IT WAS EARLY AUGUST when the first symptoms of Ranieri’s disease became visible in Southampton. First discovered in the West London area last year, the affliction can prove fatal to the careers of unfortunate Premiership managers unlucky enough to contract it. Tell-tale signs include a whispering campaign that leads to loud headlines and a steady though intangible build-up of “pressure”. It is caused by a mixture of combustible elements — gossip, debate, leaks, rumour and hard facts — that combine in a violent chemical reaction to form a sticky mess.
Side-effects include sympathy, bemusement and a sense of inevitable doom that shrouds the victim even during moments of triumph and defiance. The only cure is an immediate and sustained dose of victories; but in severe cases, such as that of Paul Sturrock, the Southampton manager, even that may not be enough.
Under these circumstances, it was not surprising that new-season optimism was lacking at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday. The crowd was below 30,000 for a Premiership match for the first time since October, 2002. At the final whistle, there was relief at a 3-2 victory over Blackburn Rovers secured courtesy of a last-minute penalty — but also an awareness that it was a lucky win and an unimpressive display.
A report in a Sunday tabloid a week before the season claimed that: “Chairman Rupert Lowe has given (Sturrock) just six games to save himself from the sack . . . the final straw came when Saints fans turned on Sturrock and demanded Lowe axed him”. The writer’s certitude suggests access to a well-informed source, but according to Keith Legg, of the Saints Forever fan website, few supporters are agitating for Sturrock’s removal. “I’m bemused as to where this sudden pressure has come from. Sturrock needs more time before we can judge whether he’s the man for the job,” Legg said.
Whatever its origin, the speculation has undermined Sturrock’s authority and nourished an atmosphere of insecurity. It seems absurd that Sturrock is under pressure at such an early stage in the season but he has won only five and lost six of his thirteen games in charge.
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Lowe’s programme column did not exactly attempt to take the heat out of the occasion: “It is important that we underline our home form with a win today . . . we must make (the) points ours,” he wrote. After the game Lowe equivocated, saying that Sturrock “remains the manager until the time that the board decides otherwise”. It is thought that plans were in place for a board meeting to discuss Sturrock’s future immediately after the Blackburn match, had Southampton lost.
Lowe is ruthless: Stuart Gray, Glenn Hoddle’s replacement, was appointed in March, 2001, then removed that October. Sturrock is Southampton’s eighth permanent manager since 1995. The chairman is also a pragmatist. Sturrock was not Lowe’s first choice to replace Strachan. That was Hoddle, but Lowe was forced to scrap plans to unveil the former England coach when he realised how vehemently supporters continue to loathe the man who ditched the club for Tottenham Hotspur in 2001. Lowe would still love to re-appoint Hoddle, but he realises that the timing remains wrong.
When Sturrock was appointed in March, a month after Strachan had left, Southampton were lauded for selecting an up-and-coming British manager from the Football League; another likeable, eccentric, Scot, as Strachan is. Now, Sturrock’s provenance is a stick with which to beat him: two promotions with Plymouth Argyle apparently does not command the respect of Premiership players.
A team meeting was held to discuss the gossip. “There were a lot of confused minds and I don’t think many of us knew what was being talked about,” Anders Svensson, the midfield player, said. On Saturday, Sturrock would only discuss the game — but he made a point of praising his team’s character and unity. The players came out in his defence: “There is a great atmosphere in the changing-room,” Svensson said. Kevin Phillips said that the squad is “100 per cent behind the manager”.
“Having lost the (first) game there was a certain amount of pressure on us,” Graeme Le Saux said. “The speculation around the manager is speculation. We have a very settled club here. It’s a shame that so early in the season people are talking about that, because we’ve got a great team spirit here and great unity between us.”
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Despite the win, the sense persists that the club’s hierarchy is waiting for the right moment to dismiss Sturrock. Wednesday brings a potentially awkward home match against Bolton Wanderers. After that comes a daunting trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea, and then a two-week break before the next game: a perfect opportunity to effect a change. Two wins this week, though, and Sturrock’s prognosis will suddenly look brighter. He is still learning about top-flight management, but discovering just how machiavellian and impatient Premiership life really is, might be his most painful lesson of all.
THE RECORD
THE JOINT-FIFTH LONGEST serving members of the top flight first tasted football in the old first division in 1966. Relegated in 1974, the club was back in the big time in 1978 and has stayed there since, often by the skin of its teeth. That was the case in 1998-99 under the management of Dave Jones when two draws and three wins from the final five games kept the club up.
Doom-merchants suggested that the move from the close confines of The Dell would damage the club’s home form but the first three seasons at St Mary’s saw three comfortable mid-table finishes. The new stadium — at 32,000 seats, twice as large as The Dell — provided extra revenue that could be spent on new players. The club’s best season for many years came in 2002-03 under Gordon Strachan: an FA Cup Final appearance and eighth place in the Premiership. The perennial low-budget strugglers now seemed a stable, medium-sized club on a steady upward curve, with Premiership survival no longer the sole ambition.