurs: "It will be different because they play completely different [to Crystal Palace]. It's 4-3-3 and it's different but I want to work on this principle now - the moment of high pressure [and] the moment we are low and we defend lower. I think this will be our way until the end of the season."
He was also complimentary of Ange Postecoglou's side: "I have a feeling they are like last year now, much more compact and I think some players are crucial for them like [Cristian] Romero and they are really good again."
Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
Full commentary of Tottenham v Southampton on the BBC Sport website from 14:00 BST on Sunday
Which player has appeared in the most Premier League wins for Southampton?
Come back to this page at 17:00 BST for the answer
