If Southampton’s name is mentioned in conversations about football at your New Year’s Eve party, I expect someone will utter the words ‘they are gone.’
It would be hard to provide a solid argument against that theory. When West Brom produced the most astonishing escape from relegation from the Premier League 20 years ago, they only had 10 points at the halfway stage of the season.
Southampton are now 50% of the way through their campaign, and have a mere six points to show for it.
There has though been improvements in Ivan Juric’s two games in charge. They do not look as defensively vulnerable, and seem more comfortable in what they are being asked to do.
I would be shocked if Southampton go through the next 19 Premier League games and do not earn comfortably more points than the first half of their campaign.
But will it be enough to stay up? We would be talking about the greatest of great escapes if they did.