In the aftermath of Southampton’s 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United on Sunday, it was confirmed that manager Ralph Hasenhuttl had been sacked.
After spending four years full of highs and lows at St. Mary’s, the Austrian coach had been shown the door by the club.
On plenty of occasions during his time at Saints boss, it seemed as if an exit for the veteran was inevitable.
However, Hasenhuttl and his side had an uncanny knack for wriggling out of such pressure situations and conjuring results out of thin air.
But after Eddie Howe’s side put Southampton to the sword at home, the club hierarchy were finally ready to part ways with the 55-year-old.
Reflecting on his experience working alongside Ralph Hasenhuttl at Southampton, retired striker Charlie Austin blasted the ex-RB Leipzig tactician.
Austin on Hassenhuttl weaknesses
“It was all about him. He was quick to throw the team under the bus when the team was doing poorly”, he said on talkSPORT Breakfast.
Austin continued, “But when they were doing great, it was all about him. When you’re being asked if you can get out of a blip and you say, ‘No’, I don’t think any manager can say that. You need to galvanise your team.”
“Even if you don’t believe it, you need to say you can turn it around.”
The 33-year old went on to question whether Hasenhüttl’s time in charge of the club has been a success, saying, “He was there for four years and his highest points tally was 52 points, the rest, it’s been low forties.
“Have they finished in the top half since he’s been there? No. Can you say it’s a success? You have to say no but because he’s kept in the Premier League, you could say yes.”
“It depends on what the ambitions of the football club are.”
It’s safe to say that Charlie Austin will certainly grab the headlines after his no holds barred assessment of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s spell at Southampton.
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