Mark Hughes is under huge pressure in the Premier League but will Southampton really return to Gordon Strachan?
Southampton were once held up as a fine example of a well-run club reaping the rewards for intelligent decision making and long-term planning.
But the underachievement, the European qualification and the exciting attacking football espoused by Ronald Koeman and Mauricio Pochettino seem a long time ago now.
These days, Southampton are a club in crisis, seemingly sleepwalking towards an almost inevitable relegation. The Saints have won one out of 11 Premier League games so far in 2018/19 and Mark Hughes is under huge pressure after the 6-1 battering at Manchester City on Sunday.
But could the panic set in and force Southampton to bring back a hero from yesteryear, a man who hasn’t been seen at St Mary’s since 2004?
In the aftermath of that humiliation at the Etihad Stadium, Gordon Strachan has been linked with a remarkable return to the South Coast with the veteran Scot among the bookies favourites too.
Now, Strachan was a huge success for the majority of his time in charge between 2001 and 2004, leading them away from the relegation zone in his first season before guiding Southampton to an FA Cup final and into the UEFA Cup.
But 14 years is a long time ago and Strachan hasn’t managed anyone since being sacked for failing to lead Scotland into a major tournament in 2017.
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